That chicken is roasted nicely, but I completely understand if that was bought in that condition at the grocer’s.
Plain bread is a travesty. it needs to be either toasted and/or you need some melted butter or gravy to sop up.
Pair this with some fruit or pan seared/roasted vegetables. Even microwaved beans would make this nutritious. Takes very little effort, very easy to do.
Even peasants had access to beer, ale, or home-made short-beer/kvass. Gotta calorie-max so you can work in the field tomorrow. Plus, the alcohol helps with the constant muscle-aches and fatigue from endless labor.
There are innumerable ways to elevate this meal, but I’ll keep this comment short. Anyone, feel free to message me or reply here if you want tips for that.
Then it’s slightly better industrial bread (was it baguette?), but yeah. Leavens or emulsifiers or weird making process lead to it. Like they also used one of the water retaining emusifiers instead of proper starch content - those tend to keep moistness for up to 48h since baking and then it evaporates instantly.
Non industrial bread keeps water longer, but more importantly loses it more gradually and from the outside in (so that at least the “core” is still moist).
(I’m not arguing pro/against breads here, or trying to, idk, shame you for buying baguettes lol, honestly just trying spread the knowledge)
Crumb must be crumby, but “flesh” of the bread should be moist (do not confuse it with soft). Properly made bread shouldn’t be wet or chewy.
When making bread you add water to the dough. Starch will keep the water and when baking, the flesh should retain it spread evenly. Industrial bread often dehydrates/dries it, as that’s how it works with their emulsifiers or leavens - don’t ask me why though, it’s just my observation.
And you can be sure that dry bread is either old stale bread or fresh industrial bread.
a friend of mine brought me some self-made bread yesterday, and it was indeed moist, and i instantly loved it. i wish there’s more bread like that one. idk why industrial bread tastes differently.
might be that they intentionally dessicate it for hygienic reasons? i.e. i imagine a higher water content might make it spoil faster.
Well, if by “spoil” you mean “make inedible”, then moistness makes the bread edible longer (because it slowly evaporates from outside in, and while it does you can still eat the bread). It will be a little stale, sure, but properly stored a loaf of non-industrial bread becomes a dry brick 7-10 days after buying.
The industrial bread becomes sandpaper within 2-3 days.
If by “spoil” you mean “get rotten” then yeah, improperly stored bread could get mold - I was unable to achieve that result at home though, and I literally just keep it in a cotton bag. At the same time industrial bread will get dry very very fast so the likeliness of mold when improperly stored is less.
A few things to unpack here.
There are innumerable ways to elevate this meal, but I’ll keep this comment short. Anyone, feel free to message me or reply here if you want tips for that.
This isn’t plain bread, good sir, this is a baguette! Well, rather small one, but still.
Plain bread is perfectly fine as long as it’s not one of those super dry breads
Technically that’s not bread. That’s… Hm… Wheat buttscratcher? Anywho, a proper bread with no industrial processing is moist. :)
The 0.62€ industrial baguette I buy at Despar Is fine and not dry despite being industrial
How long does it keep the moistness? Is it still moist the next day? What about day after that?
The day after it’s fine. The next day it’s meh. Provided you keep it in a paper bag and not out in the air
Then it’s slightly better industrial bread (was it baguette?), but yeah. Leavens or emulsifiers or weird making process lead to it. Like they also used one of the water retaining emusifiers instead of proper starch content - those tend to keep moistness for up to 48h since baking and then it evaporates instantly.
Non industrial bread keeps water longer, but more importantly loses it more gradually and from the outside in (so that at least the “core” is still moist).
(I’m not arguing pro/against breads here, or trying to, idk, shame you for buying baguettes lol, honestly just trying spread the knowledge)
how so?
Crumb must be crumby, but “flesh” of the bread should be moist (do not confuse it with soft). Properly made bread shouldn’t be wet or chewy.
When making bread you add water to the dough. Starch will keep the water and when baking, the flesh should retain it spread evenly. Industrial bread often dehydrates/dries it, as that’s how it works with their emulsifiers or leavens - don’t ask me why though, it’s just my observation.
And you can be sure that dry bread is either old stale bread or fresh industrial bread.
a friend of mine brought me some self-made bread yesterday, and it was indeed moist, and i instantly loved it. i wish there’s more bread like that one. idk why industrial bread tastes differently.
might be that they intentionally dessicate it for hygienic reasons? i.e. i imagine a higher water content might make it spoil faster.
No, on the contrary, but if improperly stored in the store it could get mold, and it’s more expensive to make.
how so?
Well, if by “spoil” you mean “make inedible”, then moistness makes the bread edible longer (because it slowly evaporates from outside in, and while it does you can still eat the bread). It will be a little stale, sure, but properly stored a loaf of non-industrial bread becomes a dry brick 7-10 days after buying.
The industrial bread becomes sandpaper within 2-3 days.
If by “spoil” you mean “get rotten” then yeah, improperly stored bread could get mold - I was unable to achieve that result at home though, and I literally just keep it in a cotton bag. At the same time industrial bread will get dry very very fast so the likeliness of mold when improperly stored is less.