Food storage
How long does bread last?
Shop-bought sliced bread keeps about 3–5 days in the bread bin, and fresh bakery bread 2–3 days. Do not keep bread in the fridge, as it goes stale faster there. Freeze it instead for up to 3 months.
| Bread | Room temp | Freezer |
|---|---|---|
| Shop sliced (white/brown) | 3–5 days | 3 months |
| Fresh bakery / sourdough | 2–3 days | 3 months |
| Homemade (no preservatives) | 2–3 days | 3 months |
| Wraps & pittas | To date | 2–3 months |
Why you shouldn’t keep bread in the fridge
It feels logical, but the fridge is the worst place for bread. Staling (the process that turns bread dry and firm) happens fastest at fridge temperatures, so a loaf goes stale several times quicker in the fridge than in the bread bin. The freezer, on the other hand, pauses staling completely.
How to store bread
Keep it in a cool, dark spot in its bag or a bread bin. To keep a loaf longer, freeze it in portions the day you buy it. You can toast most bread straight from frozen, and slices thaw in a few minutes at room temperature.
What about mould?
If a loaf of soft bread has mould on it, throw the whole loaf away. The visible spot is only part of it: the mould threads spread through soft, moist bread even where you cannot see them, so cutting the mouldy bit off is not enough.
Use it up
Bread on the turn makes great toast, breadcrumbs, croutons, French toast or a panzanella salad. Stale is not wasted. See also: how to stop wasting food and the full storage chart.
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