Cooling

I’ve yet to see any evidence to support the notion that bread is more digestible once it has cooled after baking, but there are good reasons for leaving a loaf on a wire rack to cool before slicing. One is that the crumb of newly-baked bread tends not to hold its shape very well and can even be gummy if it is cut before it has cooled. Another is that the loaf will lose a greater amount of moisture as steam if sliced when hot, which can speed drying out and staling.