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nancybee_2010

How do you store your bread?

nancybee_2010
10 years ago

I just got a metal bread box from amazon. It arrived dented, so I'm returning it. Anyway, before I order another one, I thought I'd ask you all about how you store your bread and if you think a bread box really keeps it fresher.

It is kind of frustrating buying bread and throwing so much of it away since there are only two of us now!

Thank you!

Comments (27)

  • lyfia
    10 years ago

    I keep all mine in the freezer. Real easy to just take out what we need then. Depending on the type I either toast it or take it out earlier and let it thaw by itself, or I heat it for a very short time in the MW. When I do it in the MW I wrap in a paper towel and generally they are rolls, muffins, or hamburger buns.

    We don't eat that much bread which is why I started doing it. Since I often make my own I figured I could just slice it up and then take out as needed, instead of taking out a whole loaf and then have it not taste as fresh after a week.

    Edited: add about mw heating.

    {{!gwi}}

    This post was edited by lyfia on Thu, Jul 11, 13 at 21:28

  • 3katz4me
    10 years ago

    Always in the freezer

  • 3katz4me
    10 years ago

    Duplicate

    This post was edited by gibby3000 on Thu, Jul 11, 13 at 21:30

  • sis3
    10 years ago

    I make my own loaves, cut them in half and store them in the freezer. I take half a loaf out at a time, it is soon used up!

  • Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
    10 years ago

    What kind of bread are you talking about? Loaf bread, like Arnold 12 grain, will keep a week. Artisan bread is good for a day or two then it gets made into crostini.

  • nancybee_2010
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    hmmm, I tried it in the freezer and it got soggy. Maybe I didn't wrap it well enough! Thanks, I'll try it again.

    BB- I just get regular bread from the grocery store- orowheat, french or sourdough, hamburger buns, etc.

  • User
    10 years ago

    Regular bread got soggy? Hmm... I've never had that happen. We don't do anything special to it and keep our extra bread and hamburger buns in the freezer. Sometimes I'll only take half the loaf out at a time and will store in a ziplock bag for the week.

  • neetsiepie
    10 years ago

    I have a wooden bread box my son made in HS. I just close it up tightly and then put it in there. As mentioned, artisan breads are only good for a day or two at most. I now eat only gluten free-and i store it in the refrigerator because it's nearly as expensive as the artisan stuff, and I only use it toasted. The bread my husband eats is in the bread box.

  • nanny2a
    10 years ago

    I have a tin bread box that was custom built for a large drawer in a base cabinet in my kitchen. I love it, because it will keep bread fresh forever! My daughter was just remarking about how great it was this weekend when she was visiting, saying that she has a terrible time keeping bread fresh. Not enough room in her freezer and it takes up too much space in the frig, too.

    My store bought packaged and artisan breads can keep for weeks in this bread box - if they arenâÂÂt consumed, first.

    I hope the one you purchased works as well as mine does, itâÂÂs been a fantastic kitchen item!

  • fourkids4us
    10 years ago

    I keep mine in the freezer and have never had a problem with it getting soggy unless, for some reason, ice crystals had gotten on it, which has rarely happened to me and only in my stand alone freezer which isn't frost free.

    We don't eat enough sandwiches to leave the bread out. The kind my kids like, pane bread from Trader Joe's, does not have preservatives so it goes bad quickly if I don't keep in freezer. I also keep things like English muffins in the freezer. I buy most of our bread products at trader joes and since they don't have preservatives, they don't stay fresh long. But if I buy hamburger buns from the regular grocery store, they seem to last forever which makes me wonder what is in them and whether I want to eat it! :)

    As for keeping bread in the fridge....I read somewhere that keeping in the fridge dries bread out.

  • kellyeng
    10 years ago

    I also keep mine in the freezer but I put it in a freezer ziploc first. That might help with sogginess.

  • graywings123
    10 years ago

    I store it in the oven. My problem is ants, not staleness.

  • jlj48
    10 years ago

    Hmmmm. I think that most old fashioned bread boxes WERE tin. I wonder if it is the tin that helps your bread to stay so fresh Nanny. I keep mine in a basket on the counter. No room in the freezer or fridge. Yes each week I end up tossing some. Not sure what else to do but the tin idea has got me thinking.

  • cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
    10 years ago

    My mother had a built-in tin-lined drawer with a sliding tin lid in her kitchen cabinets. It was great. I wish I could find a cabinet company that still made those. So practical.

  • Boopadaboo
    10 years ago

    Funny you should post this today. I just read this article yesterday.....

    How do you thaw the bread? Just in time?

    Here is a link that might be useful: how to store bread.

  • nancybee_2010
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    boop, thanks for the link! Reinforces what many have said here about freezing it.

  • Sueb20
    10 years ago

    We go through bread fairly quickly in my house, but my neighbor stores hers in the fridge (not freezer) and says it lasts longer that way.

  • terezosa / terriks
    10 years ago

    That link is exactly right. Storing in the refrigerator, while keeps it from molding, also makes it go stale faster. So if you don't eat bread quickly the best solution is to keep some out for immediate use and to freeze the rest.
    We have always kept our bread in a drawer in the kitchen. Regular store bough bread lasts about a week that way, the artisan stuff not so long.

  • blfenton
    10 years ago

    In the winter bread stays in the cupboard and in the summer in the fridge. It doesn't last very long in our house and so even in the fridge in the summer it's only there for 2-3 days. I just have a freezer as part of the fridge and it isn't big enough for the bread.

  • dedtired
    10 years ago

    I also used to have a tin bread drawer and my mother still has one. I tried to find a bread box for the counter but everything I saw was either too cheap-looking or too big. I finally found a cloth-lined basket and I keep the bread in there. It works well for me.

    If I am not going to use the bread or rolls right away, I put them in the freezer. I never liked refrigerated bread.

  • anele_gw
    10 years ago

    Depends.

    We put some in the freezer, some in the refrigerator, some on the counter, and some in a cabinet!

  • mama goose_gw zn6OH
    10 years ago

    I freeze mine as soon as it's brought home, if it's not going to be used right away. After removing a loaf from the freezer, I let it thaw completely, then store it in a vintage enamel bread box. There are vent holes in the back, but the bread is wrapped in plastic, so I don't know if that makes a difference in freshness.

    Homemade bread is allowed to cool, put in a bread bag (that I save from store-bought loaves), and stored in the same box.

  • hhireno
    10 years ago

    Reading about bread boxes reminds me of this story.

    Years ago, I drove to Florida with my sister and her boys, who were almost 5 and 7. We decided to teach them the game 20 questions to help pass the time.

    My first question was "is it bigger than a bread box?" They didn't know what a bread box was so we changed it to "is it bigger than a loaf of bread?" Kids being creatures of habit, they insisted we start each round of questions with that one.

    The next day the almost 5 yo asked if we could play 8 guesses again. He was so cute and funny. Still is at 26 yo.

  • nancybee_2010
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    That made me smile, hhireno. So cute!

  • mtnrdredux_gw
    10 years ago

    We buy ours at a local artisanal bakery. We keep it unsliced in a paper bag in a basket on the counter. If you keep it airtight, it ruins the crust. It only last 2 days. If it gets old I use it for croutons or bread crumbs.

    There is a wonderful round French peasant loaf called a miche, and the directions for storing it are : place it cut side down on a wooden cutting board, and just leave it there.

  • teacats
    10 years ago

    Fridge.

    Keeps it going longer in the brutal heat for the two of us ....

  • camlan
    10 years ago

    Sometimes if you defrost frozen bread in a plastic bag, it can get soggy. I always defrost the bread out of the bag.