Serving and slicing tips for your sourdough bread

Got an unsliced loaf of sourdough bread and wondering how to keep it fresh and tasty? We’ve got you covered with some fun and practical storage and serving tips. Keeping your bread unsliced is a smart move, but how do you prevent it from going stale? Sourdough bread is famous for its long shelf life, thanks to its natural leavens and friendly bacteria that fend off mould and dryness. But even sourdough can eventually go stale. Here are some tips to ensure you get the most out of your loaf and enjoy every last bite!

Bread Care

Before diving into bread care tips, let’s outline the average shelf life for our different types of bread:

• Unsliced (kept in original packaging or a linen loaf bag): 5-7 days
• Sliced (kept in original packaging): 3-5 days
• Once defrosted: 2-3 days

Storage Tips

Serving Tips

1. Day 1: Freshening Up Your Loaf:
   • Preheat your oven to 220°C.
   • Place your loaf in the oven for 6-7 minutes, depending on how dark the bread is when it arrives. This will crisp up the crust, soften the crumb, and give you that just-baked freshness. It’s also a great way to impress your guests.
2. Day 3 or 4: Refreshing Your Bread:
   • Place your whole or cut loaf under running water until it is completely covered.
   • Place it in a preheated oven at 220°C for 9 minutes. This technique helps revive the loaf, restoring its crust and softening the interior.

Cutting Tips

1. Slicing a Steaming Crusty Loaf:
   • When you heat sourdough bread, the crust hardens, and the crumb softens, making it challenging to slice.
   • Use a sharp serrated bread knife to slice it while it’s still warm. A serrated knife is essential to cut through the crust without crushing the bread.
2. Avoid Crushing Your Bread:
   • No matter how sharp your bread knife is, you may still find yourself pressing too hard and crushing the bread while trying to cut through that crust.
   • My top tip? Turn the loaf upside down instead of flat (like in the photo below). Slicing the bread in this position can help you avoid crushing your beautiful bread, preserving its structure and texture. If you are having trouble visualising what I mean, check out my bread care video on Instagram.

Recipes for stale bread

If your bread is over a week old and the tips above don’t work, fear not. We have some recipes designed specifically for stale bread. For example, why not embrace your Italian side with a Tuscan bread soup or a Panzanella salad? If you’ve got more of a sweet tooth, our toffee apple bread and butter pudding might just hit the spot. Discover all our recipes on our blog.

By following these tips, your sourdough bread will remain fresh, delicious, and easy to serve. Enjoy every slice!

Surprising health benefits of freezing bread

We all know that freezing is a great way to preserve bread, keeping it fresher for longer but did you know that freezing bread might be healthier? If you have been on TikTok recently, you might have seen reels about how freezing bread reduces its glycaemic index (GI). Low GI foods produce a slower, lower rise in blood sugar levels and help you feel fuller for longer. It is also important to note that sourdough bread has a naturally lower GI compared to industrial bread ( ¹ , ² , ³ ).

So, is there any scientific evidence?

A scientific study published in 2007 indicates that freezing white bread could lower its GI, especially when the bread is toasted after being defrosted. Another study published in 2017 showed similar results, as did a more recent study published in 2023. Although some of the studies had small sample sizes, the evidence was consistent and thoroughly investigated in the lab, so seems reliable. It is also worth noting that a high-amylose wheat bread was used in the most recent study, rather than white bread.

Why does freezing bread reduce its glycaemic index?

Changing the temperature of starchy foods causes starch retrogradation where the carbohydrate chains realign themselves. This increases the proportion of resistant starch within that food (⁴).

What is resistant starch?

Resistant starch is a carbohydrate that resists digestion in the small intestine, instead fermenting in the large intestine. Eventually, it reaches your colon where it feeds ‘good’ gut bacteria. Resistant starch acts similarly to soluble fibre and is therefore considered a type of starchy fibre.

Health benefits of resistant starch

There are so many health benefits of resistant starch that we would have to write another article to explain them all in detail but here are some of the main benefits:

1.  Improves glycaemic control and insulin sensitivity (⁵).

2.  Boosts gut health. Increasing your intake of resistant starch could be beneficial for the bacteria in your intestines (⁶).

3.  Increases satiety (⁷).

4.  Causes less gas than other fibres as resistant starch is fermented slowly (⁸).

Final thoughts

So, did this article convince you to start freezing your bread? We still love fresh sourdough, but freezing is certainly a good alternative. Not only is it a great way to preserve your bread but it could lower its GI.

Here at Good In Bread we offer the option to buy our bread with compostable freezer bags under the section ‘Customise your order’.

We also have an article with our top tips on freezing. Try freezing your bread and contact us if you have any queries or comments.

If instead, you don’t want to freeze your bread and prefer to explore other ways of preserving it, check out our recipes that revive stale bread.

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Bread TLC: Tender Loaf & Care

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to you, but we love bread. Like really love bread. And did you know that Sourdough bread lasts longer on the counter than bread made with commercial yeast? That’s because the natural leavens inside the dough repel the bacteria and prevent mould growth! But even the most natural of breads can go hard. One age old bread challenge is stopping it from going stale.  Fear not, we’ve assembled our review of the most common methods to store bread to make sure that you, whether you are a planner, an organiser or a fresh bread snob never have any stale bits of bread lying around. 1. For the planner: the freezer  This is our recommended storage option, making sure that each and every slice of your bread is able to be enjoyed. A whole loaf of bread can be defrosted in around 20 mins and slices are super quick (which is why we offer sliced bread in freezer-friendly bags). Bread can stay in your freezer and enjoyed for around 2 months.  NB: Bread left on the counter in a plastic bag will be home to a large community of mould in no time, so pop that bag in the freezer for longer-lasting enjoyment! 2. For the fresh bread lover: the bread bag Bread bags (linen or cotton, anything breathable) can be great for stopping the moisture from settling in for a day or two but any longer than that you’ll still find your bread getting a little crispy. We’d only recommend this option if your household go through your bread quick.  3. For the organiser: the bread bin A bread bin can be a handy kitchen item as the humidity it creates can be great for the bread whilst enabling air flow but relatively air tight.  Be careful about overloading the bin as this will result in the humidity being too high. You can expect your bread to remain at it’s best for around 4-6 days in a bread bin.   Overall if you want longevity and no compromise on quality from your bread, we’ll always shout about the freezer! Whatever you do, don’t put it in the fridge as this can result in it becoming stale much quicker than if it was left on the counter!