Storing sourdough bread: how to keep the crust crisp

Let sourdough bread cool down completely and then keep it at room temperature in a bag that breathes, out of the sun. Not in plastic, because the crust turns chewy. Not in the fridge, because it dries out there. Has the crust gone soft anyway? Put the bread in a hot oven for a few minutes.

A sourdough loaf is all about the crust. You want to keep it crisp while the crumb inside stays soft. That works best when the bread can breathe but is not lying loose on the worktop.

1. Cool down completely first

A freshly baked loaf gives off moisture for a long time. Put it in a bag too early and that moisture settles on the crust, which turns soft. So let the bread cool on a rack until it is completely cold. For a large round loaf that takes a few hours.

2. The first day: cut side down on the board

Have you just cut into the loaf? Then place it cut side down on a wooden cutting board. The crumb dries out less quickly and the crust stays crisp. For the night the bread goes into the bag.

3. Then into a bag that breathes

In a plastic bag the moisture stays inside and the crust turns soft. A cotton bread bag protects the bread from air and moisture loss, writes the Dutch consumer programme Kassa. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre (Voedingscentrum) recommends a paper bag for a crisp crust. Keep the bag at room temperature, out of the sun and not next to the hob.

4. Not in the fridge

In the fridge bread goes stale faster. At low temperatures the starch releases water, which makes the bread dry out. That applies to sourdough too.

Making the crust crisp again

Has the crust gone soft after a few days? Put the bread in an oven at 200 degrees for about 5 minutes. Let it cool for a moment before you cut it. You can also toast individual slices.

Freezing sourdough

Not going to finish the bread in time? Freeze it in slices, as fresh as possible. Use an airtight freezer bag against freezer burn. Slices go straight from the freezer into the toaster. According to Kassa, bread keeps for four to six weeks in the freezer.

A bread bag for a whole sourdough loaf

The TheWootz beeswax bread bag is 43 x 32 cm. A whole round sourdough loaf fits inside. The cotton outer bag breathes and inside there is a bag of cotton and beeswax. Take your bread out, slice it on a beech cutting board and put it back in the bag afterwards. From the baker to the board.