{"id":95,"date":"2019-04-26T07:00:47","date_gmt":"2019-04-26T07:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pantryguide.com\/?p=95"},"modified":"2020-01-09T07:02:03","modified_gmt":"2020-01-09T07:02:03","slug":"how-long-does-bread-last","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pantryguide.com\/grains\/how-long-does-bread-last\/","title":{"rendered":"How Long Does Bread Last?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bread is probably the most popular food product in the Western hemisphere. We eat it for breakfast, prepare sandwiches for lunch for the kids, and often include it in the last meal of the day too. Despite that, I’m pretty sure you had bread that’s gone stale or even moldy at least a couple of times. That brings us to the question: how long does bread last, exactly?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you buy your loaves in the supermarket, there’s usually a best-by date on the label, and you can simply observe it. But since you’re reading this article, I’m pretty sure you know that date is only a rough estimate and that it’s usually okay to eat bread that’s technically “old.” Plus if you buy it in a bakery or make your own, there’s no date to go by, so you need to figure this out on your own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Holding
Photo by Kate Remmer<\/a> on Unsplash.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, there’s no straightforward answer to the question about the shelf life of bread. It all depends on how you store it, what ingredients were used, and if there were any preservatives added. For starters, let’s talk about the ingredients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Long Do Different Varieties Of Bread Last?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are quite a few bread varieties out there, and I probably don’t know about half of them. I’m also pretty sure you’re not looking for a spreadsheet that lists all of those along with their shelf lives. Instead, let’s make things much more straightforward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wheat bread (white, whole wheat, multi-grain, sourdough), in other words “normal” bread, lasts between 4 and 7 days at room temperature (more about other storage options later). “Fancy” bread varieties, such as pumpkin, zucchini, banana, garlic, and many others usually last about 1 to 3 days tops. Of course, these guidelines aren’t perfect, but they work well most of the time and are easy to remember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now it’s time to talk about how different storage methods work for bread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sliced
Photo by Louise Lysh\u00f8j<\/a> on Unsplash.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

How Long Does Bread Last At Room Temperature?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most of us keep bread on the countertop in the kitchen. Sometimes it sits in a bread bin, but more often than not it’s in the same package you’ve bought it in. In such circumstances, “normal” bread should last about 4 to 7 (1<\/a>) days in pretty good shape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’d like to retain the bread’s quality for longest at ambient temperature, there are a few things you can do:<\/p>\n\n\n\n