Best Ways to Store Homemade Bread

Bread is best when used up quickly; however, this isn't always possible or plausible. I always thought that the refrigerator was the ideal place to keep bread. Turns out, I was wrong! Refrigerators produce a lot of moisture, thus speeding the spoiling process. In the refrigerator, the bread is also susceptible to absorbing odors and tastes from surrounding foods. So, here are some tips for storing your homemade bread:

- If you need to keep your bread fresh for up to a week, store the loaf either in a bread box, or Ziplock container at room temperature. Room temperature has proved to be ideal for the New England climate, this may not be so in more humid regions.

- Bread boxes seem like such an antiquated item, but in fact are optimal for storing homemade bread. Go figure, right? The idea behind the bread box is that the tightly shut door helps keep moisture in, thus preventing the loaf from drying out, but also allows for slight air flow so the loaf doesn't get stale or moldy. Tucked inside the bread box, the loaf is also safe from little critters and bugs. Today, many bread boxes are made of plastic or metal, but basically serve the same purpose.

- Should you need to keep your bread fresh for longer than a week, or your household uses bread slowly, there is a better option than the bread box. The freezer! If I've gone on a bread-baking spree and am left with several loaves of bread as a result, I will often cut a loaf in half and pop each half into a Ziplock freezer bag and then into the freezer. Bread takes no time at all to defrost, so minutes before you need some fresh bread for sandwiches or dinner, just take out a bag! Oftentimes I will also pre-slice my loaves into sandwich slices and freeze the slices in packs of two or four to take out when I need to make lunch for myself and my husband.