Storing Bread | The Fresh Loaf

I have a question for you all about how you store your bread. I usually just slice and freeze my bread, but I am starting on a food elimination diet for migraines that requires that homemade bread be at least one day old before eating. I don't have a breadbox and don't want to buy one, as I have a tiny European kitchen and don't want to have another "thing" to occupy my already limited space. Any good ideas on how to keep my bread out a day or so before freezing without it getting stale?

Thanks Rena. I don't make sourdough (and it's forbidden on this diet). I guess what you said would apply to regular bread as well? So, do you just leave it out uncovered for a day?

Titus,

This site is a great resource but you may find a lot of the questions you have others have already asked. A search would have turned up a previous post with the answer in it.

I hope the day rest will make it so you can eat bread! Good luck to you!

Thanks, Darkstar! Do I feel like a doofus for not doing a search! I apologize. Only goes to show that I really shouldn't try to post in the throes of a migraine!

TItus,

My intention wasn't to make you feel like a doofus, rather it was to speak to all the lurkers. Floyd has created a great site and all those that gather here either learn something, share knowledge, and sometimes both. (if you're not careful ;) Read through the lessons, check out the FAQ section, dig into the recipes...Lurk for all it's worth! :) You may just come out of it with the new found ability to bake bread or to bake BETTER bread; IMHO that's what it's all about!

Darkstar

I've been finding that even my rustic sourdoughs get too stale too quickly in the brown paper bags, so have been using aluminum foil instead...seems to keep the crust crisper than in plastic but not get as dried out as in paper. Enriched breads or rolls I store in a ziploc type bags. I guess the answer for you may rely on why the fresh bread has to be a day old before you can eat it? That may better determine how you store it.

Thanks donnas4girls and mountaindog for your suggestions. mountaindog, I'm not sure why the bread has to be a day old -- it's just what this particular migraine diet recommends. In fact, I was even wondering if my method of freezing it fresh would still be OK, but since I can't find any other info than the statement in the doctor's book, I'm just going to stick with his recommendation (he's a neurology professor at Johns Hopkins, so I guess he knows his stuff). It's obviously something to do with the yeast, but why the one day delay is beyond me. The book says that supermarket bread would be OK, but sourdough is forbidden altogether and home made bread is OK with the caveat of the one-day "rest". I'm really at my wit's end with my migraines and am ready to try anything -- and this diet restriction is going to be none too easy, but my back is against the wall. Wish me luck, y'all!

I use a relatively inexpensive breadbox to store bread for daily use. When a loaf gets moldy I shake out the crumbs and rub the inner surfaces of the box with vinegar. I've found that bread in a brown bag in the breadbox seems like the best way.

For freezing, I read somewhere that it's best to double-bag a loaf and to thaw it completely before taking out of the plastic, so all the moisture is reabsorbed by the bread. The point of double-bagging is to prevent or hinder the separation of crust from crumb that sometimes happens with frozen bread.

Thanks Rena: Do you wrap your bread in a towel when it's sitting out, or do you wrap it in plastic wrap or tin foil as has been suggested? Or, do you just leave it out butt-nekkid? I don't want to go to the trouble of making a loaf only to have it stale. Like you, I usually freeze bread. I usuallly slice and then double bag it. With this new diet, I plan to leave the bread out a day and then freeze it as usual. I've just never let bread sit out before, and hence the dumb question!