Yes, the freezer is most often used for long-term food storage, but if you want to keep your freshly-baked bread in its most perfect state, even just for a few days, the freezer is the way to go. Freezing bread greatly slows down the staling, or retrogradation, process and eliminates the risk of mold growth.
Freeze your bread
"Freezing bread is the best way to preserve that crusty loaf for the longest time possible. Wrap tightly in a freezer bag, either whole or sliced. I like to put wax paper between slices when I freeze, as this makes it easier to take out just what I need.
The tricky part about storing bread is trying to keep moisture from evaporating (aka going stale), while also preventing mold from growing. The best way to tackle these two challenges is by wrapping bread in something breathable like a paper bag or cotton cloth.
Before putting your loaf of bread in the fridge, you want to cut some holes in the bag so that the moisture doesn't remain inside, condensate, and cause mould to grow faster. Using a pair of scissors, make small cuts around the top of the bag where it pleats before it's sealed.
Bread should be stored in a dry, cool and dark place. The bread itself should never be stored directly in a plastic bag. If stored properly bread should stay fresh for about 3 days ( if it is a highly hydrated sourdough bread you could keep it fresh for about 4-5 days ).
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.
In short, store your bread at room temperature in a cool, dark, dry place such as a pantry, breadbox, or cabinet if you plan to eat it quickly, and freeze it if you want it to last longer. Bread stored at room temperature should be in its original packaging or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.
Yes, you can refrigerate bread to stop mold from forming. However, we don't recommend this option because it almost always guarantees stale bread, and reviving stale bread is never a good thing. On the other hand, putting bread inside the freezer is a better choice than refrigerated bread.
The best way to store bread is at room temperature in a dark, dry, cool location such as a pantry, drawer, or bread box.
The reason a refrigerator is bad for bread: When bread is stored in a cold (but above freezing) environment, this recrystallization, and therefore staling, happens much faster than at warmer temperatures. Freezing, however, dramatically slows the process down.
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.
And they've become more and more popular in recent years. However, there have been many (and sometimes heated) arguments around whether linen bread bags or cotton bread bags actually work. Do bread bags actually keep your bread fresher for longer? The good news - bread bags do work!
As long as there is no mold or other signs of spoilage, you can eat expired bread. Bread typically lasts 5-7 days past the expiration date. You might consider toasting it to get rid of staleness.
As per the USDA, the general shelf life of commercially manufactured bread is 2 to 4 days at room temperature, 7 to 14 days in the refrigerator, or up to 3 months when frozen.
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.
You could store it in the oven or the microwave, when not in use, of course! Like a bread box, a microwave keeps the air out and doesn't fluctuate in temperature and humidity, keeping your bread from going stale.
One of the best ways to keep bread from molding is to keep it in the freezer (check out more detailed tips for freezing and defrosting). If your loaf of bread is unsliced, you'll want to slice before freezing so you can pull out individual slices when you need them instead of the entire loaf.
Most breads freeze very well with little to no loss in quality or texture. The enemy is freezer air, which can cause freezer burn and impart freezer-aroma flavors. To prevent this, wrap each loaf tightly in two layers of plastic wrap before placing it in a large resealable freezer bag.
Eliminating moisture through toasting eliminates the environment necessary for mold to grow, so it will stem further mold growth, but wont make already moldy bread safer. If your bread is already moldy you should discard it. Cutting the mold off or toasting it doesn't necessarily make it safe to eat.
Storing bread in either plastic, cloth, or foil helps retain the loaf's moisture. This moisture retention is a plus when it comes to the bread's crumb (interior) — but a minus if you're talking crunchy-crispy crust, since wrapping bread will inevitably soften its crust as well as its crumb.
If you don't have a bread box, you can use saran wrap or a Ziploc bag. Plastic bags trap the air and moisture from the bread inside which keeps your loaf of homemade bread super soft and you don't have to worry about it going stale right away. Make sure you keep it at room temperature while storing it in plastic.
Stainless steel bread boxes are the most durable and often have a modern look. Wood offers a more traditional or rustic design. Some types, such as bamboo (a sustainable material) are eco-friendly.
But what really pushes the bread drawer above all other drawers is its sliding cover, which provides shelter against rodents and other pests that may access the space from the back. Many versions also feature small ventilation holes in the cover to release moisture, keeping mold out along with critters.
Bread. Bread will generally become stale past its expiration date, but it's still safe to eat. If it's moldy, toss it out. To extend its shelf life, toss it in the freezer.