Bread has a short shelf life of three to seven days at room temperature before it starts to go mouldy, but one expert has shared a hack to help it stay fresh for 15 days
Households everywhere are constantly on the lookout for savvy food storage tips, particularly when it comes to keeping bread fresh. Like bananas, bread has a disappointingly brief shelf-life, typically lasting a mere three to seven days at ambient temperature before mould takes hold.
Ensuring your bread is properly sealed and stored, and resorting to refrigeration when necessary, can stave off mould and prolong the life of your loaf. Despite the popularity of freezing bread, many households prefer not to take this route. Fortunately, the clever folks at Frakking Creations have divulged a nifty storage trick on YouTube that promises to keep your bread fresh and “tasting great” for up to 15 days – and it doesn’t require freezing.
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The video kicks off with the presenter lamenting: “Don’t you hate when your bread moulds too fast and you have to waste it by throwing it out? That used to happen to us too until we found a better way to keep it fresher and mould-free for longer.”
To combat premature moulding, they suggest a simple two-step solution: puncture holes in the bag and pop the bread in the fridge. This technique is equally effective for bakery-fresh bread, which often lacks the preservatives found in supermarket loaves, reports the Express.
Before refrigerating your bread, make sure to slice some holes in the bag to prevent moisture from getting trapped, condensing, and accelerating mould growth.
With a pair of scissors, snip small incisions around the top of the bread bag where it gathers before being sealed. Also, puncture a few holes in the back and bottom of the loaf’s packaging. It’s advisable to start with fewer holes and then increase them depending on the temperature of your fridge.
The YouTuber shared: “When you make small cuts into the bag, the bread will slowly dry out, so you can adjust how many holes you cut to prevent the bread from drying out too much, not enough to mould and by doing this, the bread lasts longer than what you would normally expect.”
Some baking experts argue that this technique for bread storage might actually lead to staling, thus shortening its edible life. The outcome of the trick was then demonstrated: “So we just took this bread out of the fridge, we put the holes throughout the bag.
And what you want to do when you first do this, is after a few hours, or overnight, take a look to see if there is condensation building up inside.
“In this case, you can see a little bit – it’s not too bad. If you see more condensation than this or bigger drops of water, adjust how many holes are in the bag.”
Regarding the longevity of the bread, the expert revealed: “So today is June 1, as you can see, this is the bread that we have been keeping in the fridge.
“Best before date is May 24, and we’ve been able to keep it fresh, and without mould for longer than that time, simply by keeping it in the fridge and by doing this hack. Eight days longer and still tastes great.”
The trick is effective due to the fridge’s cool temperature and the reduction of moisture, which slows down the likelihood of mould growth. However, achieving the right balance of aeration is crucial.
The purchase date of the loaf of bread remains unknown. Nonetheless, shop-bought bread is typically stocked and available for purchase five to seven days prior to its use-by date. As such, this particular loaf could have remained mould-free for up to 15 days.