Yes, the authentic Baguette bread is delicious but sadly it has a short shelf life and we deserve a bread that stays fresh longer than a day. We don’t want our bread to die young, as even for sale purposes a day-old bread is often not fresh if it isn’t stored well.
Fortunately, today, we have a few great ways to store our baguette bread, plus a few backup plans that won’t let it deal with the risk of becoming stale.
Use It Fresh
The first rule is to use and relish the baguette the same day you buy or purchase it. This is the best thing you can do, as it is so thin and narrow and it goes stale rather quickly too.
That’s why we don’t see a huge quantity of this bread in the bakeries either. They offer only a limited number of baguette bread, and they vanish from their shelves rather quickly.
If you are buying it from a popular, known bakery, there is a proper system for their baguette bread pieces that don’t cause them to soften or become soggy.
Know the Shelf Life
Before storing your bread, it is pertinent to know how long a baguette bread last. Since perceiving the life duration of bread will allow you to store it in a better way.
For example, if you are buying it from a bakery, you don’t have too many hours to enjoy it as they bakeries already use different techniques to maximize the shelf life of their products.
Once you open the original packaging of the bread, it is important to store at once because the room temperature changes and it can diminish the bread taste.
In case you are making the bread on your own, you have a couple of hours. You don’t need to store it at once; it is indeed better to cool it at room temperature.
Don’t Store the Baguette Bread in Plastic
Never try to store the baguette bread in plastic. I know some people opt for plastic and it is a very common practice. They believe storing the bread in plastic stops the airflow, however, this isn’t the actual case.
Plastic is kind of like an enemy to your bread. Yes, it does stop the airflow but at the same time, it doesn’t let the moisture of the bread escape.
This causes mold growth and makes the bread rather chewy. It stales more quickly. There is another drawback of storing your baguette bread in the plastic.
This may sound silly; the crust of the baguette bread which gives the actual taste is also eliminated.
Use Paper Bags to Store Baguettes
Now the real question is what to use if not plastic. Well, store your baguette bread in paper bags. This is the best option you have to protect it for the long term.
Paper bags work in a very unique way. They allow your breath to breathe and don’t let the moisture stuck inside, while still limiting the air movement.
This thing protects the crust of the bread and doesn’t let too much air movement dry out the loaves either.
Some people complain that using the plastic bag protects the crust but it dries out some parts of the bread if they keep it inside the paper bag for 4-5 days.
This is true, however, you can deal with it and use the oven to prevent it. Your baguette bread will easily last for 5-8 days.
Use A Breadbox
Don’t trust paper bags? No issue, get the breadbox. It has an environment that balances humidity and air circulation. If you haven’t used a breadbox before, you will certainly love its features.
It is highly stylish and utterly functional. This box can keep your bread fresh and delicious for up to a week. Though, bear in mind, that these boxes are available in different materials too.
For example, in the wooden breadbox, mostly the acacia wood is used. It brings a little-bit old world charm to your kitchen.
The wooden boxes have a rattan insert that keeps the right amount of air circulation. It is known as the most eco-friendly and food-safe material.
You can also the metal bread box. It doesn’t absorb the moisture and odor which is immensely necessary for storing the baguette bread.
Slice It and Freeze It
Don’t have the plan to eat your baguette bread right away? Freeze it. For some people, it is not possible to freeze the entire bread due to its size and space.
In this case, you can slice the baguette bread into individual pieces. Next, wrap them up tightly with a double layer of plastic wrap. Using a single wrap isn’t good.
Double wrap ensures no part of the bread is exposed to the air. Once it’s wrapped correctly, put it in the 0-degree Fahrenheit freezer. If it receives the constant 0-degree temperature, you won’t have any issue storing it for up to 8 months.
Take It Out From Freezer When You Plan To Use It
Lastly, only revive it or take it out of the freezer if you are planning to use it. Also, avoid placing your bread in the freezer door as it can’t keep the constant temperature.
Besides, the changing of temperature over and over will also dry out the baguette more quickly. You will start noticing off smell or unusual appearance which will compel you to discard the entire baguette.
Conclusion
Please, remember, you can only freeze a fresh baguette bread. Freezing a day-old bread won’t give you the results you need and it won’t keep your bread fresh either for the long term.
When it comes to reviving, there are a few methods that work.
For instance, you can wet the cover. Run the tap water over the bottom of the bread. As the cover gets wet, put it inside the oven directly for 10 minutes at least. Make sure the temperature is 400 degrees Fahrenheit; if it is less, you must heat it for closer to 15 minutes.
This strategy makes the baguette bread’s crust crispy again.
Some people thaw the baguette bread on the counter too for a few hours after removing it from the freezer bag; they don’t directly put it inside the oven.
Once it is thawed a little, they put it in the oven at 200 degrees. This strategy of reviving the baguette bread also works but in my experience, it isn’t suitable for having a crispy crust.