Bread quickly becomes stale and moldy: 5 effective ways to extend its life and save money

Bread, flatbread, buns: this product comes in many different shapes, sizes and names. It belongs to the basic food group and has a lot of useful properties and benefits. The only drawback is that bread has a short shelf life.

Tom's Guide writes: "Unfortunately, bread dries quickly and becomes tasteless. We throw it in the garbage and buy fresh bread, only to end up doing the same thing with it."

Is it possible to solve this problem? Experts say: "yes". Here are 5 tips on how to keep bread longer to reduce food waste and save money. This was reported by SSPDaily.

Freeze the bread

Too much bread to eat at once? Just put it in the freezer. Slice the loaf and separate the slices with wax paper to make them easier to remove. Whether you are freezing a whole loaf or a sliced loaf, remember to wrap the bread tightly in a freezer bag to prevent ice crystals from getting into it.

When you are ready to thaw the whole loaf, place it in the refrigerator overnight. There, the bread will gradually retreat and not lose its flavor.

If you don't have time to wait, you can put the loaf in an oven preheated to 160 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes. You can also put frozen sliced bread in the toaster right away and just add butter.

Buy a bread bin

A bread bin is the perfect place to store bread. It can keep bread fresh for up to three days, depending on the type of loaf.

It is better to buy a bread box with special holes for air circulation, which guarantees the absence of mold. And to make it even better, store the bread wrapped in a paper bag.

Important! Although a bread box is a good alternative to freezing, it can contain moisture. It appears when there is a lot of bread inside, so it is advisable not to overfill the bread box.

Keep bread away from heat

The kitchen can be hot and stuffy, and it's not always the best place to store bread.

To help keep it longer, keep it away from the oven or other heat source, such as the top of the refrigerator or freezer, and avoid sunlit windowsills.

By the way, bread feels best in a cool place (at room temperature or below) on the kitchen table or on a shelf in a dark pantry.

Wrap the bread in paper

Although loaves of bread are sold in plastic wrapping, this does not help to preserve the freshness of the bread. In fact, plastic provokes mold growth because it traps moisture inside the bag and softens the crust. Therefore, if you want to extend the life of your bread, it is better to replace the plastic wrapper with a paper bag. It contains enough air and little moisture, so the likelihood of mold growth is minimal.

The shelf life of bread depends on its type

Bread can be stored for 3-7 days at room temperature, but ultimately, its shelf life depends on what it is made of.

If your bread contains only flour, water, salt, and yeast, it will go stale much faster than enriched bread, which contains fats and sugars that help it stay fresh longer.

By the way, a loaf baked at home will also go stale much faster than store-bought bread, which contains preservatives that extend its shelf life.