What is the best place to store bread items?

We buy our bread (regular sandwich bread, nothing fancy) & bagels at Sam's Club. We freeze what we have to, but I am wondering what is the best place to store them once the package is 'in use'? Cabinet or fridge? Anyone store in the freezer and defrost only a couple slices at a time?

It is mostly for DH, and he keeps them in the cabinet. I wonder if they would stay fresher in the fridge?

Thanks!

Cooks Illustrated, in its methodical way, has addressed this question here and here

I don't know if that's a login-protected page, so here's the quick summary

What’s a person who loves fresh bread to do when it’s just not possible to eat the entire loaf within 48 hours? In the test kitchen, we’ve had great success when we placed half of the fresh loaf in the freezer. Wrapped first in aluminum foil and then in a large, plastic zipper-lock bag, the loaf will keep for several months.

With home-baked bread that won't get eaten in a few days, I slice it before I freeze it--making it much easier to pry off a couple of pieces for toast or a sandwich.

I keep a variety of breads in the freezer and take out slices on an as-needed basis. I usually have some form of rye bread, Al-Khayam lavosh, whole wheat bread, and english muffins. They key is to keep them well wrapped. The fresher the bread is upon freezing, the better it defrosts.

Best,
Michael

Hi,

I keep cake, pies and other baked goods in the oven. I did this after looking at lots of pie safes, which were cabinets with tin 'windows' with tiny nail pierced patterns. The oven being a sealed space helps retain moisture keeping baked goods from drying out.

Built into a drawer in the kitchen is a bread box that has largely fallen out of use. Yet when we have guests and the refrigerator overfilled, then it is put back into use and/or we use the oven. Our bread use generally has dropped enough that bread stored in the bread box is forgotten.

Regards,

I made a tomato and mozzarella tart (from Cook's Illustrated and 6 small Sicilian spinach pies.

I am assuming you advocate oven storage only for uncut baked goods? When do you throw them in the fridge?

Cathy2 wrote:The oven being a sealed space helps retain moisture keeping baked goods from drying out.

Electric ovens, yes. Gas ovens, no.

Hi,

I keep the uncut and cut pies in the oven. I'm assuming fruit pies. If they have dairy like chess pie or custards, then they go to the refrigerator for long term storage. If your savory pie has meat in it, then into the refrigerator.

Cogito - You're right that I use an electric oven. While the gas oven may not be as perfect a sealed environment, don't you think it may work for temporary storage environment for baked goods? It would be less air circulation than sitting on a counter, wouldn't it? It might be nice for someone here to experiment with a gas to let us know the result.

Regards,

How about the microwave? A friend of mine keeps her snack chips in the micro. She says they stay fresh and crisp this way. Could this work for bread and baked goods also?

PreFlopRaise13 wrote:How about the microwave? A friend of mine keeps her snack chips in the micro. She says they stay fresh and crisp this way. Could this work for bread and baked goods also?

Sure, it is really like a bread box with limited air circulation provided by the vents.

Regards,

christine wrote:what is the best place to store them once the package is 'in use'? Cabinet or fridge? Anyone store in the freezer and defrost only a couple slices at a time?

It is mostly for DH, and he keeps them in the cabinet. I wonder if they would stay fresher in the fridge?

Not the fridge. As the Cook's Illustrated link says, bread actually stales faster in the fridge. However, if you leave bread out in a paper bag at room temperature it also stales fast -- especially artisanal breads without preservatives -- or if you keep it in a plastic bag, it gets moldy.

Since there are only two of us at home, and only one of us is a big bread eater, bread storage is a real problem in our house. I typically keep bread in a plastic bag in the freezer and remove small amounts at a time for use, usually thawing for a few seconds in the microwave if I'm not going to toast it. I could wish for a better solution -- bread takes up way too much freezer space -- but I haven't come up with one.