LPT: your bread will keep a lot longer in the fridge!

Submitted by feedmefrenchfries t3_11lgb39 in LifeProTips

Up until a couple of years ago, I always kept my bread and baked goods in the pantry. Without fail, they'd start to develop mold before I'd had a chance to eat them, leading to food waste.

I started keeping all my bread items in the fridge and now RARELY have to throw things out. A loaf of bread will now keep fresh for 3-4 weeks, long enough for me to finish the whole loaf. I estimate I've saved hundreds of dollars since making the switch.

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tvieno t1_jbc8obv wrote

Sure it will last longer but the bread dries out in the fridge.

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dilligaf6304 t1_jbc9p50 wrote

If you leave it unwrapped.

A typical loaf stored in its original plastic bag doesn’t dry out.

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RosCeilteach t1_jbcj3sv wrote

Maybe, but you can eat stale bread. You can't eat moldy bread.

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tvieno t1_jbcm5lq wrote

It is a good thing nothing ever goes moldy in the fridge.

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DiverseIncludeEquity t1_jbdgfgm wrote

Not in my fridge. Always clean spills and water immediately to prevent mold from growing.

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Bierbart12 t1_jbcaajq wrote

It needs to be sealed. Same as things your freeze.

This should be common knowledge but isn't

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Effroyablemat t1_jbci627 wrote

For me its a worthy tradeoff. If I want moist bread I will just go buy it as needed.

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DiverseIncludeEquity t1_jbdgd4c wrote

LPT: Get out as much air as possible every time you close the bag. My bread stays fresh and soft for over a month in the fridge.

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Prometheus188 t1_jbe53jy wrote

Only if you put loose bread, which only psychopaths do. Everyone else keeps bread in the bag they bought it in.

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godzillabobber t1_jcs8rwc wrote

More properly, the starches crystallize, so the dryness can happen in a perfectly sealed bag. Although much of what passes for bread these days uses a lot of stabilizers to prevent that.

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PentharMull t1_jbcapg0 wrote

It dries out. Freezing is better.

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leigh094 t1_jbcczb9 wrote

Do you keep it in the original bag or put it in a better, zipper bag?

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Mars27819 t1_jbce9sh wrote

I keep mine in the original bag when freezing. My wife says she can tell a difference between bread that's been frozen and bread that is fresh. I don't notice a difference.

I can make my wife believe that the milk is bad by sniffing it. I don't have to say anything.

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leigh094 t1_jbcivxz wrote

Yeah I freeze it in the original bag and keep it in the fridge in the original bag with no issues. Sometimes it gets freeze burn in the freeze but there due to me forgetting about and/or not closing it well.

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BigSwingingDicky t1_jbppddv wrote

Sorry, but proper bread does not come in bags. Unless it's a paper bag that your bakery gave you and that is no good for freezing.

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leigh094 t1_jbpq6e2 wrote

Lmao don’t you think if I could afford bread from a bakery I wouldn’t need to freeze the bread I get from a grocery store in a plastic bag. I live in America where I get to choose from the bread stocked at Walmart or the bread stocked at Target. I don’t have the luxury of living a nice European country where I can pop over to the bakery for ‘proper bread.’ That would be nice though

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WarholMoncler t1_jbcb6wy wrote

My parents did this growing up so I never knew any other way

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this_is_an_alaia t1_jbd1lym wrote

If you don't want it to go stale you should freeze it, not put it in the fridge

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olafbond t1_jbdi5ne wrote

We buy flat round asian bread ('lepeshka') and keep them in a freezer. You may take it out half an hour before dinner or microwave a minute - it's always fresh and tasty.

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redquailer t1_jbevdni wrote

I just looked that bread up- looks tasty!! Thanks :)

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Jaded-Moose983 t1_jbcdol7 wrote

Anyone happy with refrigerated bread, should do what makes them happy. I will not refrigerate bread; instead I will freeze it.

The problem with temperatures above freezing is the starches that were broken down during the baking will recrystallize. This is why a well wrapped and refrigerated loaf will start to become hard.

If we are talking about the wonder bread type of sliced bread in stores, it's possible the preservatives used will slow the process down so it's not apparent when that type of bread is refrigerated.

The best way to get a long life from a loaf of bread is to buy only unsliced loaves and cut only what you need. Freezing will also extend life.

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-B0B- t1_jbcb9it wrote

I leave it out until it's too stale to enjoy fresh, then freeze it & it keeps for toast basically forever

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Tylerdurden389 t1_jbcou3y wrote

Between being single for way too long and the pandemic making it more dangerous to shop, bread ain't even the half of it. My freezer has more food in it than my fridge does. Put milk in Mason jars too. Individually wrap your Steaks when you buy a pack of more than 3 of them, and take them out as needed.

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RosCeilteach t1_jbcihzj wrote

I started doing this because I had a cat who loved bread. He would eat half a loaf before I caught him. The only way to keep him out of it was to store it in the fridge. The lack of mold was a bonus.

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DancingPengu1n t1_jbcvrhr wrote

Weve always (me or my family) kept our bread either in the fridge (if its going to be used withing 2-3 days) or the freezer for long time storage. Leaving it in the pantry will always get mold on it within a day or two specially if the weather is warm.

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SimplyNRG t1_jbexeli wrote

There's a lot of bacteria in the air if your bread is getting moldy that quick...it should last for 7-10 days on the counter...

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InscrutableScruple t1_jbg6kkx wrote

Depends on the bread. Mass produced bread with a bunch of preservatives will last a long time. Higher quality artisanal bread will go moldy much faster (although within a day or two seems faster than it should be), and stale even faster than that.

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SimplyNRG t1_jbgcxml wrote

I understand the longevity of bread depends on how much preservatives it has, lol...my point was if ANY bread is going bad in a day...you have a LOT of bacteria in your kitchen and air...

EDIT: Place a glass of water next to your potatoes in your kitchen and one in your living room...the glass next to potatoes will grow mold while the other just evaporates...

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Piffdolla1337take2 t1_jbce3qy wrote

Mold and bacteria form before you see it and when you see it you're seeing the fruiting bodies so it's basically already living its life, not that all mold and bacteria are bad but you only need botulism once

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clownandmuppet t1_jbcfkwf wrote

Did this living on my own. Have a family now and the fridge is completely stuffed with so many things….

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panzerfinder15 t1_jbcncur wrote

Texture goes way off. Yea will last longer, but not good texture.

Try half a loaf on the counter, half in fridge, and taste taste day 3.

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Skweefie t1_jbcps9y wrote

>Try half a loaf on the counter, half in fridge, and taste taste day 3.

This will show you...

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dmomo t1_jbd39xn wrote

A lot of replies here mention how if you keep the bread sealed it does not dry out. This is true and the more optimally you seal it in the faster you freeze it the better results you get. But in practicality you will still usually find that the moisture consolidates in the form of ice on the outside or one end of the bread, leaving the rest dry. Unless it is extremely still isn't the end of the world.

I typically keep English muffins in the freezer. Before I toast them, I put them on a plate covered loosely by a slightly moistened paper towel in a microwave it for about 15 seconds. It's almost as good as new and ready to toast.

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keepthetips t1_jbc875r wrote

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prophylaxitive t1_jbcb916 wrote

A microwave makes an excellent bread bin.

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Ian_ronald_maiden t1_jbcfp7u wrote

Best thing about no longer living in the outback was being able to stop freezing and refrigerating bread

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redquailer t1_jbev73w wrote

For baked goods, I individually wrap, freeze, thaw, and if need be, crispen in the airfryer. That bulky machine has to earn its keep, somehow. :)

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BigStackaveli t1_jbdtq6s wrote

Refrigerating bread forms crystals which makes it hard and unpalatable

Same with freezing it

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DroolingSlothCarpet t1_jbdtszt wrote

You are ignorant. This is completely false. Delete this nonsense.

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