After two days the crust has gone soft, after three days the bread is chewy, and after four days you throw it away. Sound familiar? In the Netherlands, bread is the food people throw away most often – and usually that’s not necessary at all. With the right approach, bread keeps a good deal longer than most people think.
Why bread actually goes stale
As soon as bread comes out of the oven, a process that bakers call “retrogradation” begins. The starch in the bread slowly draws back the water it absorbed during baking, making the crumb drier and tougher, even though not a drop of moisture has evaporated. That’s a different mechanism from drying out through air (we described that in more detail in Bread bin or bread bag?), and it explains why bread sometimes feels chewy even though the bag was properly closed.
This process speeds up at certain temperatures. And that brings us straight to the most common mistake.
Tip 1: Never keep bread in the fridge
This may sound strange at first. Doesn’t keeping things cold usually keep them fresher for longer? With bread it works the other way round: the starch loses water fastest at temperatures between -5 °C and 5 °C, exactly the range of an ordinary fridge. So bread in the fridge goes stale faster than bread left on the worktop.
Tip 2: Only slice just before eating
- Why | A cut loaf has more exposed surface, so it dries out faster than a whole loaf. Keep it whole for as long as possible, and only slice what you need at that moment.
Tip 3: Choose the right packaging for your bread
There’s no single best packaging for every loaf, however much we’d like there to be. Soft bread with a thin crust, such as white or wholemeal, stays soft longest in packaging that holds in moisture. Bread with a thick, crisp crust, such as baguette or some sourdoughs, actually dries out faster in that kind of packaging: the crust loses its crispness and the inside becomes moister than is pleasant.
Tip 4: Store it in a dark, stable place
Light and temperature changes speed up the staling process. A cupboard or a shady spot on the worktop works better than a place in full sun, or right next to the oven where the temperature keeps changing.
Tip 5: Freeze what you won’t eat within two days
Freezing is the most effective way to keep bread for a really long time. At -18 °C the retrogradation process almost stops, so bread often still tastes surprisingly good after defrosting. Two things determine whether freezing works well:
- Slice before freezing | That way you only defrost what you need, instead of having to deal with a whole loaf at once.
- Wrap it well, double if necessary | Air in the packaging causes freezer burn: white, dry patches that spoil the taste. The better the packaging seals, the lower the risk.
You’ll find everything about freezing and defrosting in Freezing and defrosting bread.
Tip 6: Defrost at room temperature, not in the microwave
Defrosting quickly in the microwave often makes bread chewy and unevenly warm – exactly the opposite of what you want. Let it defrost slowly at room temperature instead, or toast frozen slices straight from the freezer.
Tip 7: Don’t throw it away straight away if it does go stale
Stale bread isn’t necessarily bad bread. Toasted, turned into breadcrumbs or used for French toast, it still gets a second life instead of ending up in the bin.
Our experience
When testing our own bread bag, we saw a clear difference compared with an ordinary bread bin: bread stayed noticeably soft and tender for longer, without us having to freeze it. That’s exactly why we designed the bag the way we did: the right balance between protection and air circulation, rather than sealing as tightly as possible.
Nedertarwe, one of the larger bakery chains in the Netherlands, tested the bread bag themselves before they started offering it in their bakeries. For a bakery, which deals with freshness every day, that’s no small decision: it followed their own tests, not our word.
Curious whether that works for your bread too? Take a look at the Broodnodig reusable bread bag.
Frequently asked questions
How long does bread stay fresh on the worktop?
For a loaf of around 600 grams, usually 4 to 5 days, if stored well. Lighter breads with a thin crust, such as baguette, dry out faster and often only keep for 1 to 2 days.
Is it true that bread keeps longer in the fridge?
No, quite the opposite. The starch in bread actually goes stale faster at fridge temperatures. Keep bread at room temperature, or freeze it if you want to keep it for longer.
How long can I freeze bread?
About three months without any noticeable loss of quality. After that it’s still safe to eat, but it slowly dries out further.
Why does home-made bread go stale faster than bread from the bakery?
Home-made bread usually contains no preservatives, so it goes stale faster than shop-bought bread. Freezing it quickly or wrapping it well makes the biggest difference here.