What causes bread to go stale? What’s actually happening that makes it “stale?”
In: Chemistry
When bread goes stale it is caused by a chemical reaction in which the food is slowly beginning to rot or go bad. Because bread has a high amount of starch in it, it can quickly crystallize in cooler temperatures such as in a refrigerator, cool porch or basement during a process called retrogradation. The reason why retrogradation increases rapidly in locations that are constantly kept cool is because of the added amount of crystals that form when the bread is exposed to cool, moist air. The formation of crystals cause the bread to dry out faster leaving the edges hard, crunchy and difficult to bite into. Bread can go stale if left out at room temperature. Once the bread and the starch make contact with bacteria in the air, the process of the ingredients beginning to slowly decay have already begun to take place. Bread must be kept away from heat and moisture when it is out of the refrigerator. The variations in temperature will quickly cause bread to begin to go stale, and mold will soon start to form on the bread
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