To anyone who bakes their own sourdough, congrats — and make sure you get yourself a bread bin because you absolutely need one for your loaves. The dark and dry interior of the bin will protect your baked efforts from a quick death allowing you to savor them for a little longer. All baked goods are fair game.
If you're buying pre-sliced bread, the bread box might not be for you. But if you want to keep a store-bought artisan loaf (or, better yet, homemade bread) in its peak condition for a few days, I'd definitely recommend a bread box.
Invest in a Bread Box
If you want to put your bread in a container, a bread box is the way to go. A good bread box will keep your bread from drying out but will also allow enough airflow to inhibit any mold from growing. Place your bread box away from hot spots, such as next to your stove or oven.
They serve to keep bread at a cool, constant temperature, keep the mice away, and help keep the bread from going stale. The staling process of bread is quite interesting, as it's not directly related to the loss of moisture but instead has to do with the alignment of the starch molecules within the bread.
Wrapping bread and storing it at room temperature will help it retain moisture for a few days. But what if you can't finish the whole loaf in that amount of time? Freezing is the answer. The takeaway: If you're storing bread longer than a few days, it's best to keep it in the freezer.
USE A BREAD BOX
You can keep your fresh loaf in a bread box for a few days. With its dark and dry interior, a bread box helps maintain a decent balance of moisture to keep the inside of the bread soft and its exterior crusty. Make sure there is plenty of room inside for good air circulation.
Bread boxes are your friends
They have small holes in them, which allow just a little air to circulate, keeping bread from molding. If you have pest concerns and prefer to keep bread in an airtight container, try tossing in a slice of bread with your loaf.
Bottom line: If you're doing more than an occasional amount of bread baking, it's worth having a proper proofing basket in your kitchen. When used without a liner, coiled baskets leave a pretty ringed pattern on your baked loaf.
Stainless steel bread boxes are the most durable and often have a modern look. Wood offers a more traditional or rustic design. Some types, such as bamboo (a sustainable material) are eco-friendly.
But what really pushes the bread drawer above all other drawers is its sliding cover, which provides shelter against rodents and other pests that may access the space from the back. Many versions also feature small ventilation holes in the cover to release moisture, keeping mold out along with critters.
The best way to store bread is at room temperature in a dark, dry, cool location such as a pantry, drawer, or bread box. We also recommend keeping our bread sealed in its original packaging, as this will help retain its moisture.
In short, store your bread at room temperature in a cool, dark, dry place such as a pantry, breadbox, or cabinet if you plan to eat it quickly, and freeze it if you want it to last longer. Bread stored at room temperature should be in its original packaging or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.
*Never keep your bread in the fridge. The starch molecules in bread recrystallize very quickly at cool temperatures, and cause the bread to stale much faster when refrigerated. *Shop-bought loaves should be kept in an air-tight plastic bag at room temperature rather than in the fridge.
If you're looking for the best bread box to prevent mold at an affordable price, look no further than the Home-It Stainless Steel Bread Box.
Aluminum is good for cakes, bars, and pies—but also for breads: focaccia, sandwich loaves, and rolls. Because metal heats up faster than glass, it contributes to a better rise and crisper, browner edges.
A well-ventilated bread box allows the loaf of the bread to retain its moisture in dry weather or block too much moisture in humid weather. With no unnecessary requirement of plastic, the bread box is an eco-friendly way of storing bread and allowing it to breathe.
A Rattan Banneton: Rattan (sometimes called cane) is the material most commonly used to make bannetons, and for good reason: It's sturdy; lightweight; and slightly porous, absorbing some moisture from the dough.
Making bread from a machine is marginally cheaper than buying it, as long as you eat bread frequently enough to offset the cost of the appliance. Specifically, I see this as an investment that's smart for households that go through bread quickly, like large families or homes with multiple roommates.
One of the best ways to keep bread from molding is to keep it in the freezer (check out more detailed tips for freezing and defrosting). If your loaf of bread is unsliced, you'll want to slice before freezing so you can pull out individual slices when you need them instead of the entire loaf.
The down-side is if you keep it too long, you may get mold taking advantage of the moist conditions in the plastic bag, and you will get moldy bread. Mold doesn't tend to grow in a dry environment (rock-hard bread).
To effectively kill mold spores, the bread must be toasted at least 160°F (71°C) for several minutes. Time since contamination: The longer the bread has been contaminated with mold, the more likely the mold spores have penetrated the bread and may not be destroyed by toasting.
Resealable plastic bag: A resealable plastic bag seals in moisture and locks out air, keeping your bread soft. If you're using this method, store the bread at room temperature, but monitor the bag for excess moisture that can lead to mold.
It's designed to last awhile on your pantry shelves. So why sell in paper at all? Because paper lets air into the bag, keeping the bread dry and the crust crisp and delicious. If you store bread in a plastic bag, the moisture from the bread gets trapped in the bag making the crust soft.