Storing hard crusted bread

Question

I'm currently baking a batch of sourdough bread. My last batch turned out perfectly with a hard crust and chewy inside. My problem is how to store the bread such that the crust stays hard. If I put it in a plastic bag the crust goes soft in a matter of hours and I'm afraid that the bread will turn dry if I leave it without some kind of protection. Note that I'm not looking for a long term storage solution.

What is the best way to store my bread, such that the crust stays hard and the inside stays chewy?

Answer 1

I recently read somewhere (I forget where) that if you're only storing it for a day or two, standing the loaf cut-side down on a cutting board worked fine. The crust stays crisp, and the cut edge is protected and doesn't go stale.

Storing it that way much longer than a day or so probably would risk going stale.

Unfortunately, we don't get to do this much as we can't eat one fast enough to get away with unprotected storage like that. So we have to live with increasingly soft crusts in plastic bags.

Answer 2

For crusty bread, try a paper bag. It'll help keep the bread crusty, and it won't dry out quite as fast as being left on the counter.