July 18, 2009 - 1:37am
Cloth Bread storage bag?
I'd like to be able to store my bread for a few days without putting it in plastic and not just leaving out on the counter face down. Could someone suggest the type of baker's bag I've seen referred to in some discussions on bread storage?
I thought - perhaps - I'd make one. Put a little monogram or embroidery on it letting the troops (family) know that it's specifically for my bread.
I'm just not sure what type of cloth. lightweight Muslin perhaps? If it worked out - then maybe I could personalize them and sell them to subsidize my bread habit.................
-Susie
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Susie,
My daughter brought a cloth bread bag back from Cote d'Ivoire for me after she spent a summer there. It's an off-white color, heavy fabric. Looking at the weave, it might be a twill, sort of like denim, although it's about the same weight as a light canvas or duck cloth.
Hope that helps,
Paul
Something like that ought to be pretty easy to sew up! Sort of like a miniature laundry bag. Sounds like a good idea. I have a couple of ripped open flour sacks. I might try sewing one back into a bag and putting a draw string on it. It would probably make a great storage vehicle for SD breads.
--Pamela
Susie,
Here's a photo of the bread bag my daughter brought back from Cote d'Ivoire:
The finished dimensions of this bag are about 9.5 inches by 27 inches. Note the sewn-in handle. I suspect the shape has to do with the strong French influence; i.e., lots of baguettes and batards. The printing on the bag is backwards, not the photo.
Maybe Eric could post a pic or two of the bags his wife makes for some additional ideas.
Paul
I embedded a link in my post above about the bags. I'll do it again here.
http://mary-dondero.livejournal.com/610.html
Eric
("I embedded a link in my post above about the bags. I'll do it again here.
http://mary-dondero.livejournal.com/610.html")
Those are actually better used for shopping bags. My wife makes those "designer" shopping bags too. Bread bags are much less complicated, as "xaipete " pointed out, and the images provided by "PMcCool" are what bread bags actually look like.
The other page posted with bag photos are lovely bags, but yours is more along the lines I was thinking of. Perhaps with a name embroidered on it and a "redwork" loaf of bread? Redwork is an artwork picture done in 1 color. not necessarily red.
All of the input gives me something to go on. I do sew and making a simple bag would be fairly easy. I thought perhaps with a draw string closure that could also be used to hang up your bread from a pot rack or something.?
Thanks everyone
-Susie
I like your draw string idea, Susie. I've got the muslin cloth so I'm gonna talk to my wife about making me one with a draw string.
I'd never heard of "redwork". Both my wife and daughter would be interested in that sort of thing. I'll let them share in the task of making the bag. Mom can make the bag and the kid (well, not a kid anymore) can to the needlework.
I just delivered a sourdough boule in a cotton bag with a drawstring. I chose a country style fabric (thrift store find) and used a French seam so that it can be washed without ravelling. It was quick to make and now I suppose I should make one for myself - it would be neater than the teatowel covering the loaf on my breadboard, A.
Avatrx1,
Some shameless self promotion here. My wife makes these bags for a variety of purposes. She started making them for an alternative to using paper or plastic shopping bags at the store. Every time we go to a friends where we take bread, we use a bag sized for that purpose. We have used her bags for picnics, and a cloth bag protects the crust from being damaged. If you have sewing skills I'm sure you could find a way to make bags.
As for a cloth bag keeping bread fresh. There does seem to be some slowing of the staling if the bag is closed, about like if you drape a cloth over the loaf on the counter. I find that works also.
To expand on this subject. The seasonal change in ambient moisture is the constant enemy of the bakers crisp crust. All winter the air is drier and thus the crust stays crisp longer. During the warm summer Months, a nice crisp crust that has been dried in the oven after baking will begin to turn chewy and tough in a couple of hours. Sadly, I don't know of a practical solution for this dilemma. You can use a plastic bag after cooling but eventually the moisture creeps out and the crust gets chewy. I use paper bags or cloth and accept the limitations of the environment. Air conditioned buildings are a big help as the moisture is removed during the cooling process.
Eric
If you go onto any embroidery site and type in "redwork" designs, you'll see what redwork is.
this isn't a bread one, but it will give you an idea. I embroider using my Designer 1 sewing machine.
I also have a Designer 1. What a great idea to embroider a bread bag.
--Pamela
hello xaipete,
Let me know if you come across a good design for a "bread" design. I thought the redwork would be the easiest and the classiest. No fru fru - just simple.
-Susie
I will. Do you have the hasp and 3D/4D software?
--Pamela
There is a plastic-lined cloth bread bag for sale on the Breadtopia.com website. They have both round and long sizes. I haven't bought them, so I can't vouch for their effectiveness.
Hi Leo,
To keep your bread clean of mould the best thing is to keep it in the fridge. If it's a loaf, it will keep fresh longer than a baguette. I also use a bread bag that I bought from a Backery, it's made with a thick linen.
Bread is good and fresh only the day you bake it. Out of the fridge or the freezer you have to toast it or to warm your oven to high temp. then to put your bread in for few minutes no more, and of course not straight out from the freezer. To make the crust of the baguette to come back to it's crustiness use a brush dipped in water and brush over the surface, before warming in the oven.
Plastic bag keep humidity and make the mould growing rapidely out of the fridge, bread bag or kitchen towel let the air circulate and the bread dry naturally.
General advice : a loaf is good several days, a baguette 1 to 2 days max. Look at the French : they buy their bread twice a day from the baker....
hope these advice will help you, from a French Bee
When bread is kept in the fridge it dries out quicker than being left on the counter, but does help with the mold problem for that reason. However, freezing seems to help keep it moist longer without the mold problem. What I do, if I make a large batch, is to slice the bread before freezing. Then, it is fairly easy to pry or break a slice off of the loaf half an hour or so before eating.
Nancy
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