moisture

Bread is one of the most wasted foods in Spain. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Foodin this country 58.8 million kilos of bread are thrown away per year. Nine kilos per house. That’s more than 5% of the total raw products wasted. And in summer it is worse. Because, cAs José Roldán says, the best baker in the world in 2025When the heat is high, it is advisable to stop using cloth or paper bags. You have to do things differently because, in short, “bread is preserved differently in summer.” What does ‘preserving bread well’ really mean? In reality, under the word ‘preserve’ two different physical processes are mixed that respond differently to high temperatures: On the one hand, we talk about ‘desiccation’ (that is, the loss of moisture). This is accelerated by heat. On the other, there is what we could technically call “hardening by starch retrogradation.” Basically, it is a process by which the crumb recrystallizes and, in principle, it is quite independent of humidity. When we talk about heat worsening the preservation of bread, it is because the two processes overlap and accumulate. The good news is that, finally, we have solutions. In summer, neither cloth nor paper. Let’s not fool ourselves, for most of the year, the cloth bag is a solution that works well. As Roldán explainsthe fabric allows the bread to breathe, something positive in certain circumstances. However, that same characteristic is the problem when temperatures rise. “With the heat it makes it lose moisture faster,” he clarifies. In the end, it’s not just that the bread dries out sooner; is that it loses part of the texture that is so difficult to achieve. So? What options do we have? If we want to keep the bread fresh, the Córdoba baker is clear: a plastic bag. Yes, I know it sounds strange, but it makes sense: plastic is the best option to better preserve the interior moisture of the bread. It is true that it can cause the crust to lose crunch or even make the bread chewy; But they are minor problems that have an easy solution by giving them a heat stroke. In any case, it is not Roldán’s preferred solution. For the best baker of 2025the best way to preserve bread is to freeze it. As he explains, buying good bread, cutting it into slices and putting it directly in the freezer is a perfect way for it to last a long time. Above all, because it can be recovered in a matter of minutes. “Enough a touch of grill or oven and you have freshly made bread. Of course, it is important to pack it airtight. It is the best way to ensure that moisture from the freezer does not come into contact with the slices. Well insulated can last up to six months without much problem. In Trends | Bakers agree that, when the heat arrives, bread must be preserved in a very different way from the rest of the year. In Xataka | We have been eating bread with “hidden salt” for so long that we have forgotten its true flavor. That’s going to change