Curing is an important aspect of bread baking that is often overlooked. For 100% whole grain baking, proper curing makes a huge difference to the quality of the bread.

I’ve recently been answering questions in a couple of fresh milled flour baking groups on Facebook (and I’ve also created my own, please join and ask questions!). One of the things that often comes up with beginner bakers is a shot of the inside of a loaf with a comment that it was really dense and gummy. Sometimes, all that is needed to turn that dense, gummy loaf into something really delicious is to properly cure it.

What is curing?

Curing is simply leaving your bread to sit for several hours before cutting into it. For 100% whole wheat breads, it’s best to cure for at least 4 hours. For breads with a lot of of rye in them, it’s better to wait 12 to 24 hours before slicing.

As bread cures, flavour transfers from the crust into the crumb, the crumb properly sets, making it easier to slice, and the moisture in the loaf gets properly distributed, helping to avoid that dreaded gummy texture, while also helping the loaf to stay fresh for longer.

To achieve proper curing, be careful when handling your loaf when it’s hot – if you make a tear in the loaf when trying to remove it from a pan (this usually only happens if it’s underbaked), this will allow moisture to escape as it cools, and the loaf won’t cure as well.

Two different ways of curing bread

If you’ve made tortillas or other flatbreads at home you’re probably familiar with stacking them up and wrapping in a towel. Stacking and wrapping flatbreads keeps them soft and flexible. While these flatbreads are best eaten fresh rather than cured for several hours, the use of the towel for this purpose shows one way that you can cure breads if you want a soft crust.

On the other hand, the ideal way to cool down and cure a crusty loaf of bread is on top of a cooling rack, out in the open, separate from other loaves, so that air can circulate all around and help the crust to remain crisp as it cools down, and to allow the airflow to transfer flavour from the crust deep into the crumb.

For best results with crusty breads, use a stainless steel cooling rack, as the high temperatures some breads are baked at can cause the toxic coatings from nonstick cooling racks to melt onto the bread as it cools.

Sometimes you might want a softer crust for a loaf, and in that case, you can simply wrap it up in a towel straight after baking, as you would for flatbread.

Different breads need different times to cure and set to be at their best. In general, breads with refined wheat are ready as soon as they have completely cooled down. 100% whole wheat bread is at its best after at least four hours of curing. Breads with large amounts of rye taste best and have the best structure after 24 hours or more of curing.

Large loaves of bread benefit from longer curing. Baguettes, rolls, and smaller loaves will take less time to cure.

May your bread be delicious. Floury regards,

Kate
The Nourishing Hearthfire
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