How to Preserve Bread

When it comes to preserving bread, you have many options. Depending on the type of bread, there are ways to preserve it better than others. Whether you’ve just baked a loaf of bread or bought it from the store, this article will help you preserve your bread to keep it fresh!

Table of Contents

Leave the bread outside unwrapped during the day

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Leave the bread at room temperature about 20 degrees Celsius. After baking, you should leave the unwrapped bread on the table until the night before storing it. Leave it like that for the bread to breathe. ^{[1] X Research Source}

To keep fresh bread from going stale, you can skip this step and freeze it as soon as it’s fresh. Remember to wait 3-4 hours for the cake to cool first. ^{[2] X Research Source}
You also don’t have to throw away stale bread. Use stale bread for bread crumbs or croutons. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Wrap homemade bread in foil and store in a bread bin overnight

Both of these methods help keep the bread from getting stale. If you don’t have a bread bin, you can wrap fresh homemade or freshly bought bread in foil and leave it on the table overnight. To ensure maximum freshness, you can place the cake in the bread bin overnight after wrapping the foil. The bread bin has perfect ventilation to keep the bread moist and crispy. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Remember not to put too much bread in the bin. If there is too much bread, the moisture in the bin will increase, causing the bread to get wet.
Do not store bread in the bread bin if you wrap it in a paper bag, as high humidity will rot the crust. Wrap the bread in foil.

Wrap store-bought bread in cling film or foil

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Both food wrap and foil trap the bread’s natural moisture, keeping it from drying out. If your store-bought bread has wrapping paper, remove the paper and cover with foil or plastic wrap to preserve the cake. Keep the plastic wrap of the processed bread slices intact to retain the natural moisture. Store bread in the bread bin overnight for maximum freshness. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Some people recommend leaving artisanal crusty bread in foil or unwrapped on the table, cut side down. This keeps the crispiness but can make the cake stale faster. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Avoid keeping bread in the fridge

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Scientific studies have shown that bread loses moisture when kept in the refrigerator. This will make the bread stale 3 times faster than it would at room temperature. This phenomenon occurs from a process called “degeneration,” meaning that the starch granules recrystallize, causing the bread to become chewy. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Freeze bread to keep it fresh

This method works with homemade and store-bought bread. The freezing method prevents the starch in the bread from recrystallizing and becoming stale. ^{[8] X Research Source} If you have bread that hasn’t been eaten in 2-3 days, the best way to store it is to freeze it. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Wrap the bread in a freezer bag or thick foil, as regular foil is not suitable for freezing. ^{[10] X Research Source}
Put the name of the food and the date it was frozen on the package so you’ll know what it is later.
If it’s homemade or whole loaves, consider slicing it before freezing. That way, you won’t have to slice the bread while it’s still frozen or after it’s defrosted, because it’ll be difficult to cut then. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Defrosting bread

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Defrost frozen bread at room temperature. Open the outer wrapper and leave the bread on the table. If you like, you can bake the cake in the oven or toaster for a few minutes (no more than 5 minutes) to restore the crispness. Note that reheated bread will only taste good when toasted again, and then you can just reheat old bread. ^{[12] X Research Source}

Bake the bread in the oven at 177 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes.

Store sliced bread in a plastic bag when camping

Put two slices of bread in a separate bag. Zip the bag tightly, and remember to let all the air out. Place all bags containing the slices of bread in another plastic bag (preferably using the original packaging of the bread). Airtight bags will help keep bread fresh, while preventing moisture and bacteria from entering. ^{[13] X Research Source}

Use bread bins to reduce the number of plastic bags. The bread box is breathable to keep the bread cool and moisture-free. ^{[14] X Research Source}
When camping, you should avoid letting the sun shine on the bread. Heat (and the accompanying humidity) can create favorable conditions for bacteria to multiply. ^{[15] X Research Source}
Buy pre-packaged bread for camping so you don’t have to worry about it going bad. Fresh bread does not keep for as long as prepackaged bread because there are no preservatives. ^{[16] X Research Source}

Advice

Some people think it’s important to keep the crispy end (the top of the crust) as a “lid” to keep moisture in the bread.
If you’ve baked your own or bought a freshly baked cake from the store and want to store it in a plastic bag, wait until it’s cooled down completely. Bread that is still warm will go stale when stored in a plastic bag.
Bread with toppings or fat will keep for longer, as these ingredients act as preservatives. Among them are bread made with olive oil, eggs and butter. ^{[17] X Research Source}

Steps