The tips you need to make bread last longer (2024)

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Freshly baked bread is a delicious addition to the dinner table, but enjoy it while you can. Bread will soon turn stale once it’s exposed to the air, giving it a short lifespan and little chance to finish the whole loaf.

Thankfully, there are ways you can make your bread last longer – and it’s not all about the freezer! We asked the experts on the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team for their top tips, including how to revive stale bread. Here’s what you need to know.

How to keep homemade bread fresh

• If making your own bread, choose recipes that include fats like butter, oil or eggs. These ingredients will help to preserve the bread and keep it softer for longer.
• Wait for your freshly-baked loaf to cool completely before storing. Try to consume fresh bread as soon as possible — bread will start to stale once it has cooled.
• If you are planning to freeze homemade bread, do it as soon as possible after baking and cooling. Wrap it in plastic and, ideally, slice the bread before freezing. Sliced, it will thaw out in around 10 minutes, or can be quickly toasted using the defrost setting on your toaster.
• If you’re using a bread maker, make use of the delay start function so it only finishes baking when you’re ready to eat it. Leaving your freshly baked loaf to sit in the machine overnight only gives it a head start on turning stale.

How to keep shop-bought bread fresh

• Never keep your bread in the fridge. The starch molecules in bread recrystallise very quickly at cool temperatures, and cause the bread to stale much faster when refrigerated.
• Shop-bought loaves should be kept in an air-tight plastic bag at room temperature rather than in the fridge. For bakery breads that are usually sold in a paper bag, remove them from the bag when you get it home, wrap tightly in cling film and store at room temperature. Bread boxes are great if you want to keep a loaf for a couple of days.
• As soon as you’ve removed what you need from your loaf, seal it back up immediately in its air-tight bag. Do not leave bread sitting in the open.

Can I freeze bread?

Bread freezes really well. You can freeze whole loaves or in slices so you can take out a slice or two at a time to toast or use for sandwiches.

What can I do with stale bread?

• The best way to refresh bread that has staled is to run the loaf under tap water until the crust is wet, then heat it for five to 10 minutes in a 180˚C oven. The starch molecules will re-absorb the water and your bread will be nicely revived!
• It's even worth freezing bread that has gone a little stale as there are still plenty of uses for it - croutons, delicious French toast for Sunday brunch or a comforting treat in bread and butter pudding.
• If your loaf really has gone stale, don’t just chuck it – make breadcrumbs (in a food processor) and freeze them for gratin toppings, stuffings and coatings.