freeze or refridgerate bread?

Question

What's the better way to keep bread lasting longer? Freeze it...or toss it in the fridge?? I don't eat bread often and my toddler only has one slice a day at most, so it always seems to be going bad.

Answer 1

Freeze it. I actually put two slices in a baggie and just pull out one in the morning so it's defrosted by the time I'm ready to make a lunch for my husband to take to work. Saves time and money.



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Answer 2

If I find bread on sale, I buy extra and freeze it. When I need it out, I put it top-down in the fridge till it's defrosted. I ALWAYS store bread in the fridge...it helps to preserve it longer (especially in the heat ... keeps it from molding).

Answer 3

I always froze bread and rolls at my restaurant. They thawed out pretty quickly in the kitchen. I live in a warm area now so I keep it in the fridge because we use so much of it, making sandwiches for my husband's lunch. Either way works fine. It just depends on how fast you need to make something with it.

Answer 4

Freeze it so that you can take out one slice at a time.
Refrigerating bread makes it go very dry.

Answer 5

Bread I bring home from the store - I always freeze. Then when I need a piece, I either let it sit, covered, at room temp until it thaws or slightly thaw it in the toaster. Don't put in the microwave to thaw or it will become tough.

Answer 6

refrigeration dries out the bread faster. It is better to freeze it. If you freeze it loosely in a large bag, its easy to just take out one slice.
"While a couple of the bread keepers did a good job at minimizing moisture loss, within just three days all of the artisinal loaves were shrunken, discolored, and firm - in other words, they staled. The bread stored in the refrigerator fared even worse, hardening within a day or so. Why? According to food scientists, the major reason that bread stales is not moisture loss, but rather a process called retrogradation, in which the starch molecules in the bread crystallize. Retrogradation occurs about six times faster at refrigerator temperatures (36 - 40 degrees) than at room temperature, thereby making the refrigerator the worst choice for bread storage. However, the retrogradation process does slow down significantly when bread is stored below freezing temperatures.

Because retrogradation is accelerated by cold temperatures, it’s logical that it would be reversed by heat. Anyone who has ever softened stale bread in an oven or microwave has witnessed retrogradation reversal. Ovens don’t add moisture, but when stale bread (bread with crystallized starch) is heated to temperatures above 140 degrees, the crystals break down, softening the bread, (140 degrees is the gelation temperature of wheat starch -- that is, the temperature at which the molecules form a gel).

To minimize retrogradation, store bread at room temperature -- for up to three days -- in a container that minimizes moisture loss. (See our recommended storage containers below.) After three days, wrap bread tightly wrapped in foil, place in a freezer bag, and freeze. Thaw the slices at room temperature, or in the microwave or oven. (For a frozen full- or half-loaf, we recommend heating the bread, still wrapped in foil, in a 450-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes, then crisping it by removing the foil and returning it to the oven for a minute or two.) If you find yourself with stale bread, wrap it in plastic wrap and reheat briefly in a microwave, but be prepared to use it almost immediately as retrogradation will set in again fairly quickly. Finally, only refrigerate bread that you’re intending to reheat (e.g., toast or grill) later on."

Answer 7

Save it in thirds...
keep a few out at room temp... a few in the refrigerator and a few few in the freezer.

The bread in the freezer is best for toast.

If your toddler eats only toast, then throw it all in the freezer for maximum longevity.

Answer 8

Freezing the bread is best.

Answer 9

It will keep longer in the freezer. Bread will still mold in the refrigerator.

Answer 10

freeze it, and it will last very long! you can always get a frozen slice and pop it straight in the oven, they'll still come out good..