Hi Bakers! I am a newbie, have probably baked about 8 loaves and with some success. I love baking so much, but can't really eat it because I am hypoglycemic and too many carbs ruins my day! So, I bake for fun and give it as gifts to friends and neighbors. I also use the discard to make the most wonderful crackers with lots of seeds and nuts and spices. (recipe on Little Spoon Farm) it's so sad to make a nice loaf of bread and after a couple days it goes stale. I have re-baked it again and that works and I have also heard that there are bread bags, made of cotton linen. I sew, so if anyone can give me some ideas on a bread bag, I would love it!
Bread bags can keep a loaf crusty and fresh for a day or maybe two but after that it'll just make the bread dry so unless you're planning on finishing off a loaf in 1-3 days, I think the better route is to just to toast or reheat the loaf before eating. Keep in mind that bread can be in an environment with absolutely zero evaporation and it will still stale; staling has nothing to do with water leaving the loaf but rather water exiting the starch molecules into the surrounding space. Heating the bread up will cause the starch to once again swell with water and have a nice moist crumb. What I usually do is keep the loaf in a large ziplock bag (one that I reuse) and when I want to reheat it, I'll either stick slices in the toaster at the lowest setting or place the whole loaf in a preheated oven for a few minutes.
Thanks for your comment! Some sites I checked say that the bread keeps for about 4-5 days in a linen bag. I will have to try it...but I think you are right.....:)