Process
Staling
You might say: going stale, retrogradation
Starch slowly recrystallising after baking, which firms the crumb as moisture moves out to the crust.
- What it does
- Firms the crumb as starch retrogrades and softens the crust as moisture moves from crumb to crust.
- Ask
- How long will this bread stay soft, and what slows its staling?
- Trouble
- A firmer crumb and leathery crust as storage continues.
What to look for
- A fresh slice looks springy beside a firmer stored slice
- Moisture beads or drifts from the crumb toward the crust
Sources
- Jeffrey Hamelman, Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes, ch. 1, p. 25
This process of staling is called “starch retrogradation.” Prior to baking, starch is in a crystalline state; during baking, the starch gelatinizes as it swells with water.
- Georgia Sehn, Staling kinetics of whole wheat pan bread, article
Amylose retrogradation occurs in the first hours after baking (being important for bread structure), while amylopectin retrogradation takes place over storage time and results in the increase of the firmness
- Yi Chen, Crust treatments to reduce bread staling, article introduction
During storage, crust becomes leathery and loses its crispiness, which is considered as crust staling and is believed to be caused by moisture transfer from the crumb to the crust
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