The year-end and New Year holidays bring with them many opportunities to enjoy delicacies that are rarely available during normal times. While feasting on sumptuous meals, you may also miss the familiar flavors. If you enjoy bread every day, you'll likely miss the fragrant aroma of wheat even during the New Year holidays.  You might miss out on delicious bread during the New Year holidays, when stores are closed... But no, no worries! Buy some bread at the end of the year, freeze it, and rebake it to enjoy delicious bread even during the New Year holidays.

So, as a special edition of this week's Bread of the Week, we asked the high-end bread specialty store "Ginza Nishikawa" for tips on how to properly store and rebake your sliced bread!

Storage Methods to Preserve Deliciousness

Shoku Bread (¥864 including tax)

Bread's biggest enemy is "dryness"! It seems that how you store bread while preventing it from drying out affects its deliciousness. By storing it properly, you can prevent drying to a certain extent and keep it delicious without it deteriorating. By the way, Ginza Nishikawa's bread can apparently retain its moisture for about three days, so if you plan to eat it within three days, you can store it at room temperature.



While freezing the block will not affect the quality, slicing rock-hard bread with a household bread knife can be difficult! It's best to slice it while it's still soft.



Wrapping each slice individually in plastic wrap and then double-sealing in a plastic bag prevents moisture from escaping, ensuring delicious re-baked bread from frozen.

It also prevents freezer odors from absorbing. This little extra step is the secret to making frozen treats taste delicious!

How to rebake them for a crispy, fluffy texture

If you slice the toast into 2-3cm thick slices, we recommend toasting it while it's still frozen. This retains moisture and creates a crispy texture. The heating time is also roughly the same as when it's at room temperature. However, the heat output varies depending on the toaster, so be sure to check frequently to avoid burning! 




If you've sliced the bread "extra thick," about 5cm thick, lightly heat it in the microwave or similar, then toast for 1-2 minutes until golden brown. ◎ You can enjoy a fluffy, chewy inside and a crispy outside without burning.