How to store artisan bread in Japan's humid climate
Storing bread in Japan is genuinely harder than in drier climates. The humidity that makes the summers uncomfortable also accelerates mould growth on bread, particularly on loaves without preservatives. We get asked about storage regularly, and the answer is more nuanced than 'put it in a bag'. The right approach depends on the type of bread, how long you want to keep it, and whether you have a freezer you are willing to use.
The first day: leave it alone
Sourdough bread with a thick crust should not be wrapped on the day of purchase. The crust is still releasing steam for several hours after baking, and wrapping it traps that moisture and softens the crust. Leave the loaf cut-side down on a wooden board or in a paper bag, loosely closed. The crust will stay crisp for most of the day.
Enriched breads. Croissants, brioche-style buns. Are different. They go stale faster and benefit from being kept in a paper bag or a cloth bread bag from the start.
Day two and beyond
By the second day, a sourdough loaf can be wrapped in a clean cloth or placed in a paper bag. Plastic bags trap moisture and soften the crust, but in Japan's humidity, an unwrapped loaf will develop surface mould faster than in a drier climate. A cloth bag is a reasonable compromise.
If you are not going to finish the loaf within two days, slice it and freeze the slices. Sourdough freezes well. Toast the slices directly from frozen. Do not thaw first. And the texture is close to fresh. We would rather you freeze half a loaf than eat stale bread on day four.
What not to do
Do not store bread in the refrigerator. Refrigerator temperatures accelerate starch retrogradation, which is the process that makes bread go stale. A loaf stored in the refrigerator will go stale faster than one left at room temperature, even in Japanese summer humidity. The freezer is the right tool for longer storage, not the refrigerator.
Our bread is best on the day it is baked. We are honest about that. But with the right storage, a sourdough loaf can be good for two days and acceptable on day three if you toast it.