Bread

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The proper storage of ingredients and baked goods are essential to food safety.
Click the Food Storage Chart for Cupboard/Pantry, Refrigerator, and Freezer to learn how long you may keep many items found in your kitchen/pantry.
SARAH SAYS: With every CraftyBaking.com recipe, we have carefully researched and have indicated the proper storage guidelines.
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TYPE
Bread is always stored according to its type.

Storing your bread loaf is an important issue. If done properly, your loaf can last the longest. Protect loaves from air movement, which encourages drying of the crust and consequent staling.

Do not wrap WARM bread in plastic wrap or plastic bags; condensation will form and hasten mold development.

Freeze only fresh bread. Place them in air and moisture proof bags AFTER they have throughly cooled. Thaw them, either by placing in a warm, humid envrionment or at room temperature in their wrappers.

Lean, crusty breads: Store them in paper bags and not in plastic wrap, but are best eaten the day they are baked because they stale quickly. For longer storage, wrap the bread in plastic wrap, place in a resealable plastic bag and freeze or store in a cool, dark place, but their crusts must be recrisped.

Soft enriched bread, such as sandwich breads: Best stored in a resealable plastic bag, either kept frozen or in a cool dark place. If stored in a paper bag, they will dry out. When exposed to sunlight, if the loaf is wrapped, it sweats, creating condensation and mold to form on the loaf.

NEVER store bread in the refrigerator; it dries them out. Some researchers have found that accelerated staling occurs at the critical temperature zone right above freezing, explaining why bread should never be refrigerated.