Bread is like a ritual for some people. Despite all the noise around gluten and cutting out bread, people still love eating fresh, soft, and fluffy bread for breakfast, with sandwiches, and alongside a nice homemade dinner.
Obviously, the longer you can keep your bread fresh, the more you can enjoy it. Many people use bread boxes to store their bread, but do bread boxes work?
Yes, they do! Bread boxes stop moisture, air, and light from getting to your bread to keep it in good condition.
If you want to make the most out of your homemade bread or that delicious loaf you picked up at the bakery, get yourself a high-quality bread box. It will make your bread last longer before it turns hard or moldy, and it’s a greener solution than plastic bags and other storage methods.
Here’s some information on how bread boxes work to help you decide whether you should get one for your kitchen.
Table of Contents
How Do Bread Boxes Work?
Bread boxes do much better at keeping your bread fresh than plastic bags or most other containers. It may seem odd that a box can keep your bread newer than something completely sealed, but that’s exactly what happens in head-to-head comparisons.
Typically, bread boxes outperform plastic bags because they do a better job of managing moisture levels. With a plastic bag, for instance, you keep all moisture out with a proper seal. The problem is, however, that you also trap the water inside.
Bread boxes, on the other hand, keep moisture out, but they’re also breathable, so it never gets too muggy inside. You avoid getting that rubbery texture in your bread that you see in plastic bags or containers. Bread boxes are much better at keeping things in the proper humidity.
The slits or holes in bread boxes prevent condensation if the bread is slightly warm or just out of the oven. It’s also less exposed to the open air, so you won’t see your bread getting stale as quickly.
Sliced vs. Whole
Bread boxes work best for whole loaves of bread. They may slightly extend the lifespan of sliced bread, but sliced bread typically must be sealed in an airtight container if you don’t want it to get hard.
Most people who try to keep sliced bread in bread boxes find that their slices start to go stale after a day or two. In these cases, your bread needs to stay away from all moisture, so you’ll want to keep it in plastic to maintain its softness.
Sliced bread is hard to keep fresh no matter what you do, so it’s always wise to eat it earlier rather than later if you want it to taste great. If you have too many slices, you should probably freeze it. Frozen bread can last up to a month.
However, bread boxes work very well with entire loaves that haven’t been cut yet because they don’t soak up the moisture that tends to make the crust soggy and chewy.
What Material Works Best for Bread Boxes?
The material doesn’t matter much when choosing your bread box. Having a box is the most important thing. As long as it keeps moisture out, you’ll get similar results regardless of whether it’s metal or wood.
The most common material is wood because they look traditional. People also love that wood is generally more sustainable and recyclable than most other materials.
There are a lot of stainless-steel bread box options because stainless is so popular in modern kitchen design. People want their bread boxes to match their toasters, microwaves, and ovens.
You can also find bread boxes in ceramic and plastic, though they aren’t as popular as wood or metal.
Buy a bread box that is big enough to fit a week’s worth of bread in it. For some families, that means it should fit two or more standard loaves of bread. However, a smaller bread box will do just fine if you live alone or don’t eat much bread.
Other Reasons to Love Bread Boxes
Bread boxes work great if you’re solely looking for a way to keep your bread fresher. But, of course, bread has a limited shelf-life once it comes out of the oven. A good bread box won’t make your bread last forever, but it can make it last longer.
Typically, loaves of bread, like dinner rolls, baguettes, sourdough loaves, etc., will last around three days at room temperature if left out. The stuff you buy in plastic bags that people use to make sandwiches lasts longer, but that’s because it’s wrapped in plastic! If you do the same thing with your fresh bakery bread, you can eat it for up to a week.
Storing bread in a bread box is another line of defense against moisture. However, it won’t make your bread invincible. If you want your bread to live on beyond a few days, then you should either put it in the fridge or freeze it.
That said, there are plenty of other reasons why people love bread boxes. Here are a few:
Design
Having a bread box on your kitchen counter is a nice aesthetic touch. However, these days, bread boxes are a bit of a throwback to an age when they were more common. Before all the plastic wrap we use was common, people stored bread, butter, and other fresh goods in boxes to control moisture.
Some homeowners love how bread boxes look on the counter because they make their kitchen feel homier. You can find bread boxes in various colors, shapes, and sizes. Find one that matches the style of your kitchen, wall colors, or stainless-steel appliances, and make it an excellent kitchen accessory.
Functionality
If you have kids at home, you know how hard it is to keep a kitchen organized. Stuff always ends up in the wrong place. And good luck asking your kids to put the groceries away. They usually only know where things go when they need something to eat.
However, having a bread box makes things more obvious for kids, visitors, parents, and anyone else in your kitchen. It’s a place where all of your bread and related products can go, so everyone knows where to look when they want to grab a piece of bread.
Organization
Some people love the look of clean countertops in their kitchens. It’s not always easy to achieve, especially if you have a busy house, but bread boxes are a great organization tool that makes things look orderly at home.
Final Thoughts
Bread boxes aren’t magic devices, but they will help you keep your bread fresher than if you leave it out in the open. In addition, they’re affordable, so you can buy one to try at home. It beats keeping your bread on the counter, whether it’s wrapped in plastic or zipped in a bad.
Read some reviews online to find some high-quality bread box choices. Then, buy one you like and keep all of your sandwich bread, dinner rolls, and muffins inside. It will keep your bread tasting great and make your kitchen more organized.