I also live alone and make my own bread. Home made bread is a lot slower to mold if you keep it in the refrigerator...and if you wrap it well in moisture proof freezer bags, it won't dry out.
When I have an end of bread that has seen better days...I just freeze it until I have several, then I grate them ( in the Cuisinart using the medium shredding blade for those reading the what I want thread) then I spread the crumbs on a baking sheet and put into a 300 oven until they are very dry and slightly brown.
Then I freeze and I can season small amounts as I need.
Linda C

My dad tried the vacuum sealer on hot dog buns. He realized it was a mistake when they were almost flat. We freeze our homemade bread. It's a little on the dry side, but we use it for toast, garlic bread or croutons.

lynn

Here is a site that may be of some interest to you, Bobby.

Here is a link that might be useful: Storing bread

Where should I store bread to keep it fresh?

At home, fresh bread will stay fresh longer if it is held at room temperature. Staling will be slowed or halted by keeping bread in the freezer. Bread stales the quickest in the refrigerator. So, why do many people store their bread in the refrigerator? Answer: To keep it from molding. A warmer temperature will keep bread fresh longer, but it also causes bread to mold faster. Refrigerator temperatures slow the growth of mold and freezer temperatures will stop mold growth.

(Answered by Dr. Kristy Long, Food Sciences & Home Ec Specialist.)

I never put bread in the refrigerator, I don't like it after it's been refrigerated. I store mine in a plastic "tupperware" type container with a snap lid on my counter.

I never buy bread, I make all my own, in various types and flavors. When a loaf starts to get stale, usually about 3 days, I either make toast or I make bread crumbs. I used to use the blender, now I use the food processor. I freeze the fresh crumbs, and I've learned to identify on the bag what type of bread it is. When I want fresh crumbs, I just take them out of the freezer. When I want toasted crumbs, I toast the ones I take out of the freezer, if I want them seasoned, I do it when I them out of the freezer and before toasting.

I've also been known to slice a loaf of something I like a lot but Ashley doesn't care for, and freeze two slices per bag. Then, if I want toast, a sandwich, whatever, I take two slices out of the freezer and don't thaw the whole batch.

I make bread about twice a week and sometimes make two loaves on purpose so I can freeze one, or make french toast and freeze that for quick breakfasts. I will note that the latest loaf of cheddar beer bread does NOT make good french toast but it makes an awesome grilled cheese!

Annie

I should have specified that mold was the issue, not getting stale. Looks like I'd better start freezing it! That was a very interesting article, Marigene!

Because of our warm temps for a good part of the year, I keep my homemade bread as well as any bought in the refrigerator, or double wrapped in the freezer. I have also sliced my homemade bread, wrapped 4 slices together in plastic wrap and put them in a zip bag in the freezer.

Any heels that are beginning to get a little dried I make into croutons toasted in olive oil, garlic, and herbs or I make into bread crumbs by whizzing them in a small food chopper. If I need seasoned dried crumbs, I use whatever bread I have on hand and add seasonings then dry them on a sheet in the toaster oven on low.

I give away extra loaves when I make bread because my freezer is very small.
Teresa

So....those of us who don't fully consume a loaf of bread in 4 days have a choice of mold, crystallized starch ( can't say I have ever noticed!) or freezing and defrosting 2 slices at a time.
If I have more than one loaf in use, I always keep it in the refrigerator.
Just wondering....what do you do with a say chicken salad sandwich that you take to work? Do you pop it into the refrigerator? Or brave the possibility of stomach upset from bacteria?
Bread may have changes from being refrigerated that affect the taste or texture, just as frozen meats and vegetables develop changes in flavor and texture from being frozen.
But both greatly expand the variety we can have in our everyday meals. No need to butcher a hog, share with your neighbors, eat porkchops like mad and smoke or cure the rest. Just as there is no need to eat a loaf of bread up to keep it from molding.
I keep my bread in the refrigerator if I have a lot and never notice a difference....but perhaps that;s because I mostly eat my bread toasted, or a half a loaf reheated in the oven.
NOW...can someone tell me what is it that happens to yeast breads when they are heated in the micro, that doesn't happen to quick breads?
Linda C

Mostly bread storage has been well covered here. I never put bread in the fridge, since it goes so stale so quickly there

To answer the chicken salad question? If I were taking chicken salad for my lunch, I'd take a little container of salad--which I would put in the fridge, and a couple of slices of bread that would be stored at room temp. then I'd make my sandwich up fresh when I was ready to eat--I hate soggy sandwiches that have been sitting around made up for hours.

Just one additional storage comment that I don't think anyone made. Storing your bread in the freezer (properly wrapped, of course) will actually freshen it. If you have bread that's just starting to get a bit stale, freeze it--it will come out of the freezer better than it went in.

I don't refrigerate bread, but I do freeze it. I bake a number of loaves at a time and when they have cooled, I wrap them in paper towels and then into freezer bags. I find that the paper towels stop the bread from being soggy when it is defrosted. Bread frozen this way is almost as good as when it was first baked. The bread that doesn't get frozen gets put into a plastic bag and is left at room temperature. A loaf doesn't last much longer than two days around here so I don't have to worry about it getting moldy.

Ann