Think About Timing When Buying Your Next Loaf Of Bread

Before you can serve dinner, you need to buy groceries. If bread features on your menu, consider the fact that there is an optimum window of time in which to purchase it and still achieve maximum freshness when it hits your table. So says Nathan Myhrvold, founder of Modernist Cuisine and co-author of "Modernist Bread at Home," who spoke to Foodie exclusively about the science behind ensuring the freshest bread.

When you are purchasing bread, Myhrvold says, "[o]ne consideration to keep in mind is how quickly the bread will be consumed." Are you slicing it up for tonight? Does it need to hang on until tomorrow, or even the next day? This matters, he says, because your timing needs should influence what type of bread you purchase. In short, "[d]ifferent types of bread have different shelf lives." Whether your best bet is a piping-hot loaf from a local bakery or a bagged bread on the shelf of the grocery store is all relative, and depends on when you need it. Of course, canned New England brown bread is good any time ... but we doubt that Myhrvold was thinking of that particular product! Instead, he maintains that freshly-made loaves have shorter freshness windows, while store-bought loaves can hang on for longer.

The colors on the plastic tags sealing grocery store bread aren't just there to look cute. Instead, they actually clue consumers in as to when the bread was put out on the shelf. These mass-produced loaves "will generally be baked and formulated such that they don't go bad as quickly," says Myhrvold, meaning that they typically contain preservatives to increase shelf-stability. On the other hand, he points out, "the all-natural, no preservatives, bread that you buy from the artisanal bakery might go bad in a week or less," since it is often baked without those stabilizers. You can see where different breads might be better based simply on when they will be consumed.

If you are buying a loaf for consumption right away, says Myhrvold, "buying it fresh-baked from the local baker is great" and will ensure that you and your family enjoy the heavenly experience of an artisanal loaf. On the other hand, if you won't have time to shop again between now and several days hence, grocery store bread may actually be your best bet. Myhrvold's advice is to confer with the employees at your favorite bakery to check for how quickly you need to use your bread.

And if you still mess up your timing and end up accidentally letting your bread go past peak freshness, don't despair! Ribollita soup uses stale bread as a key ingredient and is an amazing weeknight dinner, with or without additional fresh bread.