How to Judge Fresh Bread

Simple checks can identify the freshest loaf in the store.

Bread has been part of the human diet since ancient times. Mentioned in the Lord's Prayer and elsewhere in the Bible, bread comes in many forms. Modern bread is primarily made from wheat, but in the past it was also baked using grains such as rye, oats, rice, barley or maize (see References 1). Sometimes, it is tricky to judge the freshness of bread. Follow a few simple steps, though, and you can be sure of getting the freshest loaf in the store.

Instructions

1. Check the crust of the loaf. Fresh bread should have a complete, undamaged crust. A crust that is damaged and dented suggests the bread has already been well-handled, meaning that it has probably beenin the store for a while.

2. Check all over the loaf for spots of mold. Mold spots come in a variety of colors and may appear white, green, red, orange or yellow (see References 5). The most common form, black bread mold, has a white or gray appearance (see References 5). Never purchase bread if it has become moldy.

3. Smell the bread. A fresh loaf should smell "malty or buttery," according to a consumer study conducted by the University of Otago in New Zealand (see References 2, "result and discussion"). Stale bread by contrast is likely to smell "dusty and musty."

4. Check for a glossy, oily sheen on the surface of the loaf. This indicates the bread is still moist and fresh, according to the University of Otago study (see References 2). Stale bread will have a dry, dull crust.

5. Squeeze the loaf very gently. This is the most common method consumers use to judge the freshness of bread, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, which publishes a scale of "crumb springiness." (see References 4) A loaf that quickly recovers its shape after being squeezed is a fresh one. Bread that does not spring back when squeezed tends to be stale.

6. Check the color of the tag or tie on the bread bag, if there is one. The tag shows the day on which the loaf was baked. Supermarkets in the U.S. use these tags to keep track of how fresh their bread is. Blue, green, red, white and yellow tags relate to Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays respectively (see References 3).

References

• "History Magazine"; Bread; Halvor Moorshead; October 1999 to September 2000
• The University of Otago: The Sensory Qualities of Fresh Bread
• Wisebread: Breaking the Bread Code
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: Quality Assurance for Small-Scale Rural Food Industries
• Newton: Moldy Bread

Resources

• "New York Magazine"; Monsieur Baguette
• Chow: Obsessives -- Bread