Serving a slice right

Serving a slice right

When it comes to the etiquette of dining, and what goes where
and with what, culinary expert William Wongso is an authority.
And that includes on how best to serve bread as part of a meal.

Here are some tips from William and Nanang Pratna, the pastry
chef and head baker at Jakarta Hilton, on making sure bread
tastes its best.

From William:

* Warm French bread in a hot oven, not a microwave, before
serving

* Put the whole loaf of French bread in the oven, and slice it
after it comes out

* Never keep French bread at room temperature overnight. "It's
gone (if you do that), because it has no sugar or fat, and it is
basically only flour, yeast and acid."

* Store French bread properly by wrapping it tightly in plastic
wrap and keeping it in the freezer. When you wish to use it, take
it out and warm it in a hot oven, without defrosting it.

* Take the bread out after warming it for about 10 minutes, cover
it with a cloth and leave it to sit for another five or 10
minutes.

The principal technique for knowing how long to warm bread once
it's been taken out of the freezer is to test it after it has
been warmed for 10 minutes, he said. Cut it crosswise and check
the center to make sure it is still frozen in the center.

"If it isn't (frozen in the center), then you've left it in for
too long.

"By allowing the bread to sit after it is taken out of the oven,
you are letting the moisture distribute throughout the loaf,"
William said.

From Nanang:

* If you buy your bread in the morning, pop it in the freezer
until it is mealtime.

* For longer periods of time, bread should be wrapped in plastic
wrap to keep it from drying out.

* Bread should be served on the day it is baked, but keeping
bread for two to three days will still guarantee its freshness.

"When it is time to serve, warm it first in a 180 degree
Celsius to 200 degree Celsius oven for 10 to 20 minutes,
depending on the type of bread." French bread needs 15 to 20
minutes to warm because of its thicker crust, but focaccia bread
needs only 10, he said.

* Optimally, bread should be served directly after heating, but
if you have leftover bread you wish to keep, wrap it in plastic
wrap first before placing it in the freezer.

"It's important to always keep bread in plastic wrap as it
should always be served fresh," said Nanang.

-- Maria Kegel