How long can bread be stored in a refrigerator after purchase?
(that is, bread with preservatives), it won’t go bad (ie, mold) in the fridge for weeks and weeks. However, it won’t be really fresh, either–the process of staling is well underway. Cooks Illustrated tested common storage methods for bread a couple of issues ago–they testing storing it “out” in a plastic bag on the counter or bread box, and in sealed bags in the fridge, and in sealed bags in the freezer. Their results, hands down were that if you weren’t going to use up the loaf within a couple of days, the freezer was by far the best choice. Essentially, their tasters found that the refrigerated bread started to pick up off flavors and odors, and started to taste stale, within a day or so, even in a sealed plastic bag. Bread on the counter started to get stale after a couple of days, and that bread stored in the freezer kept its integrity. If you’re not familiar with COoks Illustrated–They run an exemplary test kitchen for home prepared foods. They produce a couple of excellent mag
I’ve never frozen bread before but it makes sense that freezing will make it last longer than just the fridge. I have put bread in the fridge for up to 2 weeks without mold growing. It depends on how old the bread is when you buy it and the condition it was kept in at the store and the condition of the fridge. Sometimes I’ve bought bread and left it in the pantry/cupboard and it grew mold in 2 days, well ahead of the sell by/best by date. Other times, I’ve left it up to 10 days unchilled with no mold, just a bit more stale and hard. Chilling it makes it harder sooner and it never gets back to it’s original unchilled softness. I should eat toast more often.
