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A freshly made sourdough loaf warm from the oven is unbeatable. However, you will need a method to preserve it until you have time to finish eating it unless you want to eat it all at once. As with any bread, if sourdough is not stored correctly, it can become stale and crunchy or wet and mouldy. Because it has undergone slow fermentation beforehand, sourdough bread is unique. The production of natural lactic acid during the sourdough starter's manufacturing process helps to preserve the starter through spontaneous fermentation. But, if not properly preserved, it will only survive a few days because it does not include preservatives like some other types of bread.
Sourdough Storage Tips
Here's how you can store your sourdough bread:
Use Tea Towel Or Cloth Bag
Tea towels and cloth bags work well for retaining some moisture while letting the air circulate around your bread. Although this is one of the best options, it may result in a tougher outer crust, particularly for whole-grain bread. The optimum time to do this is before the bread is sliced.
Unwrapped At Room Temperature
Keep your homemade sourdough loaf unwrapped and at room temperature for up to 24 hours; it doesn't include the preservatives that extend the shelf life of store-bought bread. Make sure you eat it right away or wrap it up once you slice it; otherwise, it will start to grow stale.
Paper Bag
The soft inside and crunchy outside of sourdough bread are well-known. Sourdough will not go too soft if you store it in a paper bag at room temperature. However, because a paper bag allows a lot of air to enter, it may dry up and get rigid more quickly. The loaf should be fine stored in a paper bag if you want to consume it within two to three days. You shouldn't, however, anticipate it being fresh for very long. It is important to constantly seal the end of a paper bag securely while keeping sourdough to prevent air from escaping.
Microwave Storage
Given that many people no longer have bread boxes, microwaves are the next best thing. Because they keep air out and maintain a steady temperature to preserve the bread from becoming stale and mouldy, modern microwaves are a wonderful alternative for preserving sourdough. Just watch out for the microwave not to get mistakenly turned on.
Freeze It
Though it will prevent it from becoming stale or mouldy, the freezer will definitely not keep your sourdough fresh. You may enjoy your sourdough for months to come if you freeze it in anticipation of a rainy day. Either slice the loaf before freezing it or freeze it in individual portions. It will be easy to take out the necessary number of slices when you want to toast them if you freeze them in slices. Use a big freezer-safe bag or carefully wrap your sourdough bread in aluminium foil to freeze it.
