Bread
Information
- to keep bread and rolls fresh and soft, keep them in a fairly cool, dark and dry place like a bread bin or cupboard
- only store your bread and rolls in the fridge when the weather is really hot, but don't forget to bring them out of the fridge about an hour before you need them so they soften up again
- once a loaf is opened, fold the wrapper under the loaf or re-tie it with the 'best before' tag. For rolls use a food clip to reseal the pack
- if you buy too much or it takes you a while to use up a pack, consider freezing some of the bread or rolls either on the day you buy or before the best before date
- to make it easier to separate bread slices after freezing, bang your fresh loaf on a work surface
- clean your bead bin or cupboard regularly to get rid of mould spores.
- to refresh stale bread or rolls, soak the bread under running water. When really wet reheat in a moderate oven until crisp and golden on the outside and light in the middle
- use the crusts from a loaf, toast one side, spread the other with garlic butter and toast under the grill
- for bread that's a little stale, place it in the microwave on full power for about 10 seconds (depending on the power of the microwave) and it will soften up nicely
- cut leftover bread into cubes, toss in olive oil and a little garlic, herbs and chilli powder, freeze on a tray and transfer into bags/boxes when frozen. You have an instant crouton mix, shallow fry in oil straight from the freezer, or bake in the oven
- frozen sliced bread is always useful – simply place a frozen slice directly into the toaster for a little longer than normal
- you can freeze leftover bread sauce, as long as it hasn’t been frozen before