There's nothing like the aroma of freshly baked, hot bread from the bakery in the morning. No matter what your favorite kind of bread is, chances are you enjoy eating it fresh from the oven, still warm. For those who enjoy the crispy crust of French bread, it's hard to retain that characteristic crispness after a day. This is the reason why it is generally recommended to eat French bread the day it is baked. However, if you want to save French bread for more than a day, storing it properly will help keep it fresh.
Place leftover French bread on plate, with the cut side down, and cover with a kitchen towel. This maintains the crispy crust and the crumb will be fresh for the following day.
Place French bread in 1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bags if you want to keep the bread fresh for a few days more. Seal the freezer bags and leave at room temperature.
Wrap the French bread in aluminum foil and place in 1 gallon-sized freezer bags to freeze. Seal the bags tightly and place in the freezer. Frozen French bread should be eaten within one month.
Tip
Unsliced French bread will stay fresh enclosed in it's original packaging for 1 to 2 days.
If the crust gets soft, it will get crispy again by placing it in a heated oven for a few minutes.
Warning
Do not store in the refrigerator because the bread will dry out and become stale. It's better to freeze and thaw French bread you want to use later.
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Writer Bio
Based in Los Angeles, Zora Hughes has been writing travel, parenting, cooking and relationship articles since 2010. Her work includes writing city profiles for Groupon. She also writes screenplays and won the S. Randolph Playwriting Award in 2004. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in television writing/producing and a Master of Arts Management in entertainment media management, both from Columbia College.