I’ve been buying this really nice fresh bakery bread on occasion recently. It’s good, but I don’t go through it super quickly so it’s sitting around for like 4 days give or take. I’d like to keep it relatively fresh for as long as possible and I’m wondering the best way to do that? Right now I keep it in a zip loc bag just on the table which seems to work okay, but I’m wondering if there’s something else that would be better. I’m not too worried about it going stale so much as I am about it getting moldy - especially as we move into the summer months. It gets quite humid where I am. Again I don’t need to keep it fresh for like, weeks and weeks, but just for like 4 or 5 days, something like that.
You must log in or register to comment.
storing it in the fridge can slow down the mold from forming. alternatively, my grandmother would keep bread in the freezer which also works and keeps well. you just have to thaw the slices before use or just toast them.
This will absolutely slow mould, but users beware as both of these will make the bread stale very quickly. I don’t put bread in the fridge or freezer unless it’s exclusively for toasting/crumbing.
I think the best solution for OP is separate the bit he’ll use for the first few days, and freeze the rest to use for toast.
Apparently you can sprinkle water on the bread and microwave it to restore somenof the fluffiness.
Huh I always thought bread dried out in the fridge
Open to the atmosphere it will slowly. Sealed it will not. Most vessels leak very slowly, so bread stored for years might be quite dry. Or in a material relatively pourous like thin plastic.
I’ve been baking bread at home for the last 5 years (I started before covid so shut up) and I slice then freeze it in a gallon ziplock bag. It keeps well for 2-4 weeks (probably longer) and I just toast what I want to eat
Same. I put a piece of baking paper between the slices so they don’t freeze together, these can be reused many times over.
Been making our own sourdough bread for about 7 years and it does keep very well on the counter too, but I prefer the freezer + straight to toaster-method, because it’s like eating totally fresh bread every time.
Precisely my thoughts on this. I don’t do the extra step with the baking paper so when it sticks I smack against the kitchen counter to break them free
Yup, this works just as well and you get to hulk out a bit.
I’ve considered freezing it, but I’m worried it’ll be wet when it thaws? Also, am I able to just pop it in the toaster, or do I need to let it thaw?
Straight out of the freezer and into the toaster. I’m been freezing bread for years just because I rarely eat enough of it before it goes stale or moldy.
No, you don’t need to let it thaw. There is no extra moisture introduced into the bread during the freezing process, and it doesn’t form icicles (unless the bread was wet when you put it in… which I’m guessing you didn’t). You can toast straight from the freezer
Paper sack + plastic bag. Or put it in the freezer and reheat in the oven when you’re going to eat. The paper bag sucks some humidity, so if you let it in there it will dry out, but the plastic bag when closed keeps the humidity in, so that balances it out. That’s the best way I know of keeping a baguette (or similar bread) fresh and crunchy. It usually lasts for around 3 days
Airtight container + fridge
I always thought bread dried out in the fridge. Or does the airtight container keep it from drying out?
A truely airtight container would cause some moisture loss as a small amount of water would move into the atmosphere and a coat the inner surfaces. After that further loss would be arrested as any water leaving the bread would be statistically replaced by water entering the bread.
Bread goes bad in 3-4 days without being frozen or loaded up with preservatives and refrigerated. To keep it fresh, keep it in a moisture tight container of any kind, ideally something you can disinfect if your bread ever does mold. If you baje your own bread, let it sit for a few hours before putting it in a container so that the interior dehumidifies.
The best way to deal with too much bread is to turn it into things that keep or just to have another way to eat it. Like make your own croutons or bread crumbs.
I honestly can usually get through it in 4 days. Would a zip loc count as an airtight container? Cause that’s what I’m using now
Yep!
my friend swears by wrapping bread in aluminum foil, though idk how much better works than a plastic bag
I bought a loaf of bread from the grocery store two weeks ago, the plastic bag kind of bread, and it’s still not stale… Why is this?
If it happens to be sourdough or dark bread it might stay good a long time due to natural preservatives. Fermented rye bread can last for weeks.
But typically fast baked yeasted breads molds pretty fast. It might be some sort of preservative heavy forever bread as well.
