Can I store bread in the refrigerator?

The content of the article

1 Rules for storing bread in the refrigerator
2 We use a freezer
3 We get a bread box
4 Ancient customs of storing bread for future use
5 Video: Can I store bread in a refrigerator or freezer?

The times of scarcity and famine have long passed, and there is no reason to stock up on products for the future. However, there are situations when citizens purchase bakery products with a margin of several days. The question arises, how best to save bread from spoilage and callousness during this period, and is it possible to do this using a refrigerator?

Rules for storing bread in the refrigerator

No doubt, freshly baked bread is eaten with great enthusiasm and pleasure. But, if the product is purchased in excess, the refrigerator is one of the places of its storage. Inside the household refrigerator, there are special conditions. With relatively high humidity there is a low temperature. These are suitable storage conditions for bakery products. However, it should be remembered that:

Bread is placed in the refrigerator only in a wrapper. This can be an envelope of paper, polyethylene with holes, foil or a napkin made of cotton fabric. Paper and fabric, unlike polyethylene, will protect the product from soaking in the smells of other foods.
Bakery baking will not lose its qualities for a maximum of three weeks in a refrigeration unit. Nevertheless, it is better to store it in plastic packaging for a short time - 2-3 days, in a paper envelope - up to 2 weeks.
Only a good quality product should be stored. The loaf, which has begun to mold, will continue to do this in the cold, while striking other products stored nearby. Hot or warm bread should not be placed. Pre-cool it, otherwise the shelf life is significantly reduced.

If the refrigerator contains bread in a commercial package, you will notice that, after a short time, moist condensation forms inside the package. This is because a freshly baked loaf has 50% moisture. In the cold, moisture begins to evaporate faster, but, finding no outlet, remains inside the package, causing mold to appear. In open form or through moisture-proof packaging, losing moisture, the bread is stale. Therefore, being in the refrigerator, flour pastries do not grow moldy for a long time, but lose their freshness and softness.

The best place to store bread is the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. There is the most suitable temperature and humidity regime. It is not recommended to place loaves on the top shelf and door of the refrigeration unit.

We use a freezer

The longest shelf life of the product in the freezer. Before sending the bread into the freezer, it is cut into pieces, packaged in small portions in bags or wrapped in several layers of foil and sealed. Such packages can lie in the cold for several months. As needed, the packaging is taken out and thawed at room temperature. The oven, heated to 150 degrees, can accelerate the defrosting process. Slices of frozen bread are placed there for several minutes. Experienced housewives recommend not using a microwave, the bread there defrosts too quickly, the moisture does not have time to evaporate and the product turns out to be tasteless and excessively wet. Thawed bread is immediately eaten, it should not be stored.

how to store bread

We get a bread box

The refrigerator is a compelled but not quite suitable storage for bread. If there is a habit of going to the bakery not every day, it makes sense to take care of acquiring a bread box. This item helps to store bread at room temperature, although not as long as a refrigerator. A few tips will do this in the best way:

The device for storing bakery products is made of wood, plastic and metal. The most durable and comfortable are metal bread bins. They are durable, unlike plastic and do not damp, which is typical of wood.
The correct design has compartments for separate placement of black and white bread. It is noticed that in contact with a rye loaf, a loaf of white flour deteriorates faster. The reason for this is the different microflora in each variety of bread products. In the neighborhood, the microorganisms of each begin to fight with each other. The result of this war is an unpleasant smell, and the bread quickly deteriorates. However, you can isolate the loaves from each other using a plastic bag.
In the breadbox, you need to maintain cleanliness every day by removing crumbs and stale pieces. With a piece of fragrant apple or a slice of lemon, you can provide a pleasant aroma and the necessary level of humidity.

Ancient customs of storing bread for future use

Our ancestors remained tasty and soft homemade bread for a long time. Mistresses baked loaves of home in the amount of weekly needs of the family. There were no bread-stores and refrigerators then, but they kept the bread like that. Hot loaves were covered with a homespun towel until it cools completely. The dense upper crust softened. Then the bread was transferred to a linen bag, where he could breathe and minimally lose moisture. Currently, the secrets of our grandmothers are returned and used by modern housewives in the household. So this method has found its recognition and is considered the best. The only circumstance to keep in mind: when washing bread cloth bags and towels, do not use detergents with aromatic additives. Preserving in the tissue, the smell is transmitted to fresh bread.

There is a way to store bread using a pan or other container with a tight lid. For several days, the bread retains its freshness and softness. If this option is practiced, then one should not forget that the pan cannot be used for other purposes: to cook food or to store other products.

Whatever method of storing bread is used, it will be good when following the rules. Each hostess chooses the most convenient option for herself. However, eating the freshly baked product remains the best.

how to bake bread at home