Should You Refrigerate Your Bread?

No one wants to see unused food go bad. Not only is it wasteful, but food is expensive! You might have heard that an easy trick to prolong the shelf life of bread is to pop it in the fridge, but is that true?

We’re sorry to burst your bread bubble, but refrigerating your bread is actually one of the worst things you can do.

When it comes to store-bought loaves of bread, the fridge can actually make the food spoil faster. The starch molecules recrystallize at cold temperatures. This makes the bread dry and leads to staleness. But this myth might have a legitimate origin as you can freeze bread.

If you’re not going to eat an entire loaf, take out what you think you’ll need and wrap the remainder in plastic wrap, seal it in an airtight container, and freeze. It should be good for up to three months, and when it’s time to use it, just allow it to thaw on your countertop in the container.

As for how you should store your loaves of bread, they should be kept in an airtight container on your counter or in your pantry at room temperature. You can also use a bread box for storage.

The next time you add bread to your grocery list, remember to leave it out or store it away at room temperature. Because no one wants a PB&J with stale bread.