6 Tips for Keeping Bread Fresh and Safe to Eat for Longer

Bread is the oldest human-made staple food in the world. It has been part of the human diet for 30,000 years and will continue to do so in the future.

This food item is also high in nutrients, including carbohydrates, protein, dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Of course, you need to consume bread while it’s fresh to take full advantage of its nutritional benefits, as well as flavor and texture.

The trick is to learn how to keep your freshly baked or store-bought bread for longer.

Whether you buy organic bakery products from a specialty store online, in grocery stores, or bake your own, here are six tips and tricks you can try to keep your bread supply fresh and safe for longer:

1. Seal the container properly.

The first thing you should think about when extending the shelf life of bread is your storage method. Like most foods, how you keep those delicious baked goodies will determine how long you’ll be enjoying them with your family.

Skip open-air containers on your counter. Even though they look nice, such containers don’t help your bread retain its freshness.

Go with air-tight containers instead. Vacuum-seal baked goods that won’t be consumed anytime soon. This way, you can eliminate oxygen exposure, which is the main culprit for stale or moldy bread.

Though most people think this can only be used for large-scale commercial food packaging, there are already plenty of home-use food vacuum sealers that will help you with this. They are also perfect for stacking more food items in your freezer.

2. Put oxygen absorbers with the bread.

If you plan to take the practice of extending bread’s shelf life to the next level, experts recommend adding an oxygen absorbing packet on the sealed container with your bread.

Also called “CO2 pad,” this helps eliminate any remaining oxygen in the container, preventing microbial growth and dehydration of the bread.

Don’t worry; CO2 pads are chemical-free and are safe to use with food. They are widely used in commercially packed items but can also be bought for individual usage.

3. Put bread in the freezer.

Freezing is one of the oldest and most common ways to preserve different types of food, and bread is no exception. Of course, you’ll have to use a proper container and seal it correctly.

Putting bread in the freezer won’t affect its texture or taste in any way, so long as you limit their exposure to air. This means you’ll have to use air-tight containers, tight foil wrap, or vacuum-sealed plastic (like the ones mentioned in tip no. 1).

Just don’t forget to let your bread cool off before putting it in the freezer.

Plus, freezing bread can keep it fresh and safe to eat for up to a month. The low temperature arrests the starch retrogradation process. To get the most out of frozen bread, make sure you freeze it as soon as it is done baking and cooling, and consume it just as quickly.

4. Refrigerate bread with caution.

Putting bread inside the fridge isn’t recommended. Under this condition, starch retrogradation happens quickly, which ruins the texture and flavor of the bread.

Even though it does slow the growth of mold, the fridge can leave you with stale bread.

Of course, not all baked goods are the same. Some need to be in the fridge to remain safe to eat. As a rule of thumb, never put soft baked goods like bread, muffins, cakes, and cupcakes in the refrigerator.

The only exceptions are cream-based bread products and those with raw eggs or dairy in them. These ones need to be in the fridge to prevent them from causing foodborne illnesses.

5. Don’t buy pre-sliced bread.

Sure, it may seem like you’re saving time making sandwiches or toasts, but buying pre-sliced bread doesn’t help your quest to have a ready supply of fresh bread for longer.

You see, slicing exposes more parts of the bread to air, which hastens that crystallization process that leads to stale bread.

Because of this, experts recommend that you only buy loaves of bread that remain unsliced, especially if you intend to keep it stocked in your bread container before you’re ready to eat it. Doing this also reduces the surface where fungi can grow.

6. Slice the bread midway.

Since you’ll be slicing the bread you bought, you should learn the proper way of doing it.

While it may seem more natural to slice bread from one end to the other, it isn’t the best practice for extending the food item’s shelf life.

Instead, slice right down in the middle. Once you separate the piece you plan to consume, push the two pieces back together. This will allow the two heels to still serve as a barrier for the softer center part of the loaf against the air that, as you know, causes the bread to go stale.

Keep Bread Fresh and Enjoy It for Longer

Maintaining the freshness of bread and other baked goods for up to a month is possible. You just need to learn the proper way of handling this food item so you can enjoy it for longer, in a variety of ways – paired with savory organic cheese, a cup of delicious freshly brewed coffee, or a gorgeous plate of pasta. The possibilities are endless.