Keep bread in the fridge or outside?
 

Which do you do? Which are you supposed to do?

I usually buy bulk. I use the first loaf fresh and the remainder get frozen right away. I guess you could put it in the fridge, but I don't.
Fancy breads are always fresh however.

Ugh I couldn't imagine putting bread in the freezer.

You never had frozen bread? I'm talking regular wholewheat sliced bread. It keeps good enough to feed the kids.

Yea frozen bread is normal bread! You can toast it frozen too!

I usually just keep my bread in my cupboard, it stays suprisingly fresh and mold-free!

Whoa, this is the first I've heard of freezing bread. I've frozen grapes and other fruit before, but it never occured to me that the same could be done with bread. Maybe I should try this with bagels too... I mean, unless there's some good reason why I shouldn't. Dunno, you tell me. :P

Hey I like everything fresh.

No one said frozen is best, but if all you're doing is toasting the stuff it's no big deal. Bagels are fine in the freezer too. I guess it depends if you have kids or not.;)
If you've never tried it, how do you know it's no good?

Here's some tips on bread storage.

its humid here and hot (southern CA) i always freeze - bread doesn't last more than a week at room temp

Definetly out...bread in the fridge will dry out faster if not sealed. I will freeze buns/etc...but when you defrost, dont let the condensation stay in the bag...they will mold. Defrost in the fridge is a good idea.

i keep the bread fresh but i buy bulk so the rest i put in the freezer neevr really put it in the fridge seems odd....

We always buy bread and bagels in bulk as well (3 or 4 packs at a time) and always put it in the freezer. You pull it out the night before you need it and open the bag enough so condensation gets out and its as good as new. Don't refreeze it though.

I don't eat a great deal of bread, but I always keep a loaf on the baker's rack, out in the open. I'm not a big fan of cold bread.

Also, double wrapping the bread with Saran Wrap holds in moisture and keeps the bread fresher.

My mum freezes bread since she's a crazy saver.

We usually just leave it on the counter, and it gets eaten that way.

Although I'm at college right now, when at home the family usually freezes the bread if it's not going to be used right away. If you want a sandwhich or something just take out 2 slices and throw 'em in the microwave. They come out warm and fresh as ever!

We go through bread fast enough that it gets eaten before it molds usually. The cheap white stuff definately lasts long enough and I don't refridgerate that. If I'm making my own or I get the more expensive whole wheat kind I refridgerate that because Hubby won't eat it and it molds faster. Basically the better it is for you I've found the faster it molds. When my mom's bread molded she always said "Well at least we know it's good for you because it can support life." lol The white stuff you can mush into balls almost never seems to mold.

I freeze my bread if I buy an extra loaf, you can useally judge the bread use of the household to know when you need to buy a new loaf or pull down the one in the deep freeze. If I make bread or buy really good bread, it doesn't last long enugh to mold.

I do put bread in the fridge if I don't think I'm going to finish it quickly. Bread does dry out in the fridge, but if you don't think you're going to finish the loaf in 3-4 days, what's left will dry out anyway in the cupboard and probably go moldy. If you toast your bread, you won't notice any dryness from refrigeration anyway.

The fridge does extend bread life: a couple of weeks or more without mold if it doesn't get wet -- but again, you want to toast it when you use it if you let it go that long.

I don't freeze bread; my mother used to. I don't buy so much at a time that I need to. I can't say what freezing does or does not do to bread, but if you've got a lot of people around who eat a lot, freezing lets you keep more bread in reserve than you could otherwise ('cause it'd go bad).

I've tried throwing a couple of loaves into the freezer with limited success. The fridge on the other hand, seems to keep my bread almost indefinitely. Typically in my house, a package of hot dog buns might go bad in about 2-3 weeks if left out. In the fridge, I easily keep using the hot dog buns for 2-3 months.

We buy more than one loaf at a time, leaving one in a cupboard (bread lasts longer in darkness) and the rest in the freezer.

I'm a bread fiend, and it's usually strictly for artisan stuff. Living in southern california, it's hard to get my hands on good artisan bread, so usually I buy in bulk and freeze it. It's actually good for the bread, and when you thaw it halfway, then throw it in the oven, you'll know why...it comes out crusty on the outside and hot inside, just like if you were getting it fresh.

I worked with an executive pastry chef at a resort, his motto was... bread chould only be stored in 2 places, your stomach or the freezer. I keep a loaf out and freeze whats not being used.

I keep mine in the bread drawer :o

I use the microwave as a breadbox. It's pretty much airtight, so there's not as much moisture.

Works with chips, etc too.

I freeze my bread. I don't eat bread very often, so if I don't do that, it'll get moldy before I can even eat half the loaf. The problem with freezing is, you have to toast the bread before you eat it, which stinks when you're in a rush.

I purchase several loaves at one time. I leave one out and freeze the rest. When it comes time to take the other loaves out, let them thaw fully before eating. Depending on how long they've been frozen, they should still be soft as when you bought them.

I confirm with the sealing comment. I would wrap the bread with saran wrap, and then wrap a second time. This will hold in the moisture. Freezing will protect against mold growth. But, freezing, I suspect, will also cause water to migrate out in the form of ice crystals, never to return again, which is why toasting frozen bread may work well. I bet Alton Brown would know.

Bread stays frozen unless its a "special" loaf in which case it stays out. They never seem as fresh after coming from the freezer.

Rich people keep it on the counter.
Poor people keep it in the Fridge.


It's true.

I keep loaves in the fridge and special breads (like baguettes and rolls) on the counter.

Has anybody here ever used a breadbox? I read the previous post about the microwave, but I use that too often for...microwaving.:p

I have the same question as Frank. And if you use a breadbox... how do you use it? Do you still keep the bread in the plastic or paper bag when it is in the breadbox? Do you do different things if it is a hunk of bakery bread versus the storebought sliced bread? My wife just bought one, but it didn't come with directions... :D

We buy a few loaves at the beginning of the week, freeze all but one. The one we are using lives either on the counter (we have a breadbasket where loaves live happily with their bagel friends and bun neighbours... they like to console each other as another slice or another roll goes off to be consumed... unfortunately the view from the basket of the toaster and the carnage at the table is pretty good).

We keep our bread in the fridge. We dont eat it every day and it seems to last longer in there. Occasionally I will buy 2 loaves and freeze one, but not very often.

i try not to eat horribly too much bread any more cuz of this dang middle-age metabolism slowing down curse. hubby buys lunch at his work's cafeteria.

with just me & hubby in the house for limited meals, we can't eat a loaf of bread before it goes bad, so we keep a couple different sliced loaves in a refridgerator drawer.

generally there's always a back up spare loaf of sliced sour dough in the freezer along with some dinner rolls.

for bread with all the preservatives and other chemicals and stuff ie. wonderbread fridge will last longer

for artisan breads ie from the local baker on the counter is best in a paper bag

freezing either works well

on a side note wonderbread is not baked it is chemically levened set then more chemicals are used to form a crust look at the label verse a typical lean dough(baguettte) flour, water, yeast, salt

kinda scary

Same here.

Breadbox here most of the time. I just keep it in whatever packaging it came in.. plastic bag, paper bag.. etc.

I also freeze bread.

That is, I try always to keep a loaf of sliced pan in the freezer for "emergencies". I've often run out and it's very handy to have a loaf at hand on short notice.

Since I moved to Australia, I started keeping my "day to day" bread in the fridge. I used to use a breadbox, and fully intend to again once we move out of this tiny temporary house and into the house we're building.

So... freezing = good (especially if you freeze it fresh)

Fridge = OK

Breadbox = best


Mr Mephisto

I keep my bread in the pantry.

ok ok I don't usually freeze bread but I've had it frozen before at my mom's house. I much prefer my bread fresh and unrefrigerated but it doesn't keep well. It seems to only last a day truly, I mean really fresh. I either have to have it fresh or toasted. Inbetween sucks. So...if I froze my bread....how do you defrost it to ensure near fresh results?

We buy our bread from the bakery and it lasts about 3-4 days on average. Unfortunately, there are times when mold sets in the day after we buy it... It pains me to think of how many times I have thrown out half a loaf or more of bread because of the mold issue. I've tried the fridge method a couple times but my wife doesn't like that it gets dried out so it usually ends up in the pantry until retiring to the trash.

I'll have to try out the saranwrap trick; maybe it will help out when it goes in the fridge.

me and my mrs usually fight over where we keeep the bread. ive now given up and its not worth fighting over it anymore..ive succumed to keeping it frozen.

shes a dietitician and says its keeps better frozen, but i hate the taste of microwaved bread.

On a side note, I normally put a single piece of bread in the fridge, on a napkin. Bread sucks in odors, and help keep smells out!!

I dont live in a house full of people who love bread, and i dont have kids. So for me the obvious option is freezing it. Since if I did not I am sure it would all go to waste. i dislike white bread though. Most commonly I only obtain whole wheat, or other more expensive types. (yes even those strange herb breads, they are the best)

I'm all about refridgerating my foodstuffs. Anything even remotely perishable gets refridgerated if there's room, because I tend not to eat enough of one thing to get it all before it starts going bad.

Hmm.. my parents would always buy 10 or so loaves.. and freeze them. Then they'd take one out at a time and defrost them in the refridgerator. Since they're both from huge families that ate a LOT of sandwiches, this was probably what I should have done with I bought two loaves the other day. As of now, they're both sitting on the top of the fridge instead of inside.. man I hope they're not moldy.. :(

I dont really like the thought of frozen bread, to me fresh means soft. I have heard that keeping it in the fridge dries it out so I normally use it for 2 days then use it for toast for the third day if there is any left. We both have toast and sandwiches, so not much goes to waste.