Pro Bakers Want You to Store Fresh Bread This Way

There’s just something about the smell of homemade bread baking. I love walking into my son’s home or the local bakery and smelling a fresh loaf of chewy sourdough or crusty artisan bread in the oven. Since I can’t eat it all in one sitting — though I’m certainly tempted — it’s essential I store it properly to keep it fresh and mold-free until I’m ready for my next slice.

I’ve already learned not to store it in the refrigerator — fresh bread is best stored in a cool, dry place. I used to store it in a plastic bag, but it would get soggy and even moldy before I could eat it. While I could get a bread box to store it in, pro bakers recommend storing fresh bread in a linen bread bag, like these from Bread Story.    

Bread Story 2-Piece Linen Bread Bag Set

So what makes these bread bags work better than other types of bread storage? It’s the linen material, which allows the bread to breathe. Those plastic bags I had been using were, according to Chef Zoe Deutsch of Moon Raccoon Baking Company in Denver, “detrimental” to bread, especially homemade loaves. Plastic bags “ruin the crisp crust,” and, as I’ve already discovered, they can lead to mold growth. In fact, Deutsch said that using a plastic bag, the bread can “develop mold spots within one to two days.”

This set comes with two 11- x 15-inch linen bags, each with a drawstring so you can cinch them up tight. They’re large enough to store different shapes of bread too, whether round, square, or oblong, and according to shoppers, these bags can hold a “2-pound loaf nicely.” One shopper uses the bags to store homemade bagels and reported they “stay fresh and chewy for at least two days longer than in the drawer.” The bags are reusable, so there’s no need to purchase more — unless you’re making more than two loaves of bread at a time. After each use, the bags should be hand-washed and air-dried.

Shoppers have given this linen bread bag set over 1,600 five-star ratings for how well it keeps their bread at peak condition. “My freshly baked ciabatta bread is now mold-free,” wrote one reviewer. Another customer found that their bread “stayed fresh for over a week,” whereas in the past, they “never had it last more than a few days” with other storage methods. “My sourdough loaves keep better in these bags than in any other storage I’ve tried,” stated a third satisfied shopper. 

These Bread Story linen bags are the “perfect bread bags” to give to the bread baker in your life. I’m putting a set in my shopping cart to give my son, in hopes he will continue to share his homemade bread with me. At $17 for the set, it’s an easy way to store homemade bread as the pros recommend. 

Shop More Bread Boxes and Bags at Amazon

Gifhomfix Bread Box

Grin By Grin 2-Piece Reusable Bread Bags Set

Royalhouse Natural Bamboo Roll Top Bread Box

GobiSea Linen Bread Bag

Tafura Bread Container

At the time of publishing, the price was $17.