Some folks tell time by the sun and moon, others have an internal clock that somehow knows exactly the month, day and time. Lately in our house, the date can be figured out by reading the label on the store-bought loaf of bread.
Of course this is not an entirely scientific method, and certainly there will be skeptics who will not believe that a loaf of bread could contain such vital information.
The label on the loaf of white bread explains the day the bread was packaged, let’s say Jan. 28. Presumably the bread was also baked on Jan. 28 or customers would be complaining about buying day-old bread and not getting a discount, like day-old doughnuts at the coffee shop.
Also on the label is the warning that the bread is best before Feb. 1 of the same year. Hmmmm.
So we bring the bread home, place it on the counter where we keep our bread and eat away at the loaf, making toast and sandwiches or using a slice or two for sopping up excess soup or gravy. We don’t do the sopping if we’re in mannered company. And there are some weeks when we don’t eat all that much bread, especially if we also bought buns on the grocery excursion. Health care officials would tell us to stop eating so much bread but that’s another concern and one totally unrelated to figuring out the day of the week.
According to the label we have Jan. 28, 29, 30 and 31 in which to eat the loaf before the best before date arrives. On that date, Feb. 1, we head to the bread bag to take out a slice and stop in our tracks. There is something that looks suspiciously like mold growing on the tops of the slices. “Ewwh. How can that be?” we wonder. After all, Grandma’s homemade bread never, ever grew green spots so why does this happen with store-bought bread?
We thought about returning the bread for some kind of refund, but first of all we had eaten some of it, and secondly, we were warned that Feb. 1 would be G-Day for this particular loaf — G-Day referring of course to the green spots that weren’t present on the evening of Jan. 31 but sure and certain were there in the early morning hours of Feb. 1.
This was not the first time we and others we’ve talked to have noticed how quickly some brands of store-bought bread become chicken or rabbit feed. And come to think about it, the lapse between best before and packaged on dates always have the same time spread.
So how do commercial bakers know their product will only last three or so days? Is there a baker’s program somewhere that sets out the time frame between tasty and moldy? Is there a reward for longer life or a gold star for going green within the designated period?
Could it be the ingredients that contribute to this less than stellar shelf life? On the label I learn the loaf contains wheat flour, water, canola oil, modified milk ingredients, salt, yeast, calcium, sulphate, enzymes (amylase, xylanase, oxidase, and lipase) plus ascorbic acid.
Did Mom’s homemade bread contain more than yeast, water, flour sugar, lard and salt? I really don’t think so maybe I wasn’t paying close enough attention. Her bread definitely did not mold in three or four days.
Some say they store their bread in the refrigerator. Others swear by the counter or old fashioned bread box. In our house we simply swear gently when our morning toast is interrupted by the colour of the slice.
There’s currently a new loaf on the counter. The countdown is underway.
Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
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