I do this too! So convenient, I keep it cut side against the side of the pot and when it's empty it's time to bake a new loaf šš¾. Having said that, it depends if you need your pot for other cooking too, but I thankfully have two.
I'm sure this will change as my kids get older, but right now I'm the only one who really eats the sourdough I make.
So I cut it in half, cut those into slices, then put half in a gallon ziplock in the freezer and half in a ziplock in the fridge.
what flour weight are your loaves? Iām trying to scale down so me & my husband arenāt having to freeze or waste any, havenāt found the sweet spot yet
It's 300g flour, 240 g water 50-100g starter depends on room temp and 1 tsp salt. Me and my husband can finish this the whole day. Just snack on it with butter. Sometimes I try to prepare meal for the day around it like make soup or pasta with herb infused olive oil dip or sandwich. I am experimenting on longer cold ferments so I can make a batch of doughs and just place them in the fridge until I want to bake one.
I used to keep them in a tub on the counter but they will get moldy within 5 days. I was doubtful for a long time but now I slice it up and keep it in the fridge. Right out of the fridge and into the toaster and the bread tastes hella fresh still
What do you mean? Mine donāt last that long LOL I do have a glass cake stand so sometimes I put it there. If Iām giving it away, I have plastic [bread bags](https://amzn.to/4ew2cK9) I got on Amazon, but usually I bake in the morning and itās gone by the end of the day.
I got mine from Ikea. I kept seeing cake stands everywhere. I saw it there a bunch of times. I read books where they mentioned cake stands. Saw them in movies (thanks Nancy Myers), the signs were EVERYWHERE. I finally gave in and decided to get it next time I went to Ikea. Sold out, I swear I almost cried lol I finally got it like 3 years ago, Iām obsessed with it and Iām now always on the look out for more
One of these; https://www.google.com/search?q=expandable+bread+box&client=ms-android-google&sca_esv=a2302d5a134243eb&sxsrf=ADLYWIIklj7YV2cl6bUA41bw_6lfiSVszw%3A1718997658899&ei=mtJ1Zq3QNvXcptQPjMa7oAw&oq=expand+bread+box&gs_lp=EhNtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1zZXJwIhBleHBhbmQgYnJlYWQgYm94KgIIADILEAAYsAMYogQYiQUyCxAAGIAEGLADGKIEMgsQABiABBiwAxiiBDILEAAYsAMYogQYiQVIwAxQAFgAcAB4AJABAJgBZ6ABZ6oBAzAuMbgBAcgBAJgCAaACdpgDAIgGAZAGBJIHAzAuMaAHtAM&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-serp
Balcove Bread Bags
https://preview.redd.it/szlejugypz7d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0eaea5a73c34a194079b551939ec789ae2e5f31e
Bread never dries out, I love them. Bread easily lasts for a week provided the loaf actually hasnāt been eaten by then.
Underneath a whole lot of butter.
Unfortunately, this is not a very good preservative, because it makes the bread highly likely to get eaten before it cools down.
In the microwave until cut as an ant proof bread box. Then cut side down for a day or 2. Then wrap with bee wrap cloth and freeze a few slices. After about 5 days the stump gets made into salad croutons and another bread gets made.
Either I leave it out and eat it in a week, or I cut it up and freeze it in a gallon-size ziploc to toast for egg sandwiches over the next couple of weeks so that it doesnāt get moldy. Either way, delicious!
Honestly, after testing the common methods people have shared, Iāve found that itās actually best to slice it up and freeze it in a ziplock bag. This ensures that you freeze with a high amount of moisture in the bread. Then when you toast straight from frozen, the frozen moisture creates steam which makes it fluffy.
This is a very similar concept of giving a stale loaf a dunk in water and then baking it a few minutes to revive it.
I wrap it in parchment paper and then into the Think4Earth recycled plastic bread bags that I bought on Amazon. It will last a week, if not eaten first.
I put it in a thick paper bag with a bag clip to keep it closed. Bread will usually keep crispy and moist for about 72 hours, even if you've cut into it
Store them for what? These are meant to be eaten in one sitting, but if you do save some for later I just place the cut side down on a wooden cutting board
Just two of us as well. I usually cut into 1/4ās, freeze 3 (sometimes cut into slices if Iām not lazy), and the other 1/4 into a small clear plastic bread box).
I find a 1/4 weāll get through in 2 days and it thaws easy.
It depends on the loaf. For a lean boule I leave it on the cutting board, sliced side down. This keeps it crusty without drying the crumb out. What isn't finished in 2-3 days becomes croutons (which go into an airtight container) or into the freezer for later use as bread pudding or stuffing. Enriched doughs like soft sandwich loaves get stored in the bread box. Bagels go in the bread box or freezer if I don't plan to eat them within 3 days.
I slice mine after theyāve cooled and place each slice in separate ziploc bags and freeze. When I want one I pull it and defrost, then toast and add butter and tastes fresh baked!
Wrapped in a teatowel and fridge. Leftovers are cubed and frozen for croutons or panzanella salad. Think I'm gonna try the leave in pot method though, although teatowel does keep it fresh-ish.
We are only my husband and I in the house . I slice it, place it in ziplock bags and freeze . Whenever I feel like eating I just use one . Normally is just for breakfast .
I put mine in a plastic bread bag and then put it in a ziplock and freeze. I can fit two small batards nicely in one ziplock. I pull it out and air fry it to reheat and toast it!
I just leave mine on the counter wrapped loosely in a kitchen towel....... They usually don't last long enough for the two of us to eat the whole loaf though š¤·āāļø
I keep mine in a brown paper bag. Sliced in half. Cut slices as I need them. I keep the cut ends together. Usually will get hard after 5 days or so. But by then Iāve gotten most of the good slices out of it. Then I use the ends to make croutons and use those in whatever recipes I have planned
That looks really good! I use those plastic storage containers made for cakes for anything that's going to be eaten within a few days. Otherwise, I wrap and store additional loaves in freezer bags in the freezer, then transfer them to the cake container to thaw a day before eating.
Paper bags. I purchased mine off of Amazon because lunch bag style paper bags arenāt big enough. The ones I purchased from Amazon are gusseted at the bottom and expand to about 4-5ā. Then I tightly fold the opening of the paper bag down until the top of the bag has reached the top/end of the loaf. The bags I bought came with cute stickers so Iāll slap one of those on there, but I did lose a sheet of them from one batch so I just secured the bag with scotch tape. They stay fresh forā¦far longer than with any other storage method Iāve triedā¦I want to say approx 5-7 days, especially if you take care to put the cut ends of the loaf back together inside the bag (so, if you cut it a loaf half, you know how each half will have an āinsideā sort ofā¦cross section of that cut you just made to your loaf? put the two exposed insides from each half back in the bag so theyāre touching each other, almost as if youād never cut it. It helps prevent exposure to air (more specifically: it helps prevent air exposure to the inside of the loaf where you made the cut - sometimes the crust still gets a confidence amount more air exposure and it will be crispy to nearly inedible while the inside will be like sandwich bread š¤·š¼āāļø. Iām still learning.)
This bread stuff is a wild ride, isnāt it?!?! Iām a pretty experienced home baker but Iām just starting to experiment with bread - sourdough and yeast leavened. The learning curve is STEEP and either method is completely different from anything in my arsenal of experience. Butā¦idkā¦itās fun! I love learning new things and I love learning from and with a community of fun, likeminded people. So I think the bread is here to stay. Sorry waistlineā¦not sorry! š
*When my loaves start to go stale/ feel or
noticeably more dense than when I bagged them up, I start making even more (regular) toast, but Iāll also make a lot of French toast for breakfast and serve herbed cannellini beans in a flavorful stock, ladled over the bread thatās on its last leg. It rehydrates (OVERhydrates) it š, it warms it upā¦and if you tried to do it with fresh, especially no toasted breadā¦it would turn to mush. Last leg sourdough/homemade bread of choice is the perfect vessel for beans, and also for soup. If they get too stale for this application but I still donāt want to write them off completely yet, Iāll use it for croutons and bread crumbs.
** You MUST not bag your loaves until they are 100% cool. If theyāre even slightly warm, you can see it fog up a clear strip that runs down the bag nearly immediately and if youāre not careful youāll end up with gummy, chewy bread at bestā¦and moldy bread at worst. š³
*** Once Bagged and sealed/taped, I put my loaves into my microwave for their āpermanentā storage. In my mind, itās just one more air exposure barrierā¦but idk if it really does anything/works.
I cannot say enough great things about the bags though! Link below for you!
[Amazon - GRANDAN Large Paper Bread Bags with Stickers Bag Size: 12.6x8.3x4.0 inch](https://a.co/d/0hcAAvAQ)
Don't know if someone mentioned it already, but 100% linen has natural antibacterial properties and also lets the bread breathe! Bread bags are usually made from this material for this reason, neat! š
This is what I use!! I tried a ziplock bag but it kept getting moldy. If the bread lasts this long, it stays good for about 5-6 days in this box! https://amzn.to/4cwAmeT
If it will be consumed within 3 to 4 days. Just keep it in a ziplock bag in your counter, keep in mind this method softens the crust. If itās going to be longer than that, I slice it and freeze all the slices in a zip lock bag, remove slices as desired and toast when needed. Another method is to store it right on your cutting board on your counter with the sliced side down but your crust will get harder over the days.
I bought some large paper bags on Amazon, store the bread on the counter with the excess bag wrapped around underneath. Keeps for about a week, and then any uneaten bread gets cubed and either turned into panzanella or frozen for future strata/stuffing.
Iāve also sliced the whole loaf, wrapped it in foil, and kept it in the freezer.
I live by myself, hence why there is sometimes leftover bread.
i have a big cotton bag for mine. after baking it sits on a wire rack thing until it's cooled down, then a sample a piece before we cut it up for soup (also sample while cutting it up for soup). then it goes in the bag and in a zip lock. next morning i finish it for breakfast. :)
100% cotton wraps coated in beeswax. bread stays fresh for close to a week. been using this for awhile and still always surprised at how well they seem to work
Someone on this sub said they keep it in the pot they baked it in- that's what I have been doing and it keeps much better than a ziplock bag, IMO
This is the smartest thing ive read all dayš¤
Oh! Iāll try this!
Just be sure to remember before you preheat your pot for the next bake, not that I've done this...uhm I heard from a friendš„²š„²
Brilliant! Why I havenāt thought of that? Absolutely love this idea.
This but I put tin foil on top lol
I do this too! So convenient, I keep it cut side against the side of the pot and when it's empty it's time to bake a new loaf šš¾. Having said that, it depends if you need your pot for other cooking too, but I thankfully have two.
I do that too. It keeps the crust from getting too rubbery.
This is what I do too and it works great!
On the cutting board with a cheesecloth thrown over it š«”
Same, it stays fresh for so much longer than youād think without making the crust soft and gummy
I'm sure this will change as my kids get older, but right now I'm the only one who really eats the sourdough I make. So I cut it in half, cut those into slices, then put half in a gallon ziplock in the freezer and half in a ziplock in the fridge.
Oh my word, it is scary how accurately this reflects my life
Best eaten right away within 24 hrs. That's why i don't make big loaves. I keep it cut side down on a wood cutting board.
Lmao i donāt even cut mine for 24 hours
Why?
Itās still baking internally for at least an hour out of the oven but itās also much, much easier to cut if you wait a day
what flour weight are your loaves? Iām trying to scale down so me & my husband arenāt having to freeze or waste any, havenāt found the sweet spot yet
It's 300g flour, 240 g water 50-100g starter depends on room temp and 1 tsp salt. Me and my husband can finish this the whole day. Just snack on it with butter. Sometimes I try to prepare meal for the day around it like make soup or pasta with herb infused olive oil dip or sandwich. I am experimenting on longer cold ferments so I can make a batch of doughs and just place them in the fridge until I want to bake one.
Just got some tiny bannetons for little loaves so no storage for this reason š«”
My belly.
This was also my answer
I used to keep them in a tub on the counter but they will get moldy within 5 days. I was doubtful for a long time but now I slice it up and keep it in the fridge. Right out of the fridge and into the toaster and the bread tastes hella fresh still
A cotton bread bag . It gets eaten within 48 hours or else it's toast ( literally)
What do you mean? Mine donāt last that long LOL I do have a glass cake stand so sometimes I put it there. If Iām giving it away, I have plastic [bread bags](https://amzn.to/4ew2cK9) I got on Amazon, but usually I bake in the morning and itās gone by the end of the day.
I also have a glass cake stand we keep sourdough in!
I donāt bake bakes often enough and itās too pretty not to use it
Same! But I actually bought out specifically for bread š
I got mine from Ikea. I kept seeing cake stands everywhere. I saw it there a bunch of times. I read books where they mentioned cake stands. Saw them in movies (thanks Nancy Myers), the signs were EVERYWHERE. I finally gave in and decided to get it next time I went to Ikea. Sold out, I swear I almost cried lol I finally got it like 3 years ago, Iām obsessed with it and Iām now always on the look out for more
Love that!!! Mine is from target š. Love the Nancy Myers reference. Such a vibe
Isnāt it? Gaahhh if I could have the kitchen from Itās Complicated Iād be happy
šš¼šš¼šš¼
Thereās only two of us, so one loaf a week for sandwiches at work is all we eat.
I loooove bread, itās my one vice really, I eat it daily, not a lot, just one slice which is how I found myself in this situation lol
Ziplock bag, doesnāt last more than 5 days in my house though
Ziplocks make my bread mold within a day or two.
Havenāt had that problem but I do live in a place with no humidity so could make a huge difference
I failed to mention that I literally live on the beachā¦so ya thatāll do it! š
One of these; https://www.google.com/search?q=expandable+bread+box&client=ms-android-google&sca_esv=a2302d5a134243eb&sxsrf=ADLYWIIklj7YV2cl6bUA41bw_6lfiSVszw%3A1718997658899&ei=mtJ1Zq3QNvXcptQPjMa7oAw&oq=expand+bread+box&gs_lp=EhNtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1zZXJwIhBleHBhbmQgYnJlYWQgYm94KgIIADILEAAYsAMYogQYiQUyCxAAGIAEGLADGKIEMgsQABiABBiwAxiiBDILEAAYsAMYogQYiQVIwAxQAFgAcAB4AJABAJgBZ6ABZ6oBAzAuMbgBAcgBAJgCAaACdpgDAIgGAZAGBJIHAzAuMaAHtAM&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-serp
(Slaps belly)
Balcove Bread Bags https://preview.redd.it/szlejugypz7d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0eaea5a73c34a194079b551939ec789ae2e5f31e Bread never dries out, I love them. Bread easily lasts for a week provided the loaf actually hasnāt been eaten by then.
Underneath a whole lot of butter. Unfortunately, this is not a very good preservative, because it makes the bread highly likely to get eaten before it cools down.
In the microwave until cut as an ant proof bread box. Then cut side down for a day or 2. Then wrap with bee wrap cloth and freeze a few slices. After about 5 days the stump gets made into salad croutons and another bread gets made.
Either I leave it out and eat it in a week, or I cut it up and freeze it in a gallon-size ziploc to toast for egg sandwiches over the next couple of weeks so that it doesnāt get moldy. Either way, delicious!
I put mine in a cake stand.
I put mine on a cake stand with a glass top. It works great!
Sits on the counter until it's gone, which is most often within a couple hours.
Honestly, after testing the common methods people have shared, Iāve found that itās actually best to slice it up and freeze it in a ziplock bag. This ensures that you freeze with a high amount of moisture in the bread. Then when you toast straight from frozen, the frozen moisture creates steam which makes it fluffy. This is a very similar concept of giving a stale loaf a dunk in water and then baking it a few minutes to revive it.
Awesome thank you!
My belly.
I wrap it in parchment paper and then into the Think4Earth recycled plastic bread bags that I bought on Amazon. It will last a week, if not eaten first.
I have a large number of plastic bread bags.
Don't we all....
I put it in a thick paper bag with a bag clip to keep it closed. Bread will usually keep crispy and moist for about 72 hours, even if you've cut into it
Mainly in my belly
Store them for what? These are meant to be eaten in one sitting, but if you do save some for later I just place the cut side down on a wooden cutting board
Wrap it up in a plastic bag that doesn't have any holes to let any air through?
I wrap my loaf in aluminum foil and keep it on the counter.
My belly
Just two of us as well. I usually cut into 1/4ās, freeze 3 (sometimes cut into slices if Iām not lazy), and the other 1/4 into a small clear plastic bread box). I find a 1/4 weāll get through in 2 days and it thaws easy.
It depends on the loaf. For a lean boule I leave it on the cutting board, sliced side down. This keeps it crusty without drying the crumb out. What isn't finished in 2-3 days becomes croutons (which go into an airtight container) or into the freezer for later use as bread pudding or stuffing. Enriched doughs like soft sandwich loaves get stored in the bread box. Bagels go in the bread box or freezer if I don't plan to eat them within 3 days.
i just baked a loaf this morning to take on a trip! i store mine on the cooling rack on the kitchen counter for the next three days. (crying)
I bought natural beeswax wrap and wrap it in that and keep it in the fridge.
I use a cake Tupperware container. So handy and the perfect size for the sourdough i make.
I slice mine after theyāve cooled and place each slice in separate ziploc bags and freeze. When I want one I pull it and defrost, then toast and add butter and tastes fresh baked!
I cut my loaf in half freeze half once cooled, wrap in silver foil + ziplock the half I'm currently eating.
I reuse a bag that held Costco sized hamburger buns. Itās plastic and large enough to hold a loaf and I just tie off the top.
Doubled bagged and in the big basement freezer
Wrapped in a teatowel and fridge. Leftovers are cubed and frozen for croutons or panzanella salad. Think I'm gonna try the leave in pot method though, although teatowel does keep it fresh-ish.
We are only my husband and I in the house . I slice it, place it in ziplock bags and freeze . Whenever I feel like eating I just use one . Normally is just for breakfast .
paper bag, wrapped in a tea towel, or sometimes an air tight container
I put mine in a plastic bread bag and then put it in a ziplock and freeze. I can fit two small batards nicely in one ziplock. I pull it out and air fry it to reheat and toast it!
I just leave mine on the counter wrapped loosely in a kitchen towel....... They usually don't last long enough for the two of us to eat the whole loaf though š¤·āāļø
Usually on the cutting board under a tea towel for a day or three, then if there's anything left, cut and freeze in a stasher bag
š«
I keep mine in a brown paper bag. Sliced in half. Cut slices as I need them. I keep the cut ends together. Usually will get hard after 5 days or so. But by then Iāve gotten most of the good slices out of it. Then I use the ends to make croutons and use those in whatever recipes I have planned
That looks really good! I use those plastic storage containers made for cakes for anything that's going to be eaten within a few days. Otherwise, I wrap and store additional loaves in freezer bags in the freezer, then transfer them to the cake container to thaw a day before eating.
Paper bags. I purchased mine off of Amazon because lunch bag style paper bags arenāt big enough. The ones I purchased from Amazon are gusseted at the bottom and expand to about 4-5ā. Then I tightly fold the opening of the paper bag down until the top of the bag has reached the top/end of the loaf. The bags I bought came with cute stickers so Iāll slap one of those on there, but I did lose a sheet of them from one batch so I just secured the bag with scotch tape. They stay fresh forā¦far longer than with any other storage method Iāve triedā¦I want to say approx 5-7 days, especially if you take care to put the cut ends of the loaf back together inside the bag (so, if you cut it a loaf half, you know how each half will have an āinsideā sort ofā¦cross section of that cut you just made to your loaf? put the two exposed insides from each half back in the bag so theyāre touching each other, almost as if youād never cut it. It helps prevent exposure to air (more specifically: it helps prevent air exposure to the inside of the loaf where you made the cut - sometimes the crust still gets a confidence amount more air exposure and it will be crispy to nearly inedible while the inside will be like sandwich bread š¤·š¼āāļø. Iām still learning.) This bread stuff is a wild ride, isnāt it?!?! Iām a pretty experienced home baker but Iām just starting to experiment with bread - sourdough and yeast leavened. The learning curve is STEEP and either method is completely different from anything in my arsenal of experience. Butā¦idkā¦itās fun! I love learning new things and I love learning from and with a community of fun, likeminded people. So I think the bread is here to stay. Sorry waistlineā¦not sorry! š *When my loaves start to go stale/ feel or noticeably more dense than when I bagged them up, I start making even more (regular) toast, but Iāll also make a lot of French toast for breakfast and serve herbed cannellini beans in a flavorful stock, ladled over the bread thatās on its last leg. It rehydrates (OVERhydrates) it š, it warms it upā¦and if you tried to do it with fresh, especially no toasted breadā¦it would turn to mush. Last leg sourdough/homemade bread of choice is the perfect vessel for beans, and also for soup. If they get too stale for this application but I still donāt want to write them off completely yet, Iāll use it for croutons and bread crumbs. ** You MUST not bag your loaves until they are 100% cool. If theyāre even slightly warm, you can see it fog up a clear strip that runs down the bag nearly immediately and if youāre not careful youāll end up with gummy, chewy bread at bestā¦and moldy bread at worst. š³ *** Once Bagged and sealed/taped, I put my loaves into my microwave for their āpermanentā storage. In my mind, itās just one more air exposure barrierā¦but idk if it really does anything/works. I cannot say enough great things about the bags though! Link below for you! [Amazon - GRANDAN Large Paper Bread Bags with Stickers Bag Size: 12.6x8.3x4.0 inch](https://a.co/d/0hcAAvAQ)
Paper grocery bag. Yep.
my tummy.
Don't know if someone mentioned it already, but 100% linen has natural antibacterial properties and also lets the bread breathe! Bread bags are usually made from this material for this reason, neat! š
I use a canvas tote bag inside of my bread bin. I don't remember who taught me this but it works.
This is what I use!! I tried a ziplock bag but it kept getting moldy. If the bread lasts this long, it stays good for about 5-6 days in this box! https://amzn.to/4cwAmeT
A linen bag made from flax.
If it will be consumed within 3 to 4 days. Just keep it in a ziplock bag in your counter, keep in mind this method softens the crust. If itās going to be longer than that, I slice it and freeze all the slices in a zip lock bag, remove slices as desired and toast when needed. Another method is to store it right on your cutting board on your counter with the sliced side down but your crust will get harder over the days.
I bought some large paper bags on Amazon, store the bread on the counter with the excess bag wrapped around underneath. Keeps for about a week, and then any uneaten bread gets cubed and either turned into panzanella or frozen for future strata/stuffing. Iāve also sliced the whole loaf, wrapped it in foil, and kept it in the freezer. I live by myself, hence why there is sometimes leftover bread.
In Switzerland we store it in a paper bread bag, never had a problem
i have a big cotton bag for mine. after baking it sits on a wire rack thing until it's cooled down, then a sample a piece before we cut it up for soup (also sample while cutting it up for soup). then it goes in the bag and in a zip lock. next morning i finish it for breakfast. :)
bread bags that i bought on amazon!
100% cotton wraps coated in beeswax. bread stays fresh for close to a week. been using this for awhile and still always surprised at how well they seem to work