Should you put bread in the fridge

For all the joy bread brings to a table, it has a considerable weakness: A short shelf life. If you're not worrying about your favorite loaf growing mold, you're concerned about it getting stale. 

Regardless if it's store-bought, bakery-fresh or homemade, bread stays fresh longer when it's in a relatively air-tight environment since circulation speeds up the staling process, says Atlanta chef Jennifer Hill Booker.

Mold thrives in airy, warm locations, so look for cool, dry areas to keep your bread. Booker says that the worst place to store bread is on top of the refrigerator. "It's so warm up there that whatever moisture is trapped in the container or the bag for the bread will start to help it mold."

Understanding bread's shelf life

According to Booker, "fat is a natural preservative, so anything that has more fat tends to preserve or freeze well and last longer." Loaves that have eggs (like challah) or butter (such as banana bread) will go stale slower than French bread, which is leaner.

The type of flour even makes a difference when it comes to the fat content and degree of moisture. "A lot of bread flour is made with red wheat or Russian wheat," says Booker. "If you use a different type of flour that'll contribute to the amount of moisture that's actually in the wheat or in the flour before you even get a chance to make your bread." 

For example, bread baked with almond flour will very likely preserve better than one baked with all-purpose flour since the natural nut component stores more fat.

With that in mind, here's the best way to store bread — along with a few general tips on the most effective ways keep bread fresh longer. 

How to store fresh bread

The key to effective storage is measuring how often you eat bread so it's not sitting out for too long. Here's the technique Booker uses to cut down on waste:

1. Divide the loaf. Cut the bread into thirds (or however much you can typically eat before it goes bad). You can also divvy them up into slices. If storing freshly-baked bread, make sure it's completely cooled first.
2. Leave a section out in room temperature. Store in a bread box or an airtight container and eat within three or four days.
3. Prep the remaining portions for long-term storage. Cover the rest of the sections separately and tightly in plastic wrap.
4. Freeze until ready to eat. Put them in a zip-top bag and place in the freezer.
5. Thaw and enjoy. Defrost another section (or a slice) when ready for a new batch.

Quick tip: Store-bought bread lasts five to seven days, while homemade bread is good for three to five stored at room temperature.

Invest in a breadbox

Using a breadbox — no doubt the most classic way to keep bread — is one foolproof method to extend the life of your loaves. "I would say that a bread box works better than an airtight container because it's breathable and creates the perfect balance of airflow and humidity, so your bread won't get soggy, which can happen in sealed plastic and it won't get dry and stale as it would if left unwrapped," says Booker. "It may also keep out some of the light that'll dry it out if it's in a clear bag."

Wrap bread in plastic

For those who go through a loaf of bread quickly, wrapping bread in plastic or sealing it in a zip-top bag is the easiest way to ensure a fresh loaf. It's a reliable short-term method to storing bread since it won't be sitting on the counter for an extended time. Even storing bread in reusable plastic or a glass-sealed container can help it last longer, says Booker. "If you're eating the bread within three or four days, an airtight container on the counter is perfectly fine."

Ditch the bread bags and use the original wrapper

While canvas bread bags are stylish and eco-friendly, they don't always keep bread from getting stale. If you don't eat bread often, leaving a 24-slice loaf in a canvas bag for a week can actually cause it to go bad faster. "If it's homemade bread and it's not in a plastic wrapper, if you put it in a canvas bag, then the outside will probably get hard because it's not as protected," Booker says. Additionally, if you're trying to preserve store-bought bread, Booker recommends simply keeping it in the original plastic wrapper as long as you tightly seal it and keep it in a cool environment.

Don't be afraid to refrigerate

Though this is a highly contested topic, Booker says that refrigerating bread can actually give it more longevity. Since the refrigerator provides a constant temperature, "you don't have to worry about fluctuations if it's hotter or cooler in the day," she says. But it's best to use this method as a short-term solution since the cooler temperature can sometimes cause starches to crystallize, therefore making the bread less soft and more course. 

Freeze your loaf

Ultimately, freezing bread is the best way to stop it from molding or getting stale too early. While not required, it helps to freeze bread in slices so you don't have to defrost a whole loaf. Depending on the fat content and the amount of protein in that type of bread — be it store-bought or homemade — frozen loaves can last from three to six months. "Brioche and croissants will bounce back fresher than a loaf of French bread because the French bread is so lean," Booker says. "So, three months for French bread and six months for [denser breads like] croissants."

Quick tip: Frozen bread is good for up to three months if properly covered in plastic wrap and placed in zip-top bags.

Insider's takeaway

The longevity of bread depends on the type of loaf, its ingredients, and preservatives. While a more starchy bread full of protein will last longer, a lighter bread can also last a while if you freeze it.