How to Store Bread for the Freshest Loaves
Stale bread? Haven’t heard of it.
We love bread – but what we don’t love is stale bread, especially when that process happens quicker than expected. Whether you’re a homemade baker or bring home store-bought loaves, knowing how to store bread properly is the key to enjoying pillowy slices for days to come. Here’s the right way to store your favorite carb, whether on the counter, in an appliance, or with a bread box.
Freeze for Now
If you just baked or purchased a loaf that you aren’t going to eat right away, placing it in the freezer is the best option to keep your bread fresh until you’re ready to eat. Worried that the freezer is going to dry your bread out? Think again. Since the freezer has lower temperatures than the fridge, a process of recrystallization occurs that prevents your loaves from molding or staling. The key is storing your loaves in a freezer-safe bread box with an airtight lid. You can slice your bread or keep it whole in the box until you’re ready to eat – just know you’ll need to thaw slices for several hours and whole loaves overnight. Or, you can toast or bake your frozen bread in the oven to enjoy it much quicker, with same delicious taste and texture as a fresh loaf..
Going to eat your bread throughout the week? Then keep it on the counter in a bread box. Instead of keeping the loaf in the fridge (which causes staleness quicker), bread boxes keep your loaves fresh for seven to 14 days. These boxes typically contain small holes to allow air to circulate and prevent the bread from molding. We also love how having a bread box on the counter adds style to your kitchen! Wooden bread boxes are perfect if your kitchen is more rustic, while a stainless steel or metal option provides a stylish sheen for a modern kitchen. Plus, if you already have stainless steel appliances in your kitchen, the bread will tie everything together and stay on theme.
Storing bread in plastic bags may seem like the right way to keep bread fresh, but it’s actually not. That’s because these tightly closed bags keep air out and cause mold growth after as little as three days. Instead, storing your loaf in paper keeps everything fresh. Opting for a paper bag instead of a plastic bag or a bread box is a simple way to preserve your bread without having a boxy item cluttering up your counter.
Don’t have a bread box or but want something more than a paper bag to keep your bread fresh? You can easily substitute a container for a bread box if you realize that you have nowhere to store your loaf. A bread storage container operates the same way as a bread box in that these containers have enough room for a whole loaf or slices to sit and keep fresh for a few days. This option is best if you’re in a pinch, since storage containers for bread have air tight lids which doesn’t provide necessary air flow to prevent molding. If you have parchment paper on hand, you can always first wrap it around your bread before storing it in the container to help keep your loaf fresh for longer.
If you’ve made a homemade loaf, you may think of pre slicing your bread to be one step ahead. Individual slices can dry out quicker if you store them on the counter due to exposure, so it’s important to store slices in a freezer-safe box immediately after. Use a bread knife that contains ridges to cut through the crust on top of a wooden or bamboo cutting board. These materials are the best for slicing bread since they’re more durable and do not warp as easily as plastic.
One way for knowing how to store bread properly is to know the type of bread you’re working with. Not all breads stale the same since bread types are made differently. Breads without excess fat like baguettes or French bread, stale quickly and need to be stored in the freezer to last longer... Breads such as sourdough or brioche, which contain more fat, last longer and can be stored in the freezer or on the counter in a bread box.
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Now that you know how to store bread, it’s time to pick out a bread box for your counter!
