The fridge is the enemy

The truth is that baked goods – and in particular bread – are at their prime the moment they come out of the oven. And, as soon as your loaf of bread begins to cool, the quality begins to diminish. If you plan on baking homemade bread, be sure to time it so it can be enjoyed as soon as it comes out of the oven. Whether your bread is homemade, from the grocery store or your local bakery, there are several ways to preserve the life of your bread.

Why does bread go stale?
There are two main culprits. The first is a chemical change with a particularly fancy name: starch retrogradation. As soon as bread is removed from the oven, the structure of the starch molecules change, and begin to crystallize. This crystallization forces water out of the bread and the result is staling. The second contributor is the loss of moisture due to exposure to air.

Storing bread in the fridge
Starch retrogradation occurs most rapidly at refrigerator temperatures. Therefore the fridge is your enemy when it comes to bread as it goes stale fastest in that environment. For those who swear by fridge storage, it does have one benefit – it delays the development of mold.

Storing bread in the freezer
Storing your bread in the freezer is a great solution. It prevents staling as freezer temperatures arrest starch retrogradation, holding the bread in a stable state. To get the most out of your frozen bread, freeze it as soon as possible after baking and cooling, and consume it equally as fast after thawing. Bread needs to be properly wrapped in plastic and it’s also a good idea to slice your bread into portions prior to freezing. 

Storing bread at room temperature
Room temperature is the ideal environment for bread storage to maintain the proper crumb and crust texture. However, in addition to proper temperature, you also need to manage your bread’s exposure to air and this is done by properly wrapping your bread. The plastic bag is often criticized for trapping in moisture, which can speed up mold development, but it truly depends on the type of bread you are storing. For common store-bought loaves, or any other bread with a similarly tender crust, using a plastic bag stored at room temperature seems to work best. Hard-crusted breads however should be kept in a paper bag – hence how it is sold to you at the bakery. As a loaf of crusty bread dries, the moisture that is pushed out of the bread is absorbed by the hard crusts, turning them tough and rubbery.

Refreshing your loaf
The best way to refresh partially stale bread is to heat it in the oven. If you insist on storing your bread in the fridge, toast it prior to assembling your sandwich to reverse some of the the damage. Similarly, if you have a loaf of crusty bread that has begun to go slightly rubbery, heating it in the oven for a few minutes will help to draw the moisture out of the crust and enhance the quality of the bread. Breads that are reheated this way need to be consumed immediately.

Day 2

Breakfast: Quick quinoa porridge
Lunch: Grilled wild salmon with chickpeas, kidney beans and white beans
Snack: Nuts with cut vegetables
Dinner: Organic roasted turkey with white beans, garlic and onions, and cauliflower roasted in olive oil
Snack: Avocado smoothie

Day 3

Breakfast: Organic muesli with unsweetened almond milk and fresh fruit
Lunch: Madras chicken soup
Snack: Unsalted rice crackers with almond butter
Dinner: Steamed snapper with ginger and garlic, with steamed asparagus and wild rice with walnuts
Snack: Nuts and seeds

Day 4

Breakfast: Spelt muffin with fresh blueberries
Lunch: Skipjack tuna salad with olive oil, celery and onions, with green salad or chopped radishes, carrots and celery in olive oil and rice wine vinegar
Snack: Rice cakes with cashew butter
Dinner: Seared-salmon salad with ruby red grapefruit
Snack: Fruit smoothie: frozen berries, unsweetened almond milk and low-sugar fruit juice

Day 5

Breakfast: Quick quinoa porridge with fresh fruit
Lunch: Madras chicken soup
Snack: Your favourite fruit, unsalted rice crackers with almond butter
Dinner: Baby greens with chicken and spring vegetables
Snack: Avocado smoothie

Day 6

Breakfast: Gluten-free toast with almond butter and all-fruit no-sugar jam, fruit
Lunch: Grilled organic chicken with hummus, brown rice and spinach salad
Snack: Avocado smoothie
Dinner: Baked trout with stir-fry of broccoli, cauliflower, onions, mushrooms and brown rice
Snack: Nuts, seeds, cut vegetables or fruit

Day 7

Breakfast: Fruit smoothie
Lunch: Homemade veggie or turkey chili with steamed carrots, broccoli and cauliflower
Snack: Baked sweet potato fries
Dinner: Cod skewers with mushrooms, onions and half a roasted squash and quinoa
Snack: All-natural spelt ginger snaps with almond butter

Cleansing cheat sheet

Eat lots of these:

• liver-healthy veggies, including broccoli, arugula, cabbage, bok choy , rapini, endive, radicchio and artichokes
• organic chicken, turkey and wild fish (excluding tuna, unless it’s skipjack)
• onions and garlic
• brown basmati rice

Limit these:

• salt
• refined sugar

Avoid these:

• red meat
• processed foods
• coffee and black tea
• artificial colours and sweeteners
• alcohol (except for cooking)

And these, which cause common intolerances and allergies:

• wheat
• dairy
• soy
• shellfish
• eggs
• corn

Reap more rewards: At the end of the week, reintroduce foods that are more likely to cause sensitivities one at a time, says Jean-Jacques Dugoua , ND, and take note of how your body reacts. If you’re feeling worse after adding them — especially with sneezing and congestion, tummy troubles or skin irritation — it might be a sign of an intolerance. This is awesome information: Cut down on it in general, or consider not eating it at all.

• 400 g peeled butternut squash, finely diced, about 3 cups
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 cups dry elbow macaroni
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups 2% milk
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp cayenne (optional)
• 1 cup grated white cheddar, preferably aged
• 1 cup grated light mozzarella
• 1/2 cup grated gruyère
• 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs

1. Position racks in centre and top third of oven. Preheat to 400F. Toss squash with oil on a baking sheet. Bake in centre of oven until tender, stirring halfway through, 16 to 18 min. Remove to a rack. Preheat broiler to 500F.
2. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water, following package directions but omitting salt, until al dente, 7 to 8 min. Drain.
3. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium. Whisk in flour. Mixture will be dry and very lumpy. Gradually whisk in milk, Dijon, salt and cayenne. Stir until mixture comes to a boil, 5 to 7 min. Remove pan from heat and stir in pasta, cheese and squash until just coated. Do not melt cheese. Transfer to an 8-inch- square baking dish or 6 individual ovensafe dishes. Sprinkle panko over pasta.
4. Broil until top is golden, 2 to 3 min. Serve immediately.

• 1/2 500g pkg fettuccine
• 2 cups firmly packed arugula leaves
• 1/4 cup toasted almonds
• 3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 300 g container soft tofu, drained
• 280 g container grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• parmesan shavings (optional)

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, about 7 to 8 min. Drain and rinse well. Return pasta to cooking pot.
2. Combine arugula, almonds, parmesan, garlic, lemon juice and salt in a food processor. Whirl until finely chopped. With motor still running, gradually add oils. Add tofu and whirl until mixed. Stir tofu mixture into cooked pasta along with tomatoes. Cook over medium, stirring often, until warmed through, about 2 min. Serve immediately with parmesan shavings.