Why You Should Never Store Bread In The Fridge

Whether you have just pulled your freshly baked loaf out of the oven or come home with a store-bought, presliced bag of bread, you might have several ideas about how to best store it. According to Adriano Zumbo, a world-renowned pâtissier, there is one place you should absolutely not put it: the fridge. In an interview with Food Republic, Zumbo said, "Refrigerating bread accelerates staling. The cool, dry air of the fridge draws moisture out of the bread, making it go stale faster than at room temperature. While it might feel soft initially due to the moisture loss, the texture quickly becomes dry and crumbly."

Of course, rapidly turning your bread dry and crumbly is probably not what you had in mind whether you bought the loaf or spent a great deal of patience baking the bread yourself. Thankfully, there are several other ways to store your bread, all of which are superior to putting it in the fridge.

"The best way to store bread is at room temperature in a bread box or airtight container," Adriano Zumbo told us. "This helps maintain the bread's moisture and prevents it from drying out." Bread boxes were once found in kitchens ubiquitously, though these days, it seems only bakers have them on their counters. Still, they do provide bread with perfect conditions and will keep loaves at their peak for up to four days.

That being said, if you don't have a bread box, you don't need to worry. If you only bring home or bake an artisan loaf once in a while, but you eat it quickly once you have it, you can slice the bread up and put it in an airtight plastic or glass container (provided it's large enough to accommodate the pieces without crushing them too much). Another place to store bread is inside a paper or cotton bag. Using this method allows the bread to breathe, keeping it fresher for longer.

Where you put the bread in your kitchen is important, too. Keep it out of direct sunlight and away from any appliances that emit heat as they can engender moisture, causing your bread to mold faster. A cool, dry place is best, like a shaded area on your counter or even a spot in your pantry. (And, in the event you don't eat it fast enough, you can salvage stale bread with just a little water or turn it into a delicious, hearty soup.)

While the fridge is not a great place for keeping bread, the freezer is. According to Adriano Zumbo, "For longer storage, freezing bread is a good option." Bread can stay good for up to six months in the freezer. Mind you, that's a quality timeline, not a safety one. The bread will stay safe to eat for longer but will start to lose its flavor and texture.

For the best and longest-lasting quality, double wrap the bread with plastic wrap and aluminum foil, before placing it inside a plastic zip-top bag. Be sure to write the date on it before sticking it in the freezer. You can also slice it so that you don't have to thaw the entire loaf of bread when you only want a few pieces for breakfast.

To thaw, just leave the bread on your counter for a few hours (bread defrosts impressively quickly, a lot faster than most people think). Want it to be ready even faster? You can pop it in an oven set to a low temperature for about half an hour. If you're only after a few slices of toast, you can pop the frozen slices directly in your toaster — they brown up perfectly straight from the freezer.