When you have just cooked and baked fresh bread you need to cool it. But every time you leave it to cool to room temperature it hardens as it cools. It’s so frustrating because the bread loses its softness and crumb when it gets cooled down.
There’s a brilliant science working behind this process which is called starch reorganization or retrogradation. Also, in this article, we will talk about how to prevent bread hardening means some cool tips that will help you keep the bread as soft as it was during baking and also the reason behind it. So keep reading.
Will Bread Harden As It Cools?
The answer is Yes. Just because of a scientific reason. Here’s why:
Reason
Bread hardens when it cools is caused by a process called starch retrogradation.
When you bake the bread, the heat causes the starch molecules to absorb water, swell, and, gelatinize. This process actually makes the bread soft and moist But, when you leave the bread to cool, the starch molecules start to reorganize themselves.
In this process, amylose molecules start forming a more ordered structure and this releases the absorbed or trapped water in the air outside. And now, the bread becomes tough.
However, this depends on various factors like the presence of other ingredients in the bread, the temperature the bread was baked at, and hell lot of other things. But, you can easily prevent it by following some tips.
Solutions
The problem is not in kneading your dough, baking temperature, or baking procedure, the problem starts just after your baking ends, when you leave your bread to be cool in the air.
When you leave the bread in the open air the moisture of the bread goes out. So, for that reason, you have to keep the bread in an airtight plastic bag or bread box to prevent the bread from hardening.
Check the below steps:
- When you have just taken the bread out of the oven then let it cool for a few minutes before wrapping it in an airtight bag or box. Because if you put the hot bread in the box, that can create a high level of humidity inside the box because the bread will release steam. This will result in a soggy or sticky texture in bread and will decrease the bread’s life.
- When your bread is slightly cool or in a warm temperature use a plastic bag and seal it loosely to allow some air circulation. This will help prevent condensation from forming inside the bag. Bread boxes are the best to keep the bread soft. Because those boxes have a little hole itself which you can close or open as you want.
- Now, leave the bread to cool fully.
- Then, seal your bag tightly or close the whole of your bread box and store it.
CAUTION: Don’t use refrigerators to cool your hot bread because that will also create a soggy environment inside the plastic bag. Only use refrigerators when you are unable to eat all the bread and want to enjoy it later. Remember, while refrigerating the bread slows down mold growth and extends the shelf life of bread it can also cause it to dry and harden quickly. You have to warm the bread again to have the same texture and taste again.
Conclusion
When you cook your favourite bread and it gets hard when it cools actually frustrates us. But, by following these three simple tips you can easily keep your bread as soft as it was during your baking period:
- Seal slightly cool bread loosely in your plastic bag and when it gets cooled properly seal it tightly.
- Also, you can use the bread boxes which are actually a great choice for storing bread whether in the refrigerator or in room temperature. Breads like sourdough can be stored at room temperature. Not only this, due to sourdough’s very low pH (high acidity) creates a very unfriendly environment for molding spores.
Remember refrigerating your bread will make harden even faster. To use it later you can use your fridge but room temperature is best for most of the breads.
Hope you enjoyed and properly understand the article and thanks for reading.
