The Right Way to Store Homemade Bread So It Stays Fresh

Once you've mastered sourdough or spent the time to make a perfect loaf of pumpernickel bread, it's time to enjoy it. Since homemade bread doesn't keep as long as store-bought bread, which generally contains preservatives, you need to know how to store it to keep it at its freshest and best. The last thing you want is for it to go stale before you've had the chance to savor it slathered with butter or topped with avocado. The key to keeping that loaf as fresh as possible is proper storage—ahead, find out how to store homemade bread for a couple of days or longer.

How Long Homemade Bread Lasts

"Since homemade bread is preservative-free, it's likely to get stale within a couple of days after baking," says Jason Schreiber, food stylist and author of Fruit Cake: Recipes for the Curious Baker. Some types of freshly baked bread will last longer than others.

"Enriched breads like brioche, challah, and some sandwich loaves are higher in fat and sugar and will keep longer due to their ability to maintain higher moisture levels," says Schreiber. "Sourdough breads, which are more complex than standard yeast breads, can also maintain freshness longer due to the effects of the bacteria in the culture on the dough."

Johanna Hartzheim, co-founder and head of product at Wildgrain, a bread and pasta delivery service, recommends eating homemade bread within three days but says it will last up to a week. "The bread will start to dry up and become a bit harder over time, but it takes much longer until it becomes moldy," she says.

How to Store Homemade Bread If You'll Eat It Within a Few Days

If you will be eating the homemade bread within three or four days:

Don't slice it: Bread keeps best if it's unsliced—only slice the amount you'll need for a single meal.

Don't put homemade bread in the fridge: Homemade bread typically does not store well in the refrigerator. "The temperatures found in the fridge are optimal for a process called retrogradation, where the starches in the bread transition from their amorphous state to their more stable crystalline state. The crystalline starches create a very hard, stale bread." says food scientist Bryan Quoc Le, author of 150 Food Science Questions Answered.

The exception to the no-fridge rule says Hartzheim is parbaked bread, which you could store for a day or two in the refrigerator before baking it. 

Use the right container: The key, Le says, is to use something that will exclude as much air as possible to reduce oxidation and keep the moisture from evaporating from the bread surface while it's being stored.

Bread boxes, if you have one, work great, but you can also use wax paper, a beeswax and linen bag, or even a dishcloth. A clean dish towel is one of Hartzheim's favorite options. "Plastic bags help keep the crumb (the interior of the loaf) soft but also make the crust soft. If you will toast the bread, it's fine, but otherwise, it's a mushy, unpleasant crust.," says Hartzheim.

The exception is sandwich loaves, which are meant to be soft and tender and can be stored in a plastic bag.

How to Store Homemade Bread for Longer

If you don't plan to eat the bread within a few days, your best bet is to freeze it. It'll last for up to three months in the freezer, says Le. You should slice the bread before you freeze it—slice it into single portions, wrap it in wax or parchment paper, and place it in an airtight container.

"It's nice to pull out a slice or two and toast from frozen. This way, you do not need to be stressed about eating the whole loaf in time, but can, for example, slice and freeze half of the loaf and eat the other half fresh within two to three days," says Hartzheim.

How to Use Up Stale Bread

If you didn't manage to keep that bread from going stale, don't worry. It can be repurposed into breadcrumbs, French toast, bread pudding, and other dishes.