Although plastic bags and airtight containers may seem like a good way to keep your bread from going stale, the lack of airflow will foster an environment for mold growth, because the moisture is contained and mold loves moisture. If you want to put your bread in a container, a bread box is the way to go.
If storing freshly-baked bread, make sure it's completely cooled first. Leave a section out in room temperature. Store in a bread box or an airtight container and eat within three or four days.
Storing your bread on the countertop in a plastic bag (or well-sealed plastic wrap) will help keep it from going stale, but be warned: the crust will suffer and grow mold due to trapped moisture. Toasting the bread (if it's too soft but not yet moldy, of course) will bring some of the crust's crunchy texture back.
Wrapping bread and storing it at room temperature will help it retain moisture for a few days. But what if you can't finish the whole loaf in that amount of time? Freezing is the answer. The takeaway: If you're storing bread longer than a few days, it's best to keep it in the freezer.
Storing your loaf in a plastic bag encourages mold growth. It traps the moisture inside the bag and (among others) softens up your crust. The end result being your bread goes bad much faster.
Studies have found that certain chemicals in plastic can leach out of the plastic and into the food and beverages we eat. Some of these chemicals have been linked to health problems such as metabolic disorders (including obesity) and reduced fertility.
If storing at room temperature, make sure your bread is in a cool part of your kitchen. Heat makes bread dry out faster. And if you're using a sealed plastic bag, it'll cause your bread to get moldy. You should keep your bread far away from the stove, the top of the fridge, or any area that's near sources of heat.
The best way to store bread is at room temperature in a dark, dry, cool location such as a pantry, drawer, or bread box.
1. DON'T WRAP IN PLASTIC. Plastic wrap or other airtight containers can trap moisture inside (unless it's going right into the freezer). While this may help prevent staleness, it can also rapidly lead to a soggy crust from moisture settling on the surface.
Wrap bread in cling film or tin foil
It will trap the bread's natural moisture to keep it from drying out. If your bread came in a paper wrapping, toss it out and wrap it in cling film or tin foil for longer lasting storage. If you have sliced, processed bread, you can seal it up in its original plastic packaging.
The invention of sliced bread in 1928 ensured the need for specific packaging to keep bread fresh for as long as possible. Moisture-proof waxed wrappers provided the best solution before plastic wrappers were introduced. The first folding cartons were developed in the mid nineteenth-century in America.
Because although this may sound silly in a world in which sealing everything in plastic seems like the be all to end all, the plastic actually doesn't preserve the bread at all. In fact, it ruins it. Bread sealed up in plastic stales more quickly. You read that right: it stales more quickly.
Store in paper, never plastic
While storing in plastic seems like the right idea, this actually encourages mold growth, resulting in the bread going bad much faster. I also save the heels of my bread and use them as covers for the cut side of my loaf.
Whether you're baking bread from scratch or picking up a loaf from your favorite bakery, a quality bread box is an excellent way to keep your bread crust crunchy while leaving the inside soft and chewy. Alternative storing methods simply don't hold up.
A large bread bin helps to balance humidity with just the right amount of air circulation, preventing your bread from drying out without making it damp. As tempting as it is to store everything in your bread bin, it's best to avoid over-stuffing it, as that prevents proper air circulation.
One of the best ways to store bread is to keep it in a bread bin. Those with a tight seal will help to keep your loaves fresher for longer. It should be kept in a cool place, but avoid keeping it in the fridge. Bread freezes well whole or in slices.
They serve to keep bread at a cool, constant temperature, keep the mice away, and help keep the bread from going stale. The staling process of bread is quite interesting, as it's not directly related to the loss of moisture but instead has to do with the alignment of the starch molecules within the bread.
There are many ways to keep bread from molding so fast. It's best to keep the fresh loaf dry at low humidity and temperature. Storing bread inside cloth bags, a clean tea towel, brown paper bags, and the freezer will also keep mold from forming.
Commercially baked breads and rolls can be stored at room temperature for 2 to 4 days or 7 to 14 days in the refrigerator. Bread products retain their quality when stored in the freezer for 3 months. Any breads containing meat or hard cooked eggs must be refrigerated within 2 hours.
The answer is yes, breadboxes have been proven to keep bread fresh. With the help of a closed box, tasty baked goods can stay pristine well past their prime. Bread lovers can get that right-out-of-the-oven taste, even days later.
Don't store fatty or oily foods in plastic – many chemicals used in plastic are fat soluble and are more likely to leach into fatty food. Cut down on plastic water bottles, which contribute to the widespread ingestion of microplastics. Consider replacing your plastic wrap with a reusable option, like beeswax wrap.
Plastic Number
Check out the bucket's universal recycling symbol; this relates to what type of plastic the bucket is made of. You should see the classic recycling symbol with a number inside of it. Generally, food grade plastics will be labeled with either 1, 2, 4, or 5.
In general, the safest choices for food use are numbers 1, 2, 4 and 5. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends avoiding plastic containers with codes 3, 6 and 7. Plastic number 3 contains vinyl or polyvinyl chloride (PVC), 6 has polystyrene and 7 can contain various plastics, such as Bisphenol A (BPA).