What's the best way to store bread?

[KayMichigan]

I usually put my store bought, sliced bread in my refrigerator. I have been told that this is wrong and I should store it in the freezer and just take out and thaw slices as I need them.

Checking online I see there's all sorts of advice out there - use a bread box, use a bread bag, store it in a cabinet, etc.

So I was wondering if anybody wants to share how they store bread. I buy whole wheat sliced bread that's in a plastic bag.

Thanks!

 

[nw6675]

Freezer until we use previous loaf, then it goes to the fridge

 

[Disneylover99]

I keep all my bread, buns, wraps etc….in the freezer.

I take out just what I need and microwave it for 20 seconds or so and it’s fresh, soft and ready to go.

 

[mjkacmom]

Bread box if using right away, otherwise freezer.

 

[NotUrsula]

Depends on the kind of bread. Some types can deal with being frozen, others cannot. Some will keep in a breadbox for several days, and some will lose texture after 24 hours no matter what you do.

IMO, other than flatbread types, most bread is really ghastly when microwaved; makes it gluey at first and then hard after a few minutes. If I froze bread and do not have time to let it thaw on the counter, I warm it in a regular oven or toaster oven, never a microwave. (However, as I said, some bread does not freeze well, either. Dough is usually fine frozen, but not so much finished bread.)

PS: If you have a bread box, be sure to keep it on the opposite side of the room from the dishwasher. Dishwashers give off a lot of moist warmth, which activates any little microscopic mold spores that are present on the bread.

 

[ronandannette]

Just in the cupboard, never the fridge. I don't have freezer space to store anything the size of a loaf of bread so I buy as small a quantity as I possibly can and usually end up throwing some of it away.

 

[easyas123]

Bread drawer, although I have bought and kept naan and sourdough in the freezer, but everyday bread goes in bread drawer.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Bread box if using right away, otherwise freezer.

^^^This^^^

 

[KayMichigan]

Thanks, everyone!

Would a loaf that I use over the course of a week or so be OK in a bread box?

 

[tinkerbellandpeterpan]

Usually keep it in the fridge. Especially in the warmer months.

 

[fla4fun]

I think it depends on where you live, what works best. We used a bread box in Ohio, but bread molds too fast in Florida (and attracts bugs) so now I keep it in the fridge.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

We keep it in the fridge or it gets moldy pretty quickly.

 

[mrodgers]

When I first moved here, I couldn't keep a store bought loaf of bread more than 3 days before it was moldy. That was on the counter away from the window. White sliced Italian bread style I'll say. Let me look... Schwebel's Italian.

For some reason, now it lasts weeks and weeks. I checked the name there on half a loaf left that I think I bought 3 weeks ago. It doesn't mold any more and doesn't get stale and dry either.

Freezer never worked for me because I'd first have to use a lot of bags packaging it up 2 slices at a shot. I could never get slices apart frozen. Sliced sandwich bread isn't something I plan to eat. It's a "gonna make a PB&J" moment of time decision to use it so having it frozen doesn't work.

Note my place may as well be a refrigerator. I'm always astonished when the AC/heat discussions come up. My AC is ice cold and in the winter the furnace is set way low.

Actually, that could be the difference in my bread lasting. My AC is terrible and almost all blows back to the bedroom/bathroom/and actually backfeeds through the furnace. The furnace closet is the coldest area in my place. In the summer the unit froze all the time because it couldn't keep up and would be running constant. I started blocking all the vents but the living room and now the AC keeps up to around 71-72 on the hottest days as opposed to coming home and it's 89-92 as it was often. Thus in the summer, the bread isn't in as hot an environment. I never made the connection until now.

 

[tvguy]

My mom used to always keep bread in the freezer and we never wasted any bread.
Been trying to get my wife to agree to do the same, and after 40 years of marriage I have given up. So we seem to throw away a few slices of bread from every loaf because it is just in the cupboard so it molds.

 

[CynBeth]

Freezer until we use previous loaf, then it goes to the fridge

Same here.

 

[_19disnA]

Where you live makes a difference. If you live someplace hot/humid in the summer, bread will rapidly get moldy if left at room temperature. If something gets moldy we throw it in the trash. Refrigerator or freezer will keep it fresh longer.

 

[NAB]

I keep ours in the cabinet , I do freeze a loaf so always have bread handy. Just plain white sliced not bakery.

Bread is tricky, sometimes the bread might Start out dry then we end up throwing away. Sometimes for some reason the bread in the freezer gets frost burned or the crust is hard. Reason we don’t put it in the fridge I think it dries out.

The only bread slices we throw away usually is the heels (end pieces). Neither one of like it and usually have another loaf out of the freezer by than.

 

[kymom99]

In the pantry.

 

[MIGrandma]

In the bread drawer.

 

[Meriweather]

I keep ours in the freezer because we don't use it very fast.
I take out 4 pieces at a time