Bread mold how long

Short answer, yes there is! This post will of course be the longer answer, digging into some more food microbiology.

During baking several things happen in a bread that transform it in a great smelling, fluffy, brownie bread. However, as soon as the bread is out of the oven, some of these reactions start reversing themselves again. The decay of bread sets in almost as soon as the bread is taken out of the oven.

Once the bread comes out of the oven water will redistribute itself again, resulting in a softer crust. Also, the bread will start staling , it will become tougher and drier due to retrogradation of starch. The air will always contain moulds of some sort. Moulds can only grow under certain circumstances. The moulds need enough water, but not too much either, the temperature should be comfortable and there should be enough food.

Bread always contains enough food due to all the carbohydrates. Also, even though it might not seem obvious, bread contains quite a bit of moisture. Even though the outside is dry after baking, moisture from the inside will travel outwards. If bread is stored in a plastic bag you can see the moisture very well. The inside of the bag may get a little damp especially with warmer weather. The slightly moist enironment is perfect for moulds to grow. Storing a bag in a paper bag on the other hand will not create such a nice environment.

The paper will simply let the water through. Bread dries out more easily in a paper bag, but chances of it getting mouldy are also less! Most moulds grow best between room temperature and degrees Celsius. However, it does depend a bit on the type of mould. That said, storing you bread in a closed plastic bag on a hot summer day may result in moulds more easily than on a cold winter day. In a freezer, well below zero degrees Celsius, growth of moulds is virtually zero. The growth will be stopped.

In an oven moulds are killed, but as mentioned, these will probably come back again once the bread is out of the oven. However, the reason your bread had moulds is probably because you forgot about the bread or had a change of plans and had to postpone eating your bread. Unfortunately, there is no recipe for a significant extension of their shelf life yet. The stability and shelf life of bakery products , including bread, will depend on the bread type, preparation method, ingredients it contains, best by date, and the way of storing.

Most bakery products you can buy at the store contain preservatives that increase shelf life and prevent mold growth. To be sure, always check the expiration date that manufacturers print on the label. Bread has a best by date and never have a posted expiration date. In other words, you can eat it until it becomes moldy, sour, or stale.

The best you can do is check your bread for signs of spoiling before each consumption, such as:. As soon as bread gets an unusual odor, it is probably not safe for use. Be careful and never sniff it closely to avoid possible inhalation of mold spores.

Uncommon, warning smell can be yeasty, sour like vinegar, or sharp like alcohol. If you notice such a thing, get rid of bread immediately. The hard texture is the apparent sign of stale bread. Make croutons, French toast, or bread puddings to make it tasty.

As soon as bread loaf tastes sour, you should throw it away even though there is no mold on the surface. It is probably not dangerous for consumption, but it can make you sick if you have a sensitive stomach.

When mold starts growing over your bread, you will see white, green, blue, grey, or black spots over its surface.

They are a sure sign this product has become spoiled and not edible. The first mold type appearing on stale bread is Rhizopus Stolonifer, black bread mold. Once it occurs, it is time to buy a new bread loaf. Keep in mind that you need to throw away the whole loaf, not only moldy slices, since mold can also contaminate bread below the surface. You can do it in three common ways, but they all have both positive and negative sides.

Naturally, you will keep your bread in the kitchen or pantry at room temperature when you use it regularly. However, always seal this food properly after opening the package. If it is impossible, use a plastic storage bag to protect sliced bread from moisture and air or place it in a bread-box. Just place the loaf directly into the box without putting into a paper or plastic bag first. The inside of a bread box has just the right amount of air circulation to keep mold from being able to form and just enough humidity to keep bread soft and fresh.

The more bread there is, the more humidity will start to build up in the box. Bigger bread boxes are better than smaller ones as they allow for more air flow. These bags keep your bread air-tight while still allowing just enough air flow, so the bread breathes. Wrapping bread up in a large clean tea towel will get you the same results as a bag you purchased. A simple brown paper bag will keep bread from molding. Many bakeries sell their bread in brown paper for this very reason.

This method works really well for hard-crusted, rustic breads and will keep bread fresh for up to two days. Just keep the bag tightly closed and store out of direct sunlight. A kitchen cabinet will also work well to store bread and keep mold from growing. Place the loaf of bread into a paper bag or an open plastic bag. There will be just enough air circulation in the cabinet to prevent mold from developing yet not enough air that bread will dry out too quickly. If you have a deep enough kitchen drawer, consider storing bread there.

Mold needs just the right conditions to grow and storing your bread in a sealed plastic bag is going to provide those conditions — moisture and warmth. If you absolutely need to keep bread in a plastic bag, keep the bag open and place on your countertop out of the sun.

Not matter what anyone else tells you, your fridge is not the place to store bread. As the starch in the bread starts to crystalize, the moisture moves from the middle of the loaf to the outer crust. Some breads will get moldy more quickly than others. The top culprit for mold and staleness is French and white loaves of bread.

Darker breads, such as rye, sourdough , whole wheat, and whole grain, take longer to grow mold, but should still be stored using one of my methods mentioned here. Pre-sliced bread is more exposed to air and will get moldy much quicker than unsliced bread.