There is no single right way to keep bread, because “bread” covers everything from a 72-hour sourdough to a supermarket wrap. What there is, is a small set of rules that apply to all of it, and then one rule per type.
The four rules that apply to everything
- Let it cool completely. A loaf put away warm steams itself. Wait until it is cold to the touch in the middle — an hour or two for most loaves.
- Room temperature, not the fridge. Chilling accelerates the starch changes that make bread go stale. A fridge slows mould and ruins texture; on balance it is the wrong trade for anything you will finish within a few days.
- Cut-side down. The exposed crumb is where moisture escapes fastest. Rest a cut loaf flat on its cut face, on a board or in a bag, and the crust seals the rest.
- Freeze what you will not finish. Decide on day one, not day three. Slice the loaf, freeze it in a bag, and take slices out as you need them.
By type of bread
| Bread | Best kept | Realistically good for |
|---|---|---|
| Sourdough boule | Cut-side down on a board for day one; a beeswax bag from then on | 3–4 days |
| Crusty tin loaf / bloomer | Beeswax or cloth bag, room temperature | 2–3 days |
| Baguette, ciabatta | Eat the day it is baked. Otherwise bag it and refresh in the oven | Hours, honestly |
| Soft sandwich loaf | Its own bag, sealed, at room temperature | 4–5 days |
| Flatbreads, pitta, naan | Stacked in a bag so they keep each other soft | 2 days, then reheat |
| Rye and dense wholegrain | Cut-side down, wrapped in cloth or a waxed bag | Up to a week — often better on day two |
| Brioche, challah, plaited loaves | Bagged, room temperature | 1–2 days |
| Bagels | Freeze on the day, sliced | 1 day fresh |
Timings assume a normal kitchen. A warm, humid room shortens all of them; a cold dry one stretches them out.
Freezing bread properly
Freezing is the only storage method that genuinely stops bread going stale, and most people do it badly by leaving it too late. Freeze on the day of baking or buying, while the bread is at its best — that is what comes back out.
- Slice first. A whole frozen loaf has to be defrosted entirely and eaten quickly. Slices can be taken a couple at a time.
- Wrap well. Air is what causes freezer burn. A tight bag with the air pressed out is enough.
- Toast from frozen. Do not defrost slices on the counter — straight into the toaster, a minute longer than usual. For a whole loaf or a half, put it frozen into a 180 °C oven for 20–30 minutes.
- Use it within about three months. It keeps far longer than that, but the flavour flattens.
Reviving a loaf that has firmed up
A firm loaf is not a finished loaf. Heat temporarily reverses the starch changes that caused it:
- Run the crust briefly under the tap, or flick water over it — damp, not soaked.
- Put it straight onto the shelf of a hot oven, about 200 °C, for 5–10 minutes.
- Let it cool for a few minutes before cutting.
It comes back remarkably well. The catch is that the effect is temporary — a revived loaf goes stale again quickly, so refresh only what you are about to eat.
Common mistakes
- The fridge. Worth repeating: it is the fastest way to stale bread.
- Bagging it warm. Condensation, soft crust, mould.
- Cutting round mould. On soft, moist food like bread the visible spot is the fruiting body; the rest of the network is already through the loaf. Bin the whole thing.
- Storing the heel cut-side up. That is the face you need to protect.
- Keeping it near the hob or a sunny window. Warmth speeds up everything you are trying to slow down, including mould.
Melipsa bags are lined with genuine beeswax, so they breathe slowly rather than sealing — the compromise that suits crusty, home-baked and artisan loaves best. Every set includes a printed recipe book with the keeping and reviving pages in it.