How To Keep Bread From Molding So Fast: 5 Simple Tricks (2024)

FAQs

How To Keep Bread From Molding So Fast: 5 Simple Tricks? ›

Store in paper, never plastic

If you have soft, enriched bread like challah, brioche, or pain de mie, and you know you're going to eat it within two to three days, then plastic is your best bet. If it's going to take longer than that, then you should freeze it (also in plastic). Wrapping bread in foil works, too, as it is airtight.

To slow down the growth of mold, bread producers add mold inhibitors to bread. They work by reducing the pH of the bread, creating an acidic environment that slows down the initial growth of mold. Natural mold inhibitors include organic acids like vinegar, raisin juice, and citric acid.

Store fresh bread in a cool, dry place away from excess heat, moisture and air. Paper, plastic bags & bread boxes? They all work.

Store airtight with the two cut halves facing each other and pressed together. Wrapping bread to retain moisture keeps it soft, though it robs crusty artisan bread of its crispy crust. Wrapping in plastic (or foil) rather than cloth keeps bread soft longer.

Regardless if it's store-bought, bakery-fresh or homemade, bread stays fresh longer when it's in a relatively air-tight environment since circulation speeds up the staling process, says Atlanta chef Jennifer Hill Booker. Mold thrives in airy, warm locations, so look for cool, dry areas to keep your bread.

Work Cinnamon into the Recipe

Like honey, cinnamon is one of those naturally occurring miracle workers that can simultaneously improve flavor and lengthen shelf life. This delicious, warming spice offers natural microbial properties, preventing it from developing mold or becoming hard and stale.

Some common examples of all natural mold inhibitor includes vinegar, raisin paste concentrate, starch, rosemary oil, whey, fermented flour, and other cultured products.

A bread box is a great option many home cooks have used for decades to prevent mold growth and staleness. A good bread box has features that support air circulation, which prevents moisture that leads to mold, and it also keeps the bread covered enough so that it does not dry out from being exposed to air and light.

Excellent at preventing the formation of mold and bacteria, calcium propionate is primarily used as a preservative. While increasing bread shelf life, it also adds calcium to the final product.

What additive makes bread last longer? ›

Emulsifiers: Emulsifiers like monoglycerides or diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides (DATEM) are often added to bread dough. They improve dough stability, increase volume, and can help prevent staling, thus extending the freshness of bread.

*Never keep your bread in the fridge. The starch molecules in bread recrystallize very quickly at cool temperatures, and cause the bread to stale much faster when refrigerated. *Shop-bought loaves should be kept in an air-tight plastic bag at room temperature rather than in the fridge.

While it's safe to keep many baked goods at room temperature, it depends on the item and should be taken on a case-by-case basis. For instance, breads and rolls can last up to four days at room temperature, but any bread with meat or hard-boiled eggs should be refrigerated within two hours, according to the USDA.

Store in paper, never plastic

If you plan on devouring it right away, then keeping it in a paper bag on the counter is the move. While storing in plastic seems like the right idea, this actually encourages mold growth, resulting in the bread going bad much faster.

Here are a few reasons why it is not advisable to store bread in plastic bags: Plastic bags trap moisture: Store bread in a way that allows it to stay dry and maintain its texture. Plastic bags trap moisture, which can cause the bread to become soggy and lose its texture.

Homemade bread can dry out in one to three days after it is made. Homemade bread rarely lasts three days at our house but still, why is this the case? The main cause for homemade bread drying out so quickly is the fact that no preservatives are used in the baking process.

Moisture contributes to the faster growth of mold.

A Bowl of Steaming Water is the Key to Quickly Proofing Bread. In the winter, when your house and kitchen are at a crisp temperature and you need a warm spot for your dough to rise, create a makeshift “proof box” by placing a bowl of steaming water inside your oven alongside your bowl of dough.

Add Eggs

Another bread making tips that can help you create better dough for softer and fluffy bread is by adding eggs. Eggs act as the binding agent, make the dough stronger, add rich flavour and extend the shelf life of bread.

The reason a refrigerator is bad for bread: When bread is stored in a cold (but above freezing) environment, this recrystallization, and therefore staling, happens much faster than at warmer temperatures. Freezing, however, dramatically slows the process down.