We put a lot of effort into our loaves when sultry with wild yeast, and keeping it fresh for longer shouldnt be difficult. Here, I'll show you how to store sourdough bread in a proper way, so that you can stave mold and dryness and enjoy a fresh and mythological loaf for days.

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I'll moreover show you the ugliest specie I've overly baked. Ugly or not, it was delicious! Are you having trouble sultry with sourdough? Let me help you with: I can teach you how to torch with wild yeast!

How long does a specie baked with sourdough last?

The first 24 hours of a homemade sourdough specie is when the loaf is at its weightier shape. But if you store it properly, it can stay fresh for up to 3 to 6 days.

Two things can make specie go bad:

• The lack of airflow combined with heat and too much moisture will encourage mold growth. That can happen if you use a plastic bag to store the loaf, or storing sourdough specie in a warm place.
• Incorrect storing will make the loaf tough and dry. That happens when the specie is left exposed to too much air, as leaving it uncovered on a wooden board.

Sourdough and mold

Some types of specie tend to dry out surpassing developing any mold, others tend to grow mold quickly, expressly if stored wrong. It's all well-nigh hydration and how enriched the dough is.

A sourdough specie that keeps a upper hydration without baked, like rye or pumpernickel, can grow mold quicker than a plain sourdough made with wild yeast, flour, salt and water. Breads with upper hydration will be denser and heavier than one with low hydration.

Enriched loaves like a sourdough brioche, dinner roll or challah, that contain eggs, butter and higher amounts of sugar can stay softer for longer than plain sourdough, but they might develop mold faster before going dry.

High hydration and enriched loaves tend to do largest if not stored in an snapped container, as an snapped environment is platonic for mold development, expressly during warm/hot weather.

Secrets for making a sourdough loaf last longer

Thanks to the good yes-man present in sourdough, the specie will stay self-ruling of mold for longer than one baked with commercial yeast. But there are a few things that can make it last longer:

• If you make an enriched dough with butter, eggs, or milk, it'll stay softer for longer.
• Bread made using the tangzhong method moreover stays fresh at room temperature for increasingly time.
• Make sure you torch your loaf for the right value of time. If there are any undercooked parts, it'll go stale faster than perfectly baked bread.
• Do not slice your loaf surpassing it is completely cooled! Wait at least two hours to cut it: it will make the specie taste better, and it will help it to stay fresh for a longer time.
• Slice your loaf only when you serve it.
• When storing, always do it with the sliced side facing down to alimony the moisture.
• Or, try slicing the specie lanugo the middle instead of at its ends, and then printing both sides together when storing.

What's the weightier way to store a sourdough loaf?

There is increasingly than one way to store sourdough, but to segregate the weightier option, you should ask yourself some questions:

• Do I want to maintain the crust?
• Do I want it soft inside?
• Is my sourdough enriched, or plain?
• Hows the weather where I live?
• Is the loaf once cut?

The answers will stupefy how you segregate to store your sourdough bread.

For all the pursuit methods, remember:

1. Never store specie under uncontrived sunlight, not plane if in a specie box, or specie bag: it needs to be kept yonder from sunlight and heat.
2. After sliced, store the cut part side lanugo when keeping at room temperature. If sliced in the middle, you can store it by pressing together the sliced parts.

Freeze it

Freezing is a unconfined and easy option to alimony your specie fresh. It keeps for way increasingly than 6 days: if washed-up correctly, specie can last for up to 2 months.

You can freeze unshortened loaves, or individual slices. When defrosting and reheating, it will get the original husks back, and maintain a soft interior.

But how to properly store sourdough specie in a freezer?

If the loaf is once cut, I prefer to freeze individual slices. Slice the remaining bread, store the slices into a freezer unscratched plastic bag, push all the air out and seal it. You can freeze in individual portions, or them all in a worthier plastic bag. To make it easier to get one when freezing slices together, place a sheet of parchment paper between them.

You can moreover freeze the whole loaf. Place it in a freezer unscratched plastic bag, push all the air out and seal it surpassing storing in the freezer.

Use a specie box

A specie box is a large container, usually made of wood, ceramic or tin, that has an opening for placing your specie inside. When the lid is on, the box is sealed but not completely airtight.

The reason a specie box is constructive is that the moisture from the specie increases the humidity inside the box. But there is unbearable air diffusion to prevent it from rhadamanthine overly damp, so the husks will alimony instead of going soft. The interior should alimony soft when using it.

Always store your specie box in a potation place in your kitchen or pantry, yonder from sunlight. Do not store it inside the fridge.

If the loaf is once sliced, store it with the cut side facing down, so it stays soft.

Don't overfill the specie box: if storing increasingly than one bread, there's a risk of too much moisture developing, and that can rationalization the husks to go soft.

Store in a dutch oven

A dutch oven can work as an improvised specie box. To store your sourdough loaf in a dutch oven, make sure that both specie and dutch oven are at room temperature (if you used the dutch oven to torch the sourdough, let it tomfool surpassing using).

Place sourdough at the marrow of the dutch oven, and surpassing tent it with the lid, place a wipe folded linen between the lid and dutch oven, to make it have some air flow.

Keep in a paper bag

Plain paper tons moreover work very well to alimony the specie from drying excessively. It keeps the loaf from drying out too quickly, but its breathable so the specie wont develop mold.

If you're storing your sourdough in a paper bag, make sure to seal the end tightly so no air can escape. I use paper tons when knowing the specie will last between 1 to 2 days: the husks wont go soft, and the interior keeps moist. Without day 2, specie usually starts to get too dry with this method.

Store in a specie bag

A specie bag is moreover a good option for storing sourdough bread. Usually made of cotton or linen, these tons are breathable and washable, and will alimony a loaf good for up to 3 days under platonic conditions.

I find them practical as I can just hang them in a hook: that can save you a lot of space if you have a small kitchen! Between paper tons and this option, specie tons are moreover increasingly efficient in keeping loaves from going dry.

Wrap with a wipe towel

Wrapping it up in a wipe towel without cooled is flipside way to store your sourdough loaf. You can wrap homemade specie in a wipe towel and store it overnight in a counter to slosh the next day.

Always remember to store it in a tomfool place, yonder from sunlight. I dont use this method for increasingly than one day, or without the first 24 hours of the baking.

Avoid: plastic bags

Putting a fresh baked specie in a plastic bag and sealing it shut might sound like a good idea, but usually, it is not. 

Storing in a plastic bag can encourage mold growth, resulting in the specie going bad much faster. This material makes an snapped ambient, and will trap the moisture inside. Doing so, two things will happen:

• The talc will turn soft,
• The moisture trapped inside will encourage mold to develop.

But there are sourdough loaves sold in plastic bags, right? If it is a traditional sourdough loaf, those plastic tons should have little holes that will indulge the air to circulate and the moisture to evaporate. Plastic tons that are snapped are not suitable for boules or any sourdough specie which have a well-done crust.

If you decide to use it, breads that alimony good if stored in a plastic bag are the ones without a crust, like soft sourdough dinner rolls, sandwich breads and english muffins. If using, try not to seal it completely: loosely twist the end to close.

I dont use it to store my loaves. However, you might goody from it depending on the weather where you live.

If living in a super dry city, you might need to take some uneaten steps to alimony your specie from drying out, expressly if you've got a low hydration, crusty loaf on your hands. In that case, try putting your sourdough loaf inside a plastic bag and sealing it up tight. That way, you'll create a increasingly snapped environment and help prevent your specie from getting too dry.

<2 id="avoid-storing-sourdough-bread-in-the-fridge" class="wp-block-heading">Avoid: storing sourdough specie in the fridge

Putting your specie in the fridge might seem like a good idea, but it's unquestionably a no-go. It won't alimony your specie fresh any longer and can unquestionably make it go stale faster. The fridge sucks the moisture right out of the bread, leaving it dry and tough.

If you live in a municipality thats too hot and is worried well-nigh your specie going bad on the counter, opt to freeze it properly to make it last: freezing it will alimony the moisture inside the loaf so when you reheat, it will be just like fresh.

The exception is if you live in a very high-humidity and warm region and dont want to freeze it right away. If so, you might goody from storing the specie in the fridge, as it can grow mold quickly if left on the counter, expressly if its once sliced. Store it in a plastic bag, seal it and place it inside the refrigerator.

How to store sourdough specie without cutting?

After slicing your loaf, store it with the cut unchangingly facing lanugo to alimony the talc soft and preventing the specie from drying out faster.

If you slice lanugo the middle instead of at its ends, printing both sides together when storing.

Where to store in the kitchen

Where you store your specie can be just as important as how you store it. 

Bread needs to be kept in a tomfool and dry zone of your kitchen. A countertop yonder from heat is a good place, as it is inside a cabinet., or a deep drawer. 

Avoid storing on the top of the fridge as it can get warm considering of the motor. Also, don't alimony specie near the oven or stove for the same reason. Storing near the sink and dishwasher is moreover not a good idea, as it will be increasingly exposed to moisture.

FAQ

What to do with stale sourdough?

If you see mold on your bread, don't take any chances: just toss it out. Eating moldy specie can make you seriously sick, and plane if you try to cut out the moldy part, chances are the whole loaf is once contaminated. So, don't risk it.

If your loaf is self-ruling of mold, but gets too tough and dry surpassing you finish it, there are a few things you can do with it:

• French toast: I veritably love making french toast using sourdough brioche: sourdough adds an uneaten layer of savor to this recipe!
• Croutons: they're easy to make and wondrous for soups and salads.
• Crostini: I usually make those if I have any sourdough baguette left. They're super simple and alimony for weeks!

The marrow line

There is increasingly than one way to store sourdough bread. To segregate the weightier for you, you should consider the type of loaf, if you want to alimony the crust, weather conditions, and how long do you want the specie to last.

If stored correctly and at the right temperature, a sourdough specie should last between 3 and 6 days, depnding on its ingredients. In specimen your specie gets too dry and tough surpassing you finish it and is self-ruling of mold, you can still use it for recipes that ask for stale bread.

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