4 Ingenious Ways To Keep Your Bread Fresher For Longer

You may agree, breads have to be the quickest and easy-to-pick foods for people who are always on-the-go. Breads play a vital role in our culinary world; as toast, sandwich, accompaniment to eggs and bacon, pudding, poha and a lot of other dishes making it an important part. However, your batch of fresh bread has a certain shelf life beyond which it can go stale and inedible. Thanks to the starch present in these baked goodies that makes them stale. Exposure to air and heat can make the starch crystallize making breads go stale after a point of time.

Now, if you don't like throwing the rest of the hardened and stale bread pieces, we have some ingenious tips to keep them fresher for longer. If you haven't known them already, take a look at these.

There are a couple of factors that may aid the growth of molds and bacteria in the breads, so in order to prevent these conditions; you will need to ensure that these three things are taken care of- heat, light and moisture.

Here are some ways to prolong bread's shelf life-

1. Do Not Refrigerate Breads

The first thing we do after using the loaf is to store the leftover in the refrigerator, which can quicken the starch degradation process and accelerates moisture loss causing the bread to stale. However, you cannot keep it off refrigeration in summers as it may lead to development of mold; therefore, it is good to take a smaller loaf during hot weather to avoid staling.(Also read: How To Make Brown Bread At Home?)

_{The first thing we do after using the loaf is to store the leftover in the refrigerator​}2. Wrap Your Bread In a Foil Or a Plastic Zip Lock Bag

One of the best ways to keep your bread from staling is to wrap it in a foil or store in zip lock bags, ensuring they do not contain even a droplet of water. Slight moisture will quickly lead to development of mold making it stale.

3. Store It In a Big Sized Bread-Box

Placing your loaf of bread in a bigger breadbox will create an environment that balances humidity that you may want for a soft interior and the air circulation. Try not to overfill the breadbox as it may trap the air circulation and create an imbalance in the humidity levels. Also avoid placing a paper bag in the box as it traps the necessary moisture, further destroying the crust.
 

_{Placing your loaf of bread in a bigger breadbox will create an environment that balances humidity​}

4. Do Not Refrigerate, But Freeze Your Breads

Freezing breads may prevent staling as icy environment may inhibit starch degradation, holding the bread in a stable state. Make sure you wrap the bread in a plastic and then freeze it right after its use and if you plan to consume it, eat it right after you have thawed it.

These simple tips may help your bread stay fresh a little longer; however, ensure you consume it within a week in order to avoid any health problems due to the preservatives present in it. In case you see molds forming on the bread piece, throw it away immediately; remember, these molds cannot be treated.