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Holding Fresh Bread for Later Use.

jbergeron52

Hey all,

I’m looking for some assistance or ideas on how to hold or store bread for later use. I have a sandwich pop-up on a Monday and am working with a local bakery to supply the bread. Unfortunately, the bakery doesn't bake on Saturdays or Sundays. Do you all have any recommendations on how to store and/or refresh the bread for Monday’s pop-up?

For context, the two breads are organic sourdough and an organic French-style baguette. The final sandwiches won't be grilled, but they can be held in a warmer.

Thank you in advance!

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tim.d.chin

Hey!

You've got a few options, depending on how much of a perfectionist you are.

First, I would let each loaf cool completely at room temperature. Then pick one of these strategies:

Option 1 (Not perfect but gets the job done): Cater wrap each loaf or store each loaf in a plastic bag (tied tight) and store it at room temp. This preserves moisture at the interior, but it tends to lead to a softer, eventually more leathery crust due to condensation at the crust surface. For sliced bread, this isn't usually a dealbreaker, since you're not eating the bread in isolation.
Option 2 (Ideal conditions): Store each loaf in a paper bag, then tie each paper-wrapped loaf in a plastic bag at room temp. Paper is the go-to storage method for most bakers, since it preserves the integrity of the crust as moisture migrates to the paper. But paper is only good for a day or so—at 2-3 days, too much moisture migrates out of the system, so your loaves dry out. The plastic bag outside of the paper bag limits that moisture loss, without risking condensation at the crust surface.

On the reheat/refresh for either option, I would opt for this strat: Mist each loaf lightly with water, wrap each loaf in foil, then bake at 350F for around 10 minutes until the loaf is warm and refreshed. At this point, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between a freshly baked loaf and a refreshed loaf—especially in a sandwich format.

Good luck!

All comments

tim.d.chin

Hey!

You've got a few options, depending on how much of a perfectionist you are.

First, I would let each loaf cool completely at room temperature. Then pick one of these strategies:

Option 1 (Not perfect but gets the job done): Cater wrap each loaf or store each loaf in a plastic bag (tied tight) and store it at room temp. This preserves moisture at the interior, but it tends to lead to a softer, eventually more leathery crust due to condensation at the crust surface. For sliced bread, this isn't usually a dealbreaker, since you're not eating the bread in isolation.
Option 2 (Ideal conditions): Store each loaf in a paper bag, then tie each paper-wrapped loaf in a plastic bag at room temp. Paper is the go-to storage method for most bakers, since it preserves the integrity of the crust as moisture migrates to the paper. But paper is only good for a day or so—at 2-3 days, too much moisture migrates out of the system, so your loaves dry out. The plastic bag outside of the paper bag limits that moisture loss, without risking condensation at the crust surface.

Good luck!

jbergeron52

Tim,

You're amazing, thank you so much. Quick follow ups, once reheated do I have to worry about once cooled the bread getting rock hard or too soft again?

Also, do you have any advice on what to wrap the sandwiches in for pick up? Do you recommend the waxed deli style wraps and/or tin foil?

Thank you again.

tim.d.chin

Conservatively, I would say the ideal window for refreshed loaves (misted, foil wrapped, and warmed briefly) is about 4 hours. The refreshing process doesn't meaningfully extend shelf life, and the bread will resume the staling process eventually. So if you're really worried about quality, I would refresh your loaves as needed instead of refreshing every loaf at the front end.

As for wrapping, wax/deli paper would be sufficient, but it sounds like you're keeping them in a warmer/CVap), so foil would also be fine with the added benefit of better heat retention. Again, going above and beyond, you could employ the same principle as before: Wax/deli paper wrap the sandwich, then wrap in foil. You get breathability/moisture wicking + moisture retention. The real all-in-one solution is probably insulated "honeycomb" wrap like this.

jbergeron52

Amazing, thank you so much for all the help.