How to keep a sourdough loaf through the week

A well-baked sourdough should earn its keep all week. That is the standard here: a dark blistered crust, a tender crumb, and enough tang to still be interesting by Wednesday.

People often treat fresh bread like a firework - beautiful for a day, then gone. You do not have to. A weekly loaf is built for the table, the toaster, and the freezer.

The first day

Leave it until it is fully cool before you cut. Steam is still finishing the crumb. If you tear in too early you get a gummy slice and a loaf that stales faster.

Once it is cool, cut what you need and stand the loaf cut-side down on the board, or wrap it in a clean cloth. Avoid the fridge. Cold air dries bread out and does nothing useful for sourdough.

Midweek

If the crust has softened overnight, a few minutes in a hot oven will bring it back. Not a long bake - just enough heat to wake the crust so it sings again.

If the household is small, slice half the loaf once it is cool and freeze it. Toast from frozen. That is how two people get through a country boule without waste, and why some subscribers take two loaves: one for now, one for the freezer.

What not to do

Do not seal a warm loaf in plastic. You will trap moisture and soften the crust you paid for. Do not leave it on a sunny sill. And do not panic if day four is a little chewier. That is when it becomes toast, fried bread, or the base of a proper bread and butter pudding.

The extras

A dozen cookies will sit happily in a tin. Simple Dimples keep too - the chocolate button is the first thing Millie goes for. A tray of cinnamon rolls wants a low oven for a few minutes before you eat them - the glaze comes back to life.

The loaf is the standing order. The rest is for the weeks that need them.