To prevent bread from turning stale, there is a correct way to store a loaf – and a very wrong way.
According to food storage hack experts, you should “never keep your bread in the fridge”.
While chilling the loaf may seem to extend its lifespan, especially by keeping mould at bay, there is a reason why storing it in the fridge is simply a no-no.
“The starch molecules in bread recrystallise very quickly at cool temperatures,” the experts began to explain.
“And [it] causes the bread to [go] stale much faster when refrigerated.”
Instead, the team at Good Housekeeping Institute insisted that shop-bought bread should be “kept in an air-tight plastic bag at room temperature”.
For baked bread bought from a bakery, remove the paper bag it was sold in, and wrap the loaf tightly in clingfilm.
Again, bread bought from the bakery must also be stored at room temperature to stay fresh.
The team added: “Bread boxes are great if you want to keep a loaf for a couple of days.”
What to do with stale bread
Fear not, stale bread can be revived using tap water and the oven.
First, place the loaf of stale bread under a tap of running water until the crust is wet.
Then heat the loaf in the oven (180C) for five to 10 minutes to bring back freshness.
Alternatively, stale bread could be made into delicious French toast for a lovely brunch.
For extremely stale bread, you can use a food processor to make breadcrumbs.
These breadcrumbs can be frozen and used for toppings, stuffings and coatings at a later date.
Talking of freezing bread, you can keep a fresh loaf really fresh by storing it in the freezer.
The team at Good Housekeeping Institute assured: “Bread freezes really well.
“You can freeze whole loaves or in slices so you can take out a slice or two at a time to toast or use for sandwiches.”
