We've lost many life skills over the years. How to make butter, drive a team of horses, use a coffee maker that doesn't come with prepackaged pods ... but one of the most distressing things is NO one knows how to keep bread fresh anymore. Here's the how and why.
Jump right to the best bread storage method.
In the 1930s there was a very large blip in the bread eating world that we're just starting to recover from. Way back then, bread came like the bread you see in the photo; whole loaves of crusty, prone to get stale fast, bread.
It's the kind of bread most of us are eating now.
Table of Contents
In the 1930's
The "bread blip" when The Continental Baking Company started selling the greatest thing since the wheel - sliced bread.
Wonder Bread made it's nationwide debut throwing women into a panic over this newfangled sorcery. They all asked themselves ...
HOW could a loaf of bread that's already sliced stay fresh?
Turns out, it's completely possible as long as you remove all the nutrients and minerals and basically anything good from the flour by processing it until it's a mere shadow of its former self.
Highly processing flour creates a super-soft almost devoid of nutrient, marshmallow-like bread that lasts forever without drying out. Yay?
A decade or so after its introduction, the government forced the makers of Wonder Bread and other extremely processed foods to add nutrients and minerals back into the bread to give it at least some nutritional value.
This is why you'll see bread that says "enriched" on it. Enriched??!! That's great! It gives you the impression that there's even MORE nutrients in it the bread!!!
There aren't. They've just added in some synthetic nutrients to make up for the real ones they took out.
So there you have it.
That's why you don't know how to store real bread.
Sliced bread took over the world and ruined your bread storage life skill, turning you into an inept drooling moron.
You can blame Wonder Bread - the worst thing since sliced bread.
Everyone started buying it because it was soft and plush and lasted forever without going mouldy or stale. There was nothing to storing it.
You just left it in its plastic bag and it'd stay fresh in your kitchen for as long as a typical tax evasion jail sentence. But in the past 20 years or so (I have completely made that number up) we're getting back to eating - and I hate this phrase - real food. That means loaves of crusty, unsliced bread.
And not a single one of us knows how to properly store it to keep it fresh beyond one day.
NO ONE. Not even myself. So I did an experiment involving several loaves of bread and 8 different storage methods.
Bread Storage Test Methods.
- Under glass on a wood cutting board with no ventilation
- Under glass on a marble cutting board with no ventilation
- Unwrapped in a drawer.
- In a linen bread bag.
- In a clay pot.
- Under medium sized glass dome with ventilation - bread on its side.
- Under medium sized glass dome with ventilation - bread on its cut end.
- Under large glass dome.
Here's how the methods worked.
Each loaf was cut in half and stored in one of the 8 designated places. I measured their moisture with a moisture meter, but it turned out that wasn't really necessary. Mould meant the bread was too moist with not enough ventilation, hard as a rock meant too dry with too much ventilation.
1 & 2 Under Glass.
The bread under glass with no ventilation got mouldy within 3 days. It was stored with the cut end down to prevent moisture loss with probably also accounted for the quick mould production.
This method didn't work. The crust became soft almost immediately after going under the glass domes and mould formed within days.
Results - FAIL
3. Unwrapped in a drawer
This was my attempt to replicate a bread box. I lined the drawer with a linen towel just in case there was any ick in the drawer. One loaf was placed with the cut end open to air, the other loaf had the cut end pushed against the side of the drawer.
This method worked surprisingly well, with the loaf that had the cut end pushed against the side of the drawer staying quite close to its original texture. Soft on the inside and crusty (not soft) crust.
Results - PRETTY DARN GOOD. But the drawer swelled up and the bread that didn't have the cut end covered up dried out.
4. In a linen bread bag.
This method was the best for keeping a crusty loaf and preventing mould but only for a couple of days. Within one day the bread started to harden just beneath the crust and the hardness just got deeper and deeper into the loaf with each day it was stored until by day 4 the bread was hard enough to break if you dropped it.
Results - Good for very short term storage.
5. Clay pot.
I decided to try storing bread in a clay pot since seeing this clay bread box a few years ago. It made sense. The clay would absorb extra moisture and help prevent the bread from going hard and stale. The hole in the top of the pot I figured would act as ventilation and allow moisture to escape.
It didn't work. The bread got mould on its cut end within a few days.
Results - FAIL. My DIY clay bread holder didn't allow enough moisture to escape. The one for sale on Amazon might work better. I'm not sure.
6. Under medium sized glass dome with ventilation - bread on its size. After seeing how quickly the bread went mouldy under glass domes with no ventilation I did two things. I added ventilation by just offsetting the glass dome so air could get underneath and storing the bread on its side so it could breath. I was worried it would dry out if I did this and it did dry out a little bit, but it not so much that that portion of bread wasn't edible. It just wasn't quite as soft as a fresh cut.
Results - Not bad, but not the winning combination either.
7. & 8. - Under glass domes (one large one smaller) with ventilation with the bread sitting on its cut edge.
Mould. Mould, mould, mould. I thought using a larger glass dome would maybe prevent the mould from forming so quickly but it didn't.
Results - FAIL.
Keep in mind with all of these methods, I wasn't cutting the bread daily exposing a new fresh end. This would help the bread stay fresher longer because you'd have a new cut end all the time which would prevent mould. If you were to use any of these methods while constantly cutting from the bread, they would stay fresh longer.
There was ONE method of storing the bread that worked much better than everything I tried. And here it is.
Yeah. Storing the bread in the bag it came from the bakery in. It was far and away the best method for storing the bread, lol. Another option along these lines is to store it in a paper bag at room temperature.
All of these methods are done using store bought bread but they apply to home baked bread as well.
Can you leave freshly baked bread out overnight?
When I bake bread I always leave it on the counter overnight. You definitely don't want to wrap it in something that it can't breath in (like a plastic bag) until it has completely cooled.
If you've already cut your bread make sure you store it with the cut side down on the counter to help stop the end from getting dry.
If you LIKE a soft crust then wrap the freshly baked bread in a tea towel.
If you LIKE a crispy crust just put it on the counter or on a cooling rack so the bottom has air circulating under it.
The other way to go is storing your bread in a little antique contraption called a bread box. They have proper ventilation and are literally made for storing bread. They used to be popular back in the olden days but they're making a comeback. Why is this relic making its way back into kitchens?
You might say that bread boxes are the greatest thing since before sliced bread.
I've already been browsing and I really like this sleek white metal one but of course I'll have to do some research and testing before I commit $29.99 and more importantly counter space to one.
What is the best way to keep bread fresh longer?
Storing bread in the freezer is the best way to keep it fresh long term. Avoid putting bread in the fridge though because the slow cooling does something to the starches which makes it stale quickly. If you plan on toasting it, that doesn't matter though.
The Conclusion
There are two major things that happen when you store bread. It either dries out, or it gets mouldy.
The best way to store it is in a paper bag or the bag your fresh bread came in (as long as it's a bakery bag and not a plastic bag). But even then don't expect to get any more than 3 days of freshness out of it.
For the longest shelf life and best quality, wrap your bread in plastic wrap or a plastic bag and store your fresh bread in the freezer. Slice it first then freeze. It'll be ready to grab a couple of pieces for a sandwich or thick piece of french toast drizzled with obscene amounts of maple cream. And butter. don't forget the butter.
Now if you'll excuse me I have some butter to make.
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Thank you for doing your own "Scientific Research" and giving us the first hand results! I enjoyed your article along with your personal thoughts. This was well worth reading!!!
Mother had oval looking bread box, best I remember it had a rack in the bottom for air circulation?????
My husband makes all of our bread and we store it in a red metal bread box. It works surprisingly well but bread doesn't last much longer than a couple of days here anyway.
I've always loved using bread boxes, particularly ones that allow you to open them and still allow you to keep a few things sitting on top of them, like a tin for coffee or salt and pepper shakers, little things like that.
Yes! At least then it's giving back a little of what it takes away in counter space! ~ karen
This is a perfect opportunity for you to make and then show us how to make your own breadbox ! 😅
(I’m pretty sure you’ve already been ruminating about it).
The ones I like are way too much money. I’m married to a woodworker so there’s that. Thanks!
Yes, your breadbox needs should be covered, lol. I actually ended up buying one - and then selling it again. I just couldn't justify the room it took from my kitchen so now I just slice and store my bread in the freezer. ~ karen!
Even if said breadbox is a beautiful work of art? Made by your own hands? Then you can show off to all your friends and tell them how clever and talented you are. Totally worth the counter space.
What about storing the bread in a beeswax wrap? That's what I usually do for my sourdough. I cover the cut end and put it in the paper bag it came in. Works pretty well.
You missed the absolute best way to store bread IMO (especially for people who don’t eat a lot of bread but want some on hand for the odd sandwich or toast) and that is the freezer. I pre-slice my bread and store it in a plastic bag in the freezer. When I need a slice or two, I pull them out and pop them in the microwave for 20 seconds to thaw. The bread is almost indistinguishable from fresh baked and lasts about 2-3 weeks before the freezer starts to dry it out.
I think I did say that, lol. The freezer is what I list as the best place to store bread. ~ karen!
Bake smaller loaves and keep dough balls in the freezer. Make a new loaf when needed and fry older bread cubes in butter roll in seasoning and eat with salad - you'll need lots of salad - if you decide to start baking bread. NOTHING compares.
As a regular baker and in the same boat of trying to preserve homemade bread, I need to weigh in on this. I do a variety of breads but my regular sandwich bread is a honey whole wheat, so theoretically, it should be more challenging to keep longer. I tried a wood bread box, but too often the bread would mold and the mold would then be on the wood, so I decided to get rid of the bread box. I do remember from childhood that older family would have a metal lined bread drawer in their kitchen, so I switched to a metal bread box. So far, so good. But it is not what I am usually using. I'm usually using a plastic bread bag (gosh!) I'm not a fan of plastic, but if my bread is properly cooled first so that no condensation forms in the bag, and so that the crust of the bread is dry, then the plastic bag will keep it fresh, un-moldy, and soft for about a week. It is important to keep the bread bag out of the sun!!!! It doesn't have to be in the dark but it can't be in direct sunlight. And then the other thing I do, is I've started cutting homemade bread from the middle of the loaf! A dry crust helps protect the interior. Mold needs moisture to grow. If it dries out, it is not necessarily spoiled, just dry. So I cut from the middle and push the two ends together. Now recently, someone mentioned to me that the oil in bread recipes is to help the bread loaf stay soft longer. I don't know if this is true. My "go-to" honey wheat bread has no oil in it at all, so that will be my next experiment on keeping bread longer. I don't really need to, though. I can eat a loaf of my homemade bread in a week, and it is only drier but not hard, by the end of the week, so I'm good continuing as I have been, but I am curious to compare otherwise identical loaves with one having oil in the recipe and one not. Thank you once again for a fascinating article!
Interesting. I've never heard that of the oil. My first reaction is, I don't believe it, lol. BUT I'm going to do a bit of research and see if it is indeed true. :) And yes, absolutely cutting from the centre is a great idea. ~ karen!
Lol! 😂Yes, I'm not sure I believe it either. I need to try it now, too! 👍
Now this is very interesting. I usually make either sourdough sour cream buns or sourdough olive bread. The buns have butter in them, but the olive bread has no oil except what's in the olives. I have yet to see the buns kept in a plastic bag on the shelf get mouldy, even though they start to get a little dry after a week, nothing that nuking for 15 seconds can't fix. The olive bread though, gets mouldy after a week. I'm going to try Tricia Rose's way and see if that works.
Great post. I've been reading and rereading all garden posts as I have somehow committed myself to being on a garden tour this July. Ugh. I needed this break. I store mine in a liquor store paper bag (now illegal) and a linen bag and in my vintage metal bread box. Works well enough. Off to the hardware store to buy hoop garden supplies. Thanks for all you do!
Good luck with the hoop house! ~ karen
Really? AS IF a loaf of homemade bread is going to sit around anywhere for three days doing something it shouldn't? I can't even bake bread anymore, because my family just sits there with a block of my home churned Jersey butter and scarfs a whole loaf.
I was told by a baker the best way to keep French bread fresh: wrap it in tinfoil and stick it in the freezer. When you’re ready to eat it, stick it right into the oven at 325 until it’s soft, then unwrap it to get the crust crispy. It works really well!
That's true. Any method of freezing is best. The only thing I do differently or reheating an entire loaf like that out of the freezer is to give it a small spray of water before putting it in the oven. ~ karen!
If the bread dries out, run your baguette/loaf under water and rebake. Just like new!
Yes! ~ karen
Very interesting experiments re. Bread keeping processes! I have noticed that some types of bread will keep much longer than others eg. Sourdough seeded loaves, but as you say this could be down to additives. Good work ! Allen P.
So.... in the ensuing 4 years did you buy that bread box? Thoughts on it if you did? I usually just store My bread machine bread in a gallon ziploc. And my 1/2 loaves of store bought sliced wheat breads in the plastic bag in which they came.
I did and I've since gotten rid of it!😆 ~ karen
I found the best way was to put it in a linen bread bag (to stop it getting soggy), then in an airtight container (to stop it drying out), then in the fridge (to stop it getting mouldy). Works for me, and it becomes an easy habit.
Thank you so much for trying all this out. Your article was very helpful and I'm curious if this will work on the quick breads the same. I think I'll try it out too and see what comes of it. Love your humor too...
Thanks Penny! ~ karen
Thanks for the nice scientific study!
I may have a winner though and I don’t see it mentioned. We bake a lot in a cast iron pot (like the NY Times no knead bread recipe) and that same pot is the best to store bread. It takes a week or longer for mold to grow and the bread doesn’t dry up. Bringing the science in: we try not to contaminate that loaf in any way, so clean hands, knife and.. I wanted to say cutting board, but we use the wire rack inside of a tray most of the time, this collects the crumbs while keeping the cutting “surface” clean
Karen, I really appreciate all that you do. Always so witty also. I read somewhere to wrap bread items in paper towels and then in cling wrap & then in a freezer bag, then keep in the freezer. It works! I do reuse the wrappings. I freeze in serving sizes so I can take out just enough. Hope this helps someone! Merry Christmas!
Thank you, the first honest answer I've found regarding keeping bread fresh. I very much enjoyed the post.