MANILA, Philippines — Bread is undoubtedly a favorite go-to meal. It is convenient and filling but some breads have an expiration date of just one week. Most food articles and foodies would say it is best to freeze the bread, but it does not have to be that way. Bread can stay fresh beyond a week without freezing.
YouTube channel Frakking Creations shared that bread can stay fresh as long as nine days, mold-free.
The secret is cutting small slits on the strategic areas of the bread's plastic package. This will help keep the bread from drying out. Check the bread after a few hours or overnight to see some water forming inside the package. It means condensation took place and it is advised to create more slits or cuts on the plastic packaging. Use a clean paper towel to wipe off the water inside. Once done, place the bag of bread back to its container or inside the fridge.
The creator said that this hack works on many different breads from store bought bread, farmer’s market bread, homemade bread, hotdog buns, English muffins, cheese and seed breads.
Pioneering Today podcaster Melissa K. Norris, meanwhile, attested to a hack that she swears by is a gamechanger.
The homesteading advocate said that using linen bread bags can help homemade breads stay fresh without mold for six days.
"Linen bread bags are ideal for harder crusted breads but are also ideal for storing biscuits, rolls, sourdoughs, baguettes, English muffins," she said.
Hard-crusted breads can last fresh inside the linen bag for six days while enriched or sandwich breads can last up to two days. By the third day, she advised to freeze the remaining enriched or sandwich bread slices. When you feel like eating it, take a slice or two out and pop in the oven or toaster for a fresher serving of the bread.
Norris also shared that she would not recommend storing breads in the fridge.
"Oftentimes, people would ask me about storing their bread in the fridge. I actually don't want to do that because it makes it stale and it shortens the shelf life. It seems like it would be the opposite that would stop it from happening but I have not found using it for loaves like this (hard crust bread), for quick breads that have a lot of fruit or higher moisture or sugar content. Ideally, you want to keep these at room temperature," she said.