How, and How Not, to Store Bread
From toast in the morning to sandwiches at lunch and freshly baked French and Italian loaves served at dinner, bread is a foundation of almost every meal these days. Storage is important if you don't plan to eat the bread immediately after it's baked, but not all breads can be stored the same way if you want to maintain optimal flavor and freshness.Different breads have different shelf-lives, but as a general rule the more moisture a bread has in it the longer it will keep.
- 1-2 days French and Italian loaves
- 2-3 days White, Wheat, and Sourdough
- 3-5 days Rye breads
- Breads with a hard, crispy crust should be stored in paper.
- Breads with a softer crust and more moisture should be kept in a plastic bag or other airtight container.
- All bread should be kept in a cool, dry place.
- Bread should never be kept in the refrigerator (actually makes it go stale faster)
- Bread should be allowed to sit in the open until completely cool or mold growth will be accelerated
- Bread can be frozen and will keep for several months. Just wrap tightly in plastic and freeze.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Carmelinda Nov 10th 2009 9:48PM
Hi,
I store my honey wheat bread in the freezer until it's time to toast it. It lasts a long time and it makes wonderful toast. I hope this doesn't turn out to be something that will eventually turn out to be fatal or something one shouldn't do! LOL
On a side note, I had read a while ago that bread delivery days can be determined by looking at the color of the twist ties that are used to seal the bags with. I understood it is something like this: they use blue on Mondays, green on Tuesdays, red on Thursdays, White on Fridays, Yellow on Saturdays. No bread is delivered on Wednesdays or Sundays. It also said something about the order of colors follow the order of the alphabet to make it easier to remember. There was something also about "invisible" +6 which I did not understand. Has anyone heard anything about this? Are the colors here correct, and how about what that "invisible +6 means? I am confused.
Carmelinda
Bob Preiss Nov 11th 2009 3:07AM
Hi Carmelinda!
I'll be brief as I want to know more myself. You are correct in understanding the informattion on del. of bread, & the color coding of the twist ties or little clamps.I'm like you in not being able to remember the correct order but they do correspond with the days of del. Take care & I will be watching for the correct order as well. Thanks. Bob
Chip Nov 13th 2009 12:03PM
I have always kept all types of bread in my refrigerator, but in a plastic bag. I always "squeeze" the air out of the bag and the bread does not go stale. It keeps well for more than a week in almost all cases. If it needs refreshing, then 10 seconds in the microwave does the trick. Bread will last much, much longer in a fridge than on the kitcehn counter, because the temperature inhibits mold growth. But the important thing is, get as much of the air as you can out of the plastic bag. The only bread I leave on my counter is Italian bread, which usually comes in a paper bag. You must either keep the paper wrapped bread in a plastic bag, or do away with the paper & just plastic bag it. It stays fresh & soft for several days, unless high humidity promotes the mold growth. Still, the refrigerator is BEST.
Paul Heider Nov 13th 2009 2:14PM
I freeze my wheat bread when I buy it and always keep it in the refrigerator until it's gone. My mother used to keep it in a bread box or on the counter and it was moldy in just a few days. My bread stays fresh for a week or more by keeping it cold, and tastes just as fresh as when I bought it.
ALLEN BURTON Nov 13th 2009 4:22PM
I'VE STORED ALL MY BREAD IN THE FRIG AFTER THE THIRD DAY ON THE TABLE. DONE IT FOR YEARS, SIX MONTHS. NO MOLD YET. WHAT?
spring64127 Nov 15th 2009 9:27AM
Hi my name is gammy and I'm a professional cook, I buy all my breads from the discount bread store 3 for $2.00. It's two day old bread and comes straight from the bread bakery. I keep my bread in my chest freezer for months, I will take a few pieces out, let it thaw and it taste just as fresh as the day it came from the bakery. I don't like keeping my bread in the fridge because it taste different and it just takes something out of it. Just remember a chest freezer and a fridge freezer is a whole lot different. Bread in a chest freezer will last longer, sometimes I bake my own bread and it also last in the chest freezer.
I hope this helps some of you young ones and good luck.
Thanks for reading my comments
Gammy