Staling proceeds most rapidly at temperatures just above freezing, and very slowly below freezing In one experiment, bread stored in the refrigerator at 46ºF/7ºC staled as much in one day as bread held at 86ºF/30ºC did in six days If you’re going to use bread in a day or two, then store it at room temperature in a breadbox or paper bag, which reduces moisture loss while allowing the crust to remain somewhat crisp If you need to keep bread for several days or more, then wrap it well in plastic or foil and freeze it Refrigerate bread (well wrapped) only if you’re going to toast or otherwise reheat it Bread Spoilage Compared to many foods, bread contains relatively little water, and so it often dries out before it becomes infected by spoilage microbes Keeping bread at room temperature in a plastic bag allows moisture from the staling starch granules to collect on the bread surfaces and encourages the growth of potentially toxic molds, especially bluegreen species of Aspergillus and Penicillium, gray-white Mucor species, and red Monilia sitophila The Virtues of Stale Bread Cooks have long known that stale bread is a very useful ingredient in its own right It is more robust than fresh bread, and retains its sponge-like structure in wet preparations that would cause fresh bread to disintegrate, such dishes as bread salads, bread puddings, and pain perdu Similarly, bread crumbs retain their individual identity when wetted, and can serve as tender binding agent in stuffings, panades, and breadings for frying The source of dry bread’s structural integrity is its starch When it retrogrades, it forms some regions that are extremely ordered and stable and that hold the rest of the starch network strongly together (p 458) ... starch When it retrogrades, it forms some regions that are extremely ordered and stable and that hold the rest of the starch network strongly together (p 458) .. .of potentially toxic molds, especially bluegreen species of Aspergillus and Penicillium, gray-white Mucor species, and red Monilia sitophila The Virtues of Stale Bread Cooks have long known that stale bread is... Similarly, bread crumbs retain their individual identity when wetted, and can serve as tender binding agent in stuffings, panades, and breadings for frying The source of dry bread’s structural integrity