I store my fresh bread in a plastic bag.....and either warm the whole loaf, if it's uncut, before eating....or toast it.

Here are some general storage methods and what happens to the bread. You'll have to choose which method, based on the bread type, which method would work best for you and the type of bread.

-I'd suggest you slice your bread and freeze it to prevent ants. Frozen bread is about the same flavor and texture as 1-day old bread. You can package it in 2-slice amounts for easy use and quick thawing until you can get the ants under control. Keep it tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and then a sheet of foil to prevent migration of moisture from the bread into the packet.

-Unwrapped bread stored at room temperature looses moisture and flavor faster, but retains crumb texture.

-Wrapped bread stays softer (especially if you wrap the bread while it is still slightly warm) and tastes better (especially when wrapped after the loaf is completely cool), but the crust softens faster.

-The worst place to store bread is in the refrigerator where it may be safe from ants, but it will stale faster in one day than bread held at 86-degrees F will in six days.

-Once out of the oven the moisture changes in the loaf after it cools and redistributes. If you leave your loaves unwrapped you will see a 10% weight loss, but usually less than 1% if the bread is tightly wrapped.

-When bread is wrapped loosely in a plastic bag (such as an over-sized zip-lock bag), the moisture from the crumb quickly migrates through the crust and then into the air in the bag. That happens even more if one end of the loaf is sliced or you slice the entire loaf before placing it in the bag. If you slice your bread one slice at a time, you will maintain more moisture in the crumb.

-The moisture level in the crust increases from about 12 to 28 percent when stored in a loose-fitting plastic bag (a bag that is much larger than the loaf).

-Grainlady

I have a lock-n-lock large plastic container that I keep my bread in. Keeps anything out including water.

Linda

Thank you very much!

Grainlady,
Do you think something like this would serve about the same purpose as a wrapped loaf? I'm about ready to push the "order" button on Amazon, but I wanted to see what you thought. :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Adjustable Bread Keeper

pfmastin-

If you place your loaf directly in the Adjustable Loaf Keeper, you will want to use the bread quickly and be sure to clean the keeper in hot soapy water between loaves. If you find you are developing mold on your loaves, you may need to wash it with a mild water/bleach solution (1 t. bleach to 1-quart water) to kill any mold spores that are on the surface of the keeper.

I use a similar adjustable bread keeper all the time for bread storage, but I still wrap my loaves in plastic wrap or a plastic bag wrapped tightly around the loaf because there is just too much air circulating around the loaf and the crumb will dry out quickly (from moisture migrating from the crumb through the crust into the air).

We use one loaf of bread per week and I mainly make enriched 100% wheat or multi-grain panned loaves, and due to the enriching ingredients (dairy, egg, fat - or my "secret" ingredients - chia seeds, agave nectar and coconut oil) the loaf will remain soft enough for a peanut butter sandwich at least a week.

When I make lean (Artisan-style) loaves, I make them in small boules, baguettes, or over-sized torpedo-shaped rolls (which can be sliced) so they are consumed in one or two days since they go stale quickly (the extras are frozen to use later). I wrap those in a cloth (I actually have cloth bread bags) to keep the crusts (more-or-less) crispy.

-Grainlady

Thank you for the advice, grainlady. After reading the reviews of the adjustable bread box after I posted last night, a number of reviewers said the plastic was brittle and damaged easily or didn't hold up well. Now I just need to decide whether to give it a try. You've armed me with the best information to make the decision. Thank you!

ynnej, try keeping the bread in the oven until you get the ants exterminated. I think the bread would be safe from ants in there if it's an electric oven. Ya' just gotta' remember it's in there before you turn the oven on when you go to bake something else!

Although it's likely that the bread would start to grow mold more quickly stored like that, rustic bread tend to get eaten quickly or get into too stale to eat--bread crumb material--before the mold has a chance to grow.

Okay, I'm confused. I thought I've read that bread should not be wrapped in plastic, as it ruins it somehow, so I've started just putting it in my old timey bread tin bread box. Sometimes I wrap it in foil.

So, are you all saying it's okay to wrap in plastic? Grainlady, in your post you say, "-Wrapped bread stays softer (especially if you wrap the bread while it is still slightly warm) and tastes better (especially when wrapped after the loaf is completely cool), but the crust softens faster." What material are you talking about to wrap with?

Sally

sally2-

What you wrap your bread in depends on what TYPE of bread it is to begin with - enriched or lean - what characteristics are you trying to achieve - better crumb or crust - and how long it needs to be stored and remain fresh.

As an example: If I make a loaf of crustless sandwich bread in a Pullman Pan (which is an enriched bread with a very close/tight crumb), and the loaf is going to be used for sandwiches and sliced in thin slices, I will wrap the loaf while still slightly warm in order to maintain the soft crumb I want/need for sandwiches. I know from the science involved (and experience), the loaf will cut better the next day when the starches are "set", and because it was tightly wrapped in plastic wrap it will maintain the soft crumb, characteristic of sandwich bread.

Or, if I make a small lean free-form loaf that will be used within 24-48-hours, I might up-end the loaf with the cut end on a breadboard and cover it with a light cotton cloth or place the loaf in a cloth bread bag in order to maintain the crust. I wouldn't want a soft crust in this case, so a tight wrapping of a plastic bag or plastic wrap wouldn't be the correct application.

When I teach bread classes, I spend a lot of time teaching about the science of bread staling in order to understand the finer points about how to store different types of breads. People who convert to homemade bread often have one big complaint, it doesn't stay fresh long enough....and that's because they may not be storing it correctly, or packaging it at the best time, or choose the wrong type of bread for what they are needing it for. Storing a freshly-baked loaf of bread isn't a one-method-fits-all, at least from what I've studied on the subject.

-Grainlady

ci lantro, what a great idea! I think I'll keep it in the microwave, as I have less of a chance of cooking it in there. Love it! And yes, our bread gets eaten usually within two days. Also..... we had an exterminator come today! Just in time before I completely lost my mind!

Am I the only one reading this who loves Grain Lady?