I keep it cut side down on the bread board for a day. Sometimes I'll cover the boule with a large bowl or place it in a plastic bag. I don't stress about a washed bag. I find it works just fine.

https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2020/07/08/the-best-way-to-store-yeast-bread

I use plastic bags from the grocery store that I had used for onions, potatoes, or garlic. I always save these bags. I've never used a Ziploc bag, except for slices of bread.

Beeswax lined linen bag for bread: https://keeki.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjw5NqVBhAjEiwAeCa97UAXo7Mg8O21JeaAHy4UkQYYRwdGFMBgBXgXzKNSpwtH5xCC89-9kxoCdM0QAvD_BwE

Or Beeswax wraps:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F67QS7Q/?tag=cioequippilot-20

https://keeki.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjw5NqVBhAjEiwAeCa97UAXo7Mg8O21JeaAHy4UkQYYRwdGFMBgBXgXzKNSpwtH5xCC89-9kxoCdM0QAvD_BwE

I use Bee's Wraps, bee's wax impregnated cloths. They're perfect. :) I do let the bread fully steam out first. Since I sometimes bake late, if it's still warm at bedtime, I leave it on the rack and loosely drape with a thin cotton birdseye towel, and wrap in the morning. The beeswax still breathes while keeping stuff out, and the moisture in.

Plastic or zip lock bags trap moisture in the bread which interferes with the crispy crust. Many pro bakers use paper or wax paper bags. King Arthur’s Flour website sells wax paper bags in bulk that are slightly perforated to let the air in so your bread won’t get soggy. They are disposible but can be reused. If you don’t care about the crust, they also have heavy duty plastic or cloth bags you can purchase. If you don’t like the idea of buying bags, I use a cloche which keeps it out of the elements but still dry (as long as you wait for the bread to cool first). You may notice that some bakeries simply leave their bread out… but the turnover is high. Another option is what my grandmother used to do: Simply place in a wooden bread box in a dark pantry away from heat and light.

I do not put my bread in a plastic bag until the second day, but I definitely want to retain moisture, and I'm not concerned about the crust. In fact, I rub the entire exterior of the loaf of bread with butter right out of the oven so that the crust will be soft.

I bake bread primarily for sandwiches, but also to have with omelets. If I want a hard crust, I will make toast.

I don’t bake bread myself but I do buy fresh from a bakery. We store it in grocery bags like Lars. They are are reused many times over. We get three loaves a week. Two go in the freezer and one resides on the breadboard.

I bake bread very often and store a partial loaf in a zip lock bag...the crust stays plenty crisp.....I do an egg wash and bake about 450. I very often eat it hot out of the oven and after the first slice I set the loaf cut side down on the board. I wrap extra loaves in foil after they have cooled and freeze and heat from frozen in the foil at 250 for as long as it takes....fatter loaves longer than skinny....easily 30 minutes very crisp but If i want a shattery crust I will remove the foil for about the last 10 minutes.

I reuse the ziplock unless it has gotten some mold on the last loaf....I don't like the bees wrap nor waxed paper as the bread dries out too fast. My bread mostly contains no fat but what is in the flour.

I daresay it's a climate difference. My daily bread has no fat ingredient either, and never dries out. If we neglect it for a day or more, eating elsewhere etc., it could, on occaision go moldy, but never dry, but the air in my kitchen is rarely all that dry. A loaf generally lasts 5-7 days,

I bought some silicone bags. several types & will not buy again. They were difficult to clean , especially in corners & didn't open fully & worse..they tore within a month or so. Zipock is better than silicone bags. I am a newbie at baking bread & enjoying reading the comments on how others store bread. I have been saving bread bags when I buy bread at store.

Here's a link that may be useful https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2020/07/08/the-best-way-to-store-yeast-bread#:~:text=Store%20airtight%20with%20the%20two,cloth%20keeps%20bread%20soft%20longer.

I let the bread cool completely, then slice it all up with an electric knife and store it in Ziploc bags in the freezer. We take out what we want and leave the rest in the freezer.

Lots of ideas, thanks everyone. Kinda surprised more of you don't use the silicone bags, bags appreciate the feedback, I'll steer clear of those. I'll keep my eye open for a glass cloche, maybe I'll stumble on a nice one.

This link has some good pointers for bread storage. Hope that helps :) https://www.theperfectloaf.com/the-best-way-to-store-bread/

I use the very thin produce bags for larger loaves ( & always grab a couple extra @ the stores), and 1 gallon regular, non-zip bags for regular sized loaves. I wait until loaf is completely cold before bagging it. I'm not trying to preserve a hard crust either. I like soft bread. My home made bread goes in the fridge the 2nd day, otherwise it molds in our hot & humid climate here.

I bake bread and rolls regularly. I let it sit out to cool completely, slice then freeze in heavy plastic bag. Snap off the slices I need.

If you want a glass cloche, Libbey has one with a wood base (picture from Amazon). I have a similar one with a glass pedestal for cakes. The advantage to Libbey is a truly clear glass dome (i.e., color adjusted) of good quality (not too thin or thick) and decent price. I'd think you could cut on the base, if you didn't go wild. Or you could add a round of plywood skin. That said, I have a fancy British enamelled bread tin that matches my cookie tin and cake tin. The latter two are lovely. The bread doesn't keep well in the bread box. At all. So I hope this works for you as well as it does for Birdstalker.

I've found a paper bag works best, but my sister has a pretty awesome terra cotta jar (Henry Watson) that she had to get imported, but it does a really good job. I use plastic Ziploc bags when I freeze it, but to keep it on the counter for a few days, paper is (so far) my favourite.

almost any plastic bag will do.I re-use store bought bread bags..... dont have to worry about zip lock or twist ties . simply fold the bag over and place the bread in the bin.

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Legnoart Clibano Metal Bread Bin with Smooth Shaped Closure Walnut Lid · More Info

I use a cloth bread bag, which is infinitely reusable. I like my crusty bread to stay crusty, so I'm not trying to keep it soft. I have this one:

https://think4earth.com/products/organic-cotton-bread-bag?variant=37845567602859

I do sometimes want to keep bread soft, so I have a Lock N Lock container, which when tipped on it's side will exactly hold a loaf of sandwich bread. Also reusable, although probably not infinitely, LOL.

Annie

@annie1992 Does the cloth bag really keep the crust crispy? I've only been baking bread for 2 or so years and we usually leave it cut side down on the bread board. Whenever we wrap or bag it, the crust gets soft. I'll buy that bag pronto if it really works!

I'm not Annie, but I’ll chime in that no matter what wrap or nothing, moisture inside the bread can soften the crust, and moisture in the air can also, so while Bee’s Wrap is great for me, it doesn’t do for Linda. Untreated cloth will allow more moisture to escape, which may help the crust stay crisper. By the third day, no matter how I wrap it or not, a crisp crust will have become pliable. You can recrisp the crust in the oven, but exact temperatures depend on a lot of factors, so trial and error helps.

It depends on the sort of bread. Sometimes I hold onto some of the perforated light crisp plastic bread wrappers from bakeries that sell rustic breads with a crust. Any bread with a crisp crust will have that crust made soft if a polyethylene bag is used.

Does it last long enough to store?

cherie, bread doesn't usually last more than 2 or 3 days here, but I find that it gets hard here before it gets soggy. I'm happy with that bread bag, it'll keep the crust crunchy for as long as it usually lasts here.

Of course, I'm in Michigan, so the humidity isn't as high as it would be in someplace like Florida.

Right now it's 71F and 52% humidity. There are a few days when it's 90F with 90% humidity, but that's not as common as today's temperatures. Even crackers sealed up in a bag and closed with a clip will get soggy then, so most of my chips/crackers/etc still get the Lock N Lock treatment.

Annie