I have been there before, to be honest. I had a hard, crusty loaf of bread on my counter and thought, “Is this just old bread, or is it time to throw it away?” I’m not the only one! In just one day, bread can go from tender and fresh to very hard. The most important question, though, is: Is it safe to consume aged bread? What about those greenish-blue dots that appear like they came to a party you never threw?
Let’s look into this because it’s important to know the difference between “past its prime” and “just plain unsafe,” even though stale bread can occasionally be kept.
Is it OK to consume bread that is old?
First, the good news: you may usually consume stale bread as long as it isn’t moldy or too dry. When bread dries out, it turns stale. So, even though the bread is hard or chewy, it’s still good.
Retrogradation is the natural process that changes the texture of the bread. It happens when the starch molecules in the bread recrystallize and release water. This isn’t harmful for you; it’s simply really bad to eat on its own, especially if you were looking forward to the soft texture of freshly baked goods. But don’t toss it away!
Here are a few techniques to make old bread fresh again:
Put it in the oven at 350°F (175°C) for a few minutes to warm it up. This will provide moisture back to the bread.
Toast it: Stale bread makes great toast because it gets so crispy. Repurpose it: We’ll talk more about that in a minute, but old bread may be a terrific source of food.
If you wanted to have stale bread with jam or butter on top, you could be dissatisfied now. But that bread still has life in it if you want it to.
If you don’t want to eat stale bread as is, what can you do with it?
It’s not trash; it’s an ingredient. Some recipes even call for stale bread because fresh bread would undoubtedly make them worse.
Here are some wonderful things you can do with old bread:
Crumbs Put the stale bread in a food processor and pulse it to make it even drier. After that, put it in a container that doesn’t let air in. This bread is great for making meatballs bigger, breading different kinds of meat, or topping casseroles.
To create the croutons, cut the old bread into cubes, brush it with olive oil, season it, and bake it. Good for salads and soups.
For French toast, stale bread works better and lasts longer than fresh bread. Instead of crumbling apart and getting mushy, stale bread will absorb up the custard mixture.
This recipe for bread pudding works best with bread that is a touch old or stale. You can use old bread to prepare the dough for the recipe.
This Italian salad, called panzanella, needs stale bread, which makes it chewy when blended with juicy tomatoes and olive oil.
Stuffing: If you don’t mind, stale or slightly old bread usually works well for stuffing.
Use old bread and recipes to make something the next time you have them.
What about bread that has mold on it?
At this stage, things happen that you didn’t expect. Never eat bread that has mold on it. If you see mold on a small part of something you wish to eat, you shouldn’t just cut it off. It might not work with bread, but it might work with hard cheeses or dense vegetables. The reason for this is that bread has holes in it. The soft center of the bread helps mold spores spread throughout the loaf, even if you can’t see them.
People who are sensitive to mold may have problems breathing or have allergic reactions after eating bread that has mold on it. Some molds can generate mycotoxins, which are harmful substances that can make you sick and give you food poisoning.
It’s recommended to throw away bread that appears like the moldy loaf in that picture, with black or green stains. You have to be very careful!
How Long Does It Take for Mold to Grow on Bread?
This is a wonderful question, and the answer relies on a lot of things:
Moisture: Bread that is fresh and wet, such from a bakery or your kitchen, molds faster than bread that is drier and mass-produced.
Mold grows best in environments that are warm and wet. Things will go more slowly if it’s cooler and less humid.
Preservatives: Calcium propionate is a common preservative used in store-bought bread that stops mold from forming and keeps the bread fresh for longer. In every case:
At room temperature, fresh bread without preservatives can last for two to three days.
Loaf bread from the store with preservatives: It will last for at least a week if you keep it in a clean plastic bag.
Putting bread in the fridge may protect mold from forming for seven to ten days, but it may also make it go stale more quickly.
How to Keep Bread from Going Bad or Getting Moldy
You need a lot of ability to keep bread from getting stale and moldy too quickly.
What can you do now?
Keeping things at room temperature for a little while: Put the bread in a paper bag or bread box if you plan to eat it in a few days. If you can, don’t use plastic. Use it only when you have to. Plastic retains moisture in, even in bags that are only used for a brief time. These things can speed up the growth of mold.
Freezing items for a long time preserves them from going wrong and stops mold from forming. First, cut the bread so you can just take out what you need. Put the food in a freezer bag after wrapping it in plastic or foil to avoid it from suffering freezer burn.
Don’t go near the fridge most of the time. Bread grows stale faster when it’s in the fridge. The cold makes the starch go back to its natural condition more quickly. If you’re worried about mold and your residence is really hot or humid, only put it in the fridge.
Put it in a bread box or a canvas bag. These choices cut down the rate at which food goes bad (between the refrigerator and plastic) and let enough air in to stop mold from forming.
How to Store Different Types of Bread
Here are a few quick tips, since not every bread is the same.
Put sourdough or other artisan bread in a paper bag or bread box and leave it out at room temperature for two to three days, or longer if it’s frozen.
You can keep sandwich loaves in their original plastic bag for up to a week. Please put it in the freezer or make sure it is properly sealed again when you open it.
Without preservatives, handmade bread will go bad or mold quickly, usually in two to three days. Don’t consume anything you don’t want to.
Stale bread is safe to eat and perhaps better for some recipes in the end. It is dry and not harmful. Don’t eat bread that has mold on it, even if it looks like it was just touched. You don’t want to let mold spread since it could hurt your health.
Being a little proactive and moving swiftly when you need to will help you save money, cook for your family, and make your bread last longer. No one wants to throw away a perfectly good loaf of bread or, even worse, find out it’s too late when they toast it and see green fuzz.
When your bread is getting close to its expiration date, think about if it is moldy or stale. One leads to stuffing. The trash is on the other side. Choose wisely!