How to Store Bread
How to keep your bread fresh and delicious for as long as possible, with tips on storage methods, containers, and ideal conditions.
Day 1-2
If this is a soft-crusted bread skip straight to Day 3-4 as these first two days are trying to maintain the crispiness and freshness of the crust. Do not slice the whole loaf in one go. Cut as you go and keep the loaf cut-side face down on the cutting board or in a paper bag. If you dont keep the cut-side face down, the inside layer will go stale overnight.
Day 3-4
The main goal is to now prevent staleness, so cut the rest of the loaf and store in a plastic freezer bag at room temp, not the fridge. The crust will soften in the plastic bag (which some people actually prefer) but it's either this or a rock-hard loaf soooo.
Day 5+
Into the freezer. You are now sentenced to only toasting for the crime of taking so long to finish my bread. Good news is, the bread is now safe indefinitely (you didn't hear that from me) or until you find it gross based off how long it's been in there.
Bonus: Reviving Stale Bread
If you find your bread has gone kinda hard/stale and you want to go out in a blaze of glory:
- Preheat oven to 150°C.
- Throw the whole loaf under the tap and drown that thing in water. Don't be shy.
- Chuck it in the oven for about 10 minutes. Go longer if its REALLY wet.
- Bread should come out looking brand new and crispy.
Caveat here is that you gotta finish this loaf here and now. Once it cools it will go stale and hard twice as fast.