How to Refresh a Loaf of Bread

A parting gift, from the handmade to the most opulent and elegant, is a thoughtful expression of appreciation to those who joined you on a special occasion, and oftentimes serves to mark the experience—a memento of the time you shared together. It is often presented upon a guest’s departure, and the sentiment always touches me deeply.

After a weekend with friends, our host and hostess woke early to see us off and presented us with a well-wrapped package. When we arrived home, we discovered it was a loaf of homemade Purple Corn Sourdough Bread! We and our fellow guests had been enjoying this delicious bread all weekend long with a delightful selection of jams, fresh eggs, cheese, and lots of complements to the host and hostess. It was truly a thoughtful favour.

Attached to the beautifully wrapped loaf was a tag with instructions on refreshing the bread. Below you will find a similar tag you can print along with this recipe’s instructions. Normally, we would have devoured it the next morning, but decided to let it harden a bit to test the instructions. A few days later, we revived our bread, shared it at breakfast with our family, along with stories of our memorable weekend with friends. It was as delicious as we remembered and evoked fond recollections of the precious time we shared together with special friends.