How To Store Homemade Bread – Frugal Tip

As you know I love making homemade bread as do many other HBHW readers. One of them emailed me yesterday and asked for some tips for storing homemade bread. I thought I’d share what I told her here. I’m sure she’s not the only one with those questions. I lost plenty a hunk of bread to mold before I figured out that the three methods below work best for us.

A Clean Tea Towel

If I’m just saving some bread for a few hours or even overnight, I simply wrap it in a clean tea towel and set it on the counter. The towel keeps it protected but let’s just enough moisture escape to keep the bread from getting soggy or moldy.

Paper Bags

If you don’t have a tea towel handy, use a clean paper bag instead. Like the towel, it will allow the bread to “breathe” just enough without drying it out. When I grew up in Germany, our baked goods where always wrapped in brown paper bags (they still do) and we kept it in the same bag until the bread or rolls were gone. I buy my paper bags at the dollar store.

The Microwave

I remember my mother and grandmother having bread boxes on the kitchen counter. I love the idea of them and know that a ceramic bread box is a great place to store baked goods. I just don’t have the room on my kitchen counter.  Instead I use my microwave as a breadbox when it’s not in use. When I do need it, it’s easy enough to pull a few bags of baked items out of it first.

If you know you’re not going to use up the bread within a day or two, I recommend freezing it. You can freeze entire loaves, but I find it easier to slice the bread first. You can grab just a few slices at a time and have them thaw quickly on the counter, or toast them up in the toaster oven.