Whats the best way to keep homemade bread fresh?

Question

I love my bread machine - it makes such great bread, but it only stays fresh for one day. How should I store it to keep it fresh for longer, I've tried everything.

Answer 1

I assume you don't want to add preservatives.
Don't store in the refrigerator of freezer if taste is your issue, the result is bleech.

Reduce the amount of animal prducts (eggs, milk, butter/fat) that you use in your recipe. Your bread will keep far longer.

At one time, there were plastic bags with 1000's of little holes for storing vegetables. These worked good, but I haven't seen them for 6-8 years.

Store it in a ventilated enclosed container - a bread box.
You can find them in specialty cooking/baking stores. The best are made of unfinished wood with screens. However I make do with a set of plastic ones that I got at Goodwill for 50 cents each. If you use a low egg/milk recipe, the bread should keep over a week without a significant change in flavor and without molding.

Answer 2

From your local health food store you can get Xanthan gum! Add 1tsp per loaf and increase water by 1tbl. The Xanthan 'binds' water into the bread and water loss is what makes bread stale. The price tag on the Xanthan may scare you (typically sells for around $10 per half pound) but don't let that scare you as it lasts forever if kept in cool air-tight storage and is used in small amounts per loaf. In the US most every donut shop has Xanthan in their dough mix to extend the shelf life of their donuts!

Putting bread in the fridge ruins the texture but bread freezes really well. Wrap your loaf with aluminum foil and then wrap that with plastic and freeze for up to half a year. To defrost the bread remove the plastic and put the foil wrapped bread into a medium oven for 10-15 minutes and it'll come out of the oven like you just fresh baked it! This is an old trick that some restaurants use to serve 'fresh-baked' bread without having to keep a baker on staff full time.

Answer 3

First of all, if you are using a bread machine, the work is not that hard. Why not just reduce the recipe in half and make it more often?

Otherwise, the freezer is better than the fridge. Seal it in a freezer bag first. Breads reheat wonderfully. If you are reheating whole bread, put a little dish of water inside the oven next time.

Answer 4

You could buy some nasty stuff called bread improver. Dont smell it...it takes your breath away. Commercial Bakerires add an emulsifier....622 I think, and they over emulsify it, which is why it appears fresher for longer.

But this is why bakers have to get up with the birds each day, because there really is no way, Bread should be baked each day and eaten fresh, otherwise its just toast :D

They cheap and natural way is to add a teaspoon of vinegar to your bread mix, this acts as a natural emulsifier and will soften the bread and keep it fresher a tag longer than usual.

Answer 5

Keep in an airtight tin. Unfortunately, homemade bread always goes hard or stale quicker than mass produced breads which have preservatives to keep the bread fresher for longer.

Answer 6

The best way is to eat it after you bake it so its nice and warm.But if you cant finish it you should eat it with your family.Though I think you can keep bread fresh by keeping it in the freezer.

Answer 7

freeze it! I also find that bread last longer when you store it in the fridge. Or did you try keepin it in an air-tight container?

Answer 8

you need to find out what preservatives go into bread and start adding them

Answer 9

keep it in a fridge it's an old method :-) then just put in microwave for a minute and you will enjoy it again.

Answer 10

well bread doesnt last long.... the best way... bake it... eat it on the spot =)