How to properly store bread in the refrigerator. How to properly store bread

Bread appeared on the human table more than 15 thousand years ago. During this time, the technology of its preparation has changed, various recipes have appeared. Only one thing remains unchanged - bread is present daily in the diet of almost every person.

Everyone knows that bakery products quickly lose their taste, but few people know that if stored improperly, the product can be hazardous to health. There are several tricks to keep bread fresh for as long as possible.

Almost immediately after baking bakery products, 2 processes begin:

Hardening.

Any flour contains gluten or starch, which are in a swollen (amorphous) state in a freshly baked product. A few hours after baking, the starch begins to crystallize. The crust constantly loses its luster, and the crumb hardens and crumbles.

Drying out.

Evaporation of moisture from the baked product, due to which it becomes hard and loses weight. This happens most actively in the first hours after baking, when the bread is still hot.

If stored improperly, the crust becomes moldy, bacteria multiply in the chaff, actively releasing toxins.

These processes are irreversible, but they can be slowed down if you follow a few rules:

Keep different varieties isolated from each other. The point is not only that the proximity of products made from rye and wheat flour adversely affects the taste of white bread. This accelerates staleness, mixes bread yeast of different types and accelerates the appearance of mold.
A simple rule will help slow down the staling: before removing a hot bakery product for storage, you should completely cool it at room temperature, putting it on a wire rack and hiding it from drafts.
Bread will remain soft longer if you cut the loaf (loaf) in half, cut off the right amount and tightly connect the two parts. This will protect the product from premature drying of the crumb.

Perhaps the simplest rule, which will also save the budget, is not to buy bread for the future. Bakery products can be purchased in almost every store, so it makes no sense to stock them up. Buy daily the amount that your family consumes per day.

Where can you store bakery products in the kitchen

Where do modern housewives store bread in the kitchen so that it does not stale for a long time?

at room temperature;
in a refrigerator;
in the freezer.

Each of these methods has its own characteristics and nuances that should be taken into account so as not to accelerate the spoilage of the bakery product.

How and how long to store fresh bread at room temperature so that it does not stale

How long can fresh bread be stored? The shelf life at room temperature is short and depends on the type of flour from which the product is made:

bakery products made from rye flour remain usable for 3 days;
wheat bread no more than 2 days.

To keep bakery products soft and fresh, you need to protect them from the action of air and moisture.

Option 1: bread box

The most common way is to store bread in bread bins that securely cover the product from external influences. Bread boxes are made from different materials, each of which has a number of disadvantages and advantages:

Wooden bread bins.

Allow to keep a bakery product 2-3 days. Preferred ones should be given to bread bins made of birch bark or juniper, these types of wood are natural antiseptics and prevent mold.

Unfortunately, these materials are quite expensive, so they are rarely found in everyday life.

The disadvantage of wooden bread bins is the porosity of the material and its ability to absorb odors and moisture. In addition, wood is an excellent breeding ground for bacteria.

Breadbaskets made of metal and plastic.

Affordable, easy to care for and resistant to odors and micro-organisms. Even with the appearance of mold on bread, it is enough to simply rinse such a bread box. It is metal and plastic bread bins that are most in demand today.

Ceramic bread bins.

They keep bread fresh for up to a week. Clay absorbs excess moisture and, if necessary, releases it, which creates optimal conditions for storage of bakery products. Their disadvantage is fragility, significant weight and rather high cost.

To keep the bread fresh for several days in the bread box, you must follow these rules:

place the product in a clean, dry container;
regularly wash the bread box using vinegar;
remove crumbs in a timely manner;
tightly close the bread box;
place baked goods on a wooden plank or plastic rack to allow air to circulate4
isolate different types bread from each other.

Place the bread box in a dry place with a constant low temperature.

In the absence of a bread box, any container with a tight-fitting lid (bucket, pan) will do. They can be placed not only store products, but also homemade cakes, after cooling.

Helpful Hints:

a piece of apple or raw potato will protect products from drying out;
a small amount of salt (in a glass or a canvas bag), on the contrary, will absorb excess moisture and prevent mold.

Life hack for housewives: storing homemade cakes in a container with a fresh apple will allow the products to stay soft longer and retain their aroma.

Option 2: in bags

Many manufacturers place bakery products in individual packaging (most often made of polyethylene).

You can store bread in plastic bags, but it is important to follow a few rules:

Make several holes on the package with a hole punch, an awl or a regular needle. The vacuum prevents air circulation and promotes the rapid growth of fungi.
Do not use the plastic bag twice. Bread crumbs are an excellent breeding ground for bacteria that will penetrate the fresh product.

Subject to these rules, the bread will remain soft and fragrant for 2 days.

Instead of a plastic bag, you can use a paper bag or wrap the bread with baking paper or parchment. Such packaging allows bakery products to breathe, the shelf life can be increased up to 3 days.

Option 3: fabric

Our ancestors used to store bread by wrapping it with canvas or linen cloth, which allowed them to keep a crispy crust and airy crumb for 5-7 days.

This method is often used today, wrapping bread in kitchen towels. Natural fabric does not interfere with air circulation and protects against drying out. A prerequisite is that the fabric must be clean, dense and without a bright pattern (white cotton or linen is best).

For ease of use, you can sew special bags or purchase ready-made ones in the store. They consist of 2 layers of fabric, between which is perforated polyethylene.

Storing bread in the refrigerator: salvation or mistake?

In some families, bakery products are eaten in small quantities, so for a long-term preservation of the taste and quality of bread, it is placed in the refrigerator.

This method allows you to protect the bread from drying out, and also does not allow it to mold for up to 2 weeks, however, it negatively affects the physical properties and taste of the products. Temperatures between zero and 10 °C have been proven to be the least suitable for storing all types of baked goods. Under such conditions, the processes of staling accelerate, the crust thickens, and the taste deteriorates significantly.

How to store bread in the freezer

At a temperature of 0°C, the processes of hardening slow down. When the thermometer drops to minus 10, it stops altogether. Putting the bread in the freezer allows you to keep it for several months.

An important condition is that the bakery product must be hermetically sealed to avoid moisture evaporation. To do this, the bread must be wrapped in cling film or foil.

To defrost, place the bread in a hot oven or microwave.

Please note that thawed bakery products become stale after a few hours, so it is recommended to freeze them in portions.

Instructions on how to freeze bread in the freezer can be found in the video.

We dry crackers

Surplus bread can be saved from spoilage quite in a simple way:

cut into pieces;
spread in one layer on a baking sheet;
send to the oven preheated to 100 ° C for 40-50 minutes.

Crackers obtained in this way can be consumed on the same day with tea or stored in a linen bag or paper box in a dry place.

Useful Tricks

It often happens that a whole loaf is wrapped or dried out. In order not to throw away the product, you can try the following:

sprinkle the loaf with purified water and put it in an oven preheated to 150 ° C;
put the bread in a colander and place it over boiling water, covered with a lid;
warm the loaf in the microwave at maximum power (3-5 minutes) with a small container filled with water;
Prepare the casserole: cut the stale bread into small pieces. Pour in the egg and milk mass and send to the oven.

Bread can rightfully be called the most sought-after product in stores. In order to fully enjoy its taste and not throw money away, you need to know what kind of bread how to properly store it.

Hungry times for our country are in the past, but people, for various reasons, still sometimes buy food for future use. Even bread is sometimes purchased by citizens in excessive quantities, and if so, they will want to know how to store bread in the refrigerator and is it worth it at all?

How much and how to store bread in the refrigerator?

Why should you store bread in the refrigerator?

First of all, you need to understand that you need to store bread in the refrigerator only if you bought it in excess. In general, experts say that now it makes no sense to collect provisions for 10 years in advance, including bread. Compare your feelings: which bread is better - stale or fresh, and how quickly one and the other disappear from the kitchen? But let's leave the amount of food on the conscience of people. Let's talk about whether bread is stored in the refrigerator? Of course, yes. But they follow some rules.

1. Bread cannot be put in the refrigerator just like that. It must be put in a plastic bag with holes, in a paper bag, wrapped in cloth (choose one of the methods). At the same time, the last two materials (paper and fabric) are preferable to polyethylene, because they protect the bread from the smells of other products.

2. Period and method of storage. Directly in the refrigerator, bread can lie for three weeks before it spoils. In the freezer - a month.

3. Do not put bread in the refrigerator that has already become moldy. The fungus will eat other foods as well.

Can you store bread in the refrigerator? Why is it better to store bread in a bread box?

With a refrigerator, it’s understandable, but it turns into a breadbasket only when necessary. How to choose the right storage for bread? Here are the simple rules:

1. The bread box must be made of steel. The metal keeps the bread warm and does not let in extraneous odors. Of course, there are both plastic and wooden bread bins, but they lose to their steel comrades: plastic wears out quickly, and wood quickly becomes damp.

2. In a good bread box, black and white bread are always separated. Joint storage of black and white shortens the life of white bread. Here is such wisdom. If a person has already made a mistake and bought an ordinary bread box, then a plastic bag with holes will help out, in which each loaf must be put.

3. How to properly care for the bread box. There is also nothing complicated here: remove crumbs from it every day. It is important to keep the breadbasket clean and wash it once a week.

In other words, store the bread where you want, but keep it clean and tidy.

Until recently, I didn’t pay much attention to how bread is stored at home. I bought a loaf and let it lie wrapped in the same bag in which it was packed in the store. Then I noticed that with such storage, the loaves become stale very quickly, and mold appears on them. It happened that I baked yeast-free sourdough bread and immediately after baking I packed it in a bag. After a while, he got wet and disappeared, which I really did not like. I had to urgently learn how to properly store bread.

Interestingly, nutritionists do not recommend eating fresh buns "just out of the oven." Baking should lie down at home for a couple of days so that fermentation products evaporate from it. So it is not only possible, but also necessary to store bakery products, the main thing is to know what and how to store bread.

If you plan to store this product for a short time, up to a week, then it is best to keep it at room temperature. And so that it does not stale, you need to choose the appropriate packaging. The following items are best suited for this purpose.

Fabric made from natural materials. Our grandmothers usually wrapped the loaf in a piece of canvas or linen. At the same time, the shelf life of the product in such packaging was a week or even more. Although it was stale, however, mold never started in it, since natural fabrics perfectly pass air. In modern home conditions, instead of a piece of canvas, it is quite possible to take an ordinary cotton towel. The only condition is that it must be dry and clean, and when washing such a towel, it is advisable not to use powders and rinses with a strong odor, otherwise the food will also smell washing powder. In addition, it is impossible to wrap white and black bread together in a cloth, because they will be saturated with each other's smells and quickly become moldy.
Paper bag. Concerned about the question of how to keep bread fresh, do not forget about such a versatile packaging material as paper. Bakery products can be stored at home in paper bags for a fairly long period of time. In such conditions, they even retain a crispy crust, which never happens if you keep them in plastic bags. The bag must be tightly closed during storage.
Polyethylene packaging. In principle, you can store bakery products in their original packaging, but you need to make sure that there are holes in it for ventilation. In a tightly closed bag, mold quickly appears on the product, because this fungus is very fond of moisture and is afraid of air circulation. Therefore, when buying a loaf in a store, be sure to make small holes in the bag where it is stored. Excess moisture will come out through them, because manufacturers, as a rule, pack still hot pastries. If you do not provide air access to it, condensation will form inside, and then mold.
Special bag. If you value beauty and comfort in the kitchen, you will certainly need special bags for long-term storage of bakery products. Due to the special three-layer design, the shelf life of the product in them is increased by an order of magnitude. These pouches are often sold in large supermarkets and hardware stores.
bread box. This is perhaps the most aesthetic way to store bakery products - in a place specially designated for them. Their shelf life is 3-5 days, but care must be taken to ensure that mold does not appear in the bread box. You can wipe it with a solution of vinegar, and then dry it well and be sure to remove the crumbs left over from previous storage. And it is best to buy a juniper or birch bread box for long-term storage - fungus and mold do not start on these tree species.
Tableware. Some housewives prefer to keep bread in closed enamel pans, plastic containers and other utensils. The main condition for this is sufficient, but not excessive ventilation, as well as a dry and bright storage place.

By the way: in order for bakery products to be stored longer and less moldy, you can put an apple, peeled potatoes, a piece of sugar or a handful of salt next to them. These products maintain optimal moisture for bread and are able to provide it with all the conditions for long-term storage.

How much to store?

How many days is bread stored at home? On average, its shelf life is 3-5 days, however, a homemade product cooked in a bread machine can lie for a week or longer - of course, if you provide it with right conditions storage.

Expiration dates vary for different breads. For example, yeast-free sourdough bread is stored better than that, which is mixed with live yeast. But homemade bread made with the addition of dry yeast lies about the same as a yeast-free product mixed with sourdough. Baking is best stored, in the dough for which not animal fats, but vegetable fats are added. So unleavened sourdough bread and olive oil in suitable conditions has a maximum allowable shelf life of 8-10 days.

By the way, if you bake bread on your own (at least yeast-free, even yeast-free on sourdough), be sure to let it lie down for 3 hours before storage and cool well. The fact is that hot pastries are very difficult to cut, and if you immediately pack them in a bag, they will become wet.

Long term storage

If you need to store baked goods for a long time, it is best to freeze them in the freezer. Any bread is suitable for long-term storage: both purchased loaves and home-baked loaves, including yeast-free sourdough bread. The frozen product has the longest shelf life - up to six months.

Before you start freezing the loaf, cut it into pieces, wrap it in paper, thick foil or a plastic bag and put it in the freezer. At low temperatures, starch recrystallization processes cease to occur in this product - that is why it does not stale for a long time and its shelf life is much longer. And at a temperature of 0-2 ºС, such a process is just the most intensive. This explains the answer to the question why it is impossible to store bread in the refrigerator - there it becomes stale 3 times faster than at room temperature.

Now, when you want to taste fresh bread, it will be enough to get a piece from the freezer and leave it on the table for a couple of hours or defrost it in the oven or microwave. Thawed food goes stale very quickly, and you cannot re-freeze it, so take out as many pieces as you can eat at a time.

Interestingly, this technology of long-term storage of bread is successfully used in production. In order not to bother with kneading every day, large batches of bread are frozen underbaked. As needed, they are taken out of the freezer, baked a little and sent for sale.

Resuscitation of bread

That, in fact, is all that I learned about how to properly store bread so that it stays fresh for a long time. If you did not keep track of the loaf and it is stale, do not rush to throw it away. valuable product. There are several ways to resuscitate stale products. Of course, its taste will not be compared with fresh baking, but you can finish eating such “restored” bread without any problems.

I use the simplest method: I sprinkle a stale loaf with water and put it in the oven for 5 minutes, heated to 160 ° C. It turns out quite edible soft product.

You can also steam the bread in a water bath by placing a colander with it in a large pot of water. As soon as a bread aroma begins to emanate from this design, you can pull out the bread, it will be quite soft and pleasant to the taste.

Your brownie.

Sometimes they say: "there is not even bread", implying that this product should always be in every home. And preferably fresh. How to properly store bread so that it does not get stale, moldy and retains its taste?

Method #1 for storing bread

In the old days, it was customary to wrap bread in a linen or linen towel, preferably plain, and on special occasions with a little embroidery. Our ancestors also established that if bread is wrapped in clean white paper or cloth, then drying slows down and the loaf retains its properties for up to 7 days.

Method number 2 for storing bread

It turns out that bread stales the fastest at a temperature of + 2 ° C - namely, so much on the top shelf of the refrigerator. The fact is that fresh bread has a certain moisture content (about 50% on average), and as a result of storage, moisture evaporates from it and the bread becomes stale. Moreover, the most intensive process of evaporation of moisture from bread occurs at a temperature of 0-2°C. Therefore, it is better to store bread at room temperature or in the freezer, but not in the refrigerator.

Method number 3 for storing bread

Today, many people store bread in plastic bags. But experts notice that it is undesirable to use them again! Bread is even better stored in plastic bags with holes. This allows it not to become stale and prevents the appearance of mold within 4-5 days. Holes can be made with a hole punch.

Method number 4 for storing bread

Another modern version- special bags that are sold in supermarkets and household departments of stores. They consist of three layers: top and lining made of cotton fabric, and between them - a layer of perforated polyethylene. These pouches allow you to store useful material bread and its freshness for a very long time.

Method number 5 for storing bread

In order to keep bread fresh for a long time, there is also such old way: cut a whole loaf or loaf of bread not from the edge, but from the middle. Dividing the loaf in half, cut off the required number of slices from the middle, and fold the remaining parts tightly with slices to each other and store like that. Thus, the bread remains as if protected on both sides and does not go stale longer.

Method number 6 for storing bread

In the freezer. Georgy Dubtsov, Doctor of Science, Professor, Head. Department of Technology Catering Moscow state university food production: According to modern baking technologies all over the world, bakeries produce underbaked products: in this form, it can be stored in the refrigerator for quite a long time. And in our country, many chain stores and eateries bake bread, deliberately undercooking it a little. It is stored in the form of a semi-finished product, and then, immediately before being sold, it is finally baked. This principle can also be applied at home. Bread can be stored in a freezer at -18°C for up to six months. Moreover, you can freeze any kind of bread: black, white, and grain. Before use, it must be heated at a low temperature in the oven. However, keep in mind that after defrosting, bread becomes stale very quickly, so it must be reheated immediately before use.

Method number 7 for storing bread

But pastries will retain their freshness for 2-3 days, if you put a raw apple in a pan with it.

Method number 8 for storing bread

Bread does not go stale so quickly if you put a sugar cube, a small peeled potato or an apple slice in the bread box - this will remove excess moisture and maintain the humidity level at the same level.

Method number 9 for storing bread

If you have baked your own bread, be sure to cool it completely before storing it. for three hours. Chilled bread cuts better and does not crumple under the knife.

Cool the bread on a wire rack, taking it out of the mold and hiding it from drafts.

Method number 10 of storing bread

Black and white bread cannot be stored together, as mixing bread yeast leads to spoilage: the bread begins to mold. In addition, white bread in this case acquires a specific smell of black. Therefore, lay out different types of bread in paper or plastic bags.

Method number 11 of storing bread

A handful of salt placed in a tightly closed bread box will protect the bread from mold.

Method number 12 for storing bread

It is best to keep the bread in a sealed container. You can choose special bread bins for storage - for example, metal, plastic, wooden. Such containers must be sufficiently sealed and have a minimum area. ventilation holes, they should also stand in a dry, bright place so that there is no mold that quickly forms in the shade.

Method number 13 of storing bread

Bread keeps well wrapped in a linen napkin. wooden bread bins. The best of them are from juniper and birch bark. But finding a juniper bread box is not easy, and it is not cheap, although more are possible. simple options using different breeds wood, including in combination with juniper. Mold and fungus do not appear in bread bins from birch bark, since birch bark is an excellent antiseptic.

Method number 14 of storing bread

So that the product does not deteriorate directly in the bread box, you need to periodically wash and wipe it with an vinegar solution and dry it well. Remove crumbs at least once a week.

Method number 15 of storing bread

Don't buy extra bread.

How can you refresh stale bread. Freshness Recipes

If the bread is still stale, in no case do not throw it away! There are ways to make it not only useful, but also very tasty.

Cut into thin slices, dry and serve in the form of crackers. Store them in clean linen bags. Crackers can also be used for breading, making kissels, casseroles, kvass, or eating with broth.

If a long loaf or a loaf of stale bread is sprinkled with water and placed in the oven for 3-5 minutes at a temperature of 150-160 ° C, then the bread again acquires the properties of fresh.

Another way to freshen up stale bread is to place a smaller pot on a stand in a large pot of water. Put bread in it, cover with a lid and hold on low heat until the smell of fresh bread appears.

If the whole loaf is stale, it is necessary to cut it into pieces no more than one centimeter thick. The cut pieces should be put in a colander or sieve, they can be tied in a gauze bag, and arranged over boiling water at a height of 2-3 cm.

Hot bread does not lose its freshness for a long time if it is placed in a thermos with a wide mouth. In the same way, you can "reanimate" stale cookies, buns and any dough products.

In addition, from stale bread you can make bread - cheese - egg casserole. It is made according to the following recipe: cut the bread into small cubes. Mix butter, eggs, salt and pepper. Beat the resulting mixture with a mixer or by hand. Grease the mold with oil. Put the croutons, pour the resulting egg mixture and wait 20 minutes until soaked. Sprinkle any grated cheese on top and put in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy your meal!

How pleasant to hear the crunch of fresh bread! This is exactly how, by the way, they define ideal bakery products in restaurants - not by taste, but by crunch.

Sometimes bread and other dough products cannot be eaten right away. At the same time, you always want these culinary products to delight with their freshness as long as possible, without losing tenderness and softness.
There are a few simple rules that will help prolong the freshness of baked goods at home. Keeping bread fresh and elastic is an art.
Temperature regime
Fresh bread is best stored in a room at a temperature of about +20 degrees. The storage location should be dry, away from direct sunlight. This is very important if you do not want to find crackers instead of soft slices of bread in the bread box the next morning.

Refrigerator - in case of emergency
Do not store or put bread in the refrigerator unless absolutely necessary. Scientific studies have shown that low temperatures they draw moisture out of the bread, and it becomes stale faster. This happens through a process known as retrogradation, which simply means that starch molecules turn into crystals that push water out.

Experiment with packaging
Try storing baked goods in different containers. This will give you an idea of what is best for store-bought bread, homemade bread, sweet rolls, croissants, and cookies.
For example, sandwich bread is best stored in plastic bags. This container retains moisture well. Even though a damp plastic container or plastic bag is the ideal place for mold to grow, these packages still hold the lead.
Homemade bread, especially freshly made bread, is best kept in paper bags. In polyethylene or plastic packaging, such bread can turn into a viscous sponge.

Additional protection for sliced bread
Be sure to protect the end of the sliced bread. For example, foil. Even if you completely remove the cut piece in a paper or plastic bag, you still first cover the edge with a piece of foil.
Some housewives prefer to leave the bread in an open dish, simply turning it upside down with a scalloped edge. In this case, you can cover the bread with a clean kitchen towel.

Freeze
Some housewives freeze surplus bread. For example, if it was homemade bread and it turned out to be a lot, then it can be frozen. This should be done after it has cooled down, and before it starts to get stale.
Before freezing, it is better to wrap the bread in foil and make a label with the date of freezing. Then place in the package, remove the air and seal.
Bread must be thawed at room temperature. And if you suddenly want to warm it up, then you can do it only once - then the bread will harden.

Some nuances
Remove bread in a bag or some other packaging only after it has completely cooled down.
Bread made with olive oil, vegetable or butter and eggs has a longer shelf life.
You can return the crunch to stale bread with a toaster or microwave oven. Only there is such bread, which was fraudulently returned temporary freshness, it is necessary immediately.

So, let's sum up. During the first few days, it is best to store bakery products in paper bags.
Surplus bread can be frozen, but at the same time all the steps of the procedure must be observed so that after thawing the bread is suitable for consumption.