A loaf of my home-made bread lasts me about six days, but the crust starts to go 'blue' around the edges after about five days. ATM I diligently remove the blue bits, but is there any real point? Is the mould actually harmful in those small amounts?
The internet is full of alarmist advice, most of which I don't believe.
Wasn't that how Hoffmann made LSD? Distilling bread mould? Anyway, I can't see any problem if you cut off the mouldy bits. I hate wasting food, too. When you're brought up in the shadow of post WW2 rationing, you really do not want to waste a single crumb.
In message snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com, Chris Hogg snipped-for-privacy@privacy.net writes
Pass. I halve my Warburtons seeded, re-wrap and deep freeze. You could slice yours and do the same.
I eat blue cheese. :)
Blue mould doesn't taste nice. As a last resort I will cut any mould off.
They say yellow mould is dangerous and forms harmful toxins.
The moulds that grow on bread can be toxic and the mould you see is only small part of the whole. It will also have filaments that have penetrated deeply into the bread. It is always safest to throw mouldy bread, or indeed any mouldy soft food, away.
Hard foods, like cheddar cheese grow different moulds and they don't penetrate as far. Cutting about an inch off the cheese should render it safe to eat.
Some of it is true though.
Or simply make a smaller loaf.
Depends on the sort of bread.
It is often mildly carcinogenic but if it is rye bread then you could end up hallucinating that you have ants under your skin and/or lose fingers and toes.
I can smell if the bread is past the stage where you want to eat it.
Natural deadly poisons are *exactly* what they say on the tin.
I too make my own bread. I use only 1 lb of wholemeal flour, so the loaf only lasts me for about 4 days max, and I never see any mould.
250 gms of wholemeal and 250 gms of dark rye. That makes a fantastic loaf.
The mould is probably there from the day you bake the bread, but it takes a few days to multiply up and become noticeable.
Why not slice it and freeze it?
I also make my own bread, although we also buy bread.
Homemade bread lacks the preservatives and doesn’t keep, although mine rarely lasts long enough to go mouldy - I’m not claiming it is especially good, I just make small loaves and we tend to make toast to have with breakfast ( it toasts very well).
We tend no to freeze homemade bread but we split a bought loaf into a few slice groups and freeze them, wrapped in cling film or in a freezer bag. We retrieve them as needed.
Don’t put too many in a pack, once defrosted bread seems to go mouldy more rapidly than from fresh so you need to use it in a few days.
Thanks for all the advice. It looks as though I ought to do something. For starters, I'll try simply cutting it into two pieces (probably 1/3 and 2/3) and freeze the 1/3rd (freezer space is very limited as I only have a small upright freezer that I keep well stocked). If that's not sufficient, I might have to try for a smaller loaf, although my recipe must be one of the most complex known to man (but it works for me and I like the result) and dividing down each component in proportion will be a PITA.
I've just read that calcium propionate can be added to a bread recipe as a preservative to inhibit mould growth. Has anyone got any experience of it?
Well back in the day, I don't think it did me any harm. Of course you cannot be sure what the mould is, and for some reason you may have something more harmful. Brian
Exactly. I was born in 1950, and rationing was still in I was told.
After all a lot of cheeses rely on moulds, but like most things, you need to get the right one. Brian
Give it a squirt of HG Mould Spray :p
I have occasionally had problems with moulding bread. When that happens, I thoroughly wipe out the bread box, clean it with a bleach solution and let it dry. Make sure to get all the nooks and crannies. I dip the (stainless steel) box in a sink full of bleach water, swish around for a bit, then dry it. A hairdryer can be useful for some bits, even when the main parts have been wiped and aired out.
Agreed. Crumbs in the bread-bin are a sure source of mould if not regularly cleaned out.
Or Benzalkonium Chloride in the dough?
Some moulds are worse than others - a bit like some mushrooms are ok and some are highly toxic
Slice and freeze your bread as soon as it's cooled. Take it out of the freezer when needed and give it a quick 30 seconds in the microwave to defrost it.
Well, it would also stop moss growing on it!
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