Can Bread Go Bad
At room temperature, bread has a short shelf life of approximately 3 to 7 days. Mold may be avoided and shelf life extended with proper sealing, storage, and use of the refrigerator or freezer. Throw away the entire loaf if mould is visible because mould can release toxic mycotoxins.
Before deciding to keep extra bread to use later, you should look into the question of whether or not bread goes bad, as well as the duration of the breads shelf life. Every loaf of bread is different, but most breads will keep for almost a week at room temperature as long as they are stored right (in bread boxes, brown paper bags, etc.). If stored and packaged correctly, one loaf of whole-wheat bread will last for around 5 to 7 days at normal room temperature. When storing bread at room temperature, homemade bread lasts for four days, whereas store-bought lasts a week.
By the way, if you’re interested in Can Bread Go Bad, check out my article on that.
Multigrain, whole-grain, and white store-bought loaves will last around 5 to 7 days in your pantry, whereas home-baked loaves typically last between 2 to 5 days. In general, most loaves last for a week at room temperature, and up to three to five days in the refrigerator – although remember, refrigerating will cause the bread to go stale. Wheat bread is a popular ingredient for many recipes, but it is important to note that wheat bread only lasts for about 3-5 days before going stale. You should avoid placing bread in the refrigerator, because it can make the bread become stale even more quickly than leaving the bread out to cool.
| Storage | Shelf life |
| At room temperature | 7 days |
| In refrigerator | 7-14 days |
| In pantry | 3-4 days(home made) 7days (store brought) |
Because bread that has been sitting at room temperature for that long is more than likely to grow mold, you will want to throw out your bread and get a fresh loaf. Keep in mind, you should toss the entire loaf, not just the moldy pieces, since mold also can contaminate bread beneath the surface. If you see signs of mold or mildew on the bread, or within its packaging, discard the whole loaf — do not simply discard the moldy individual slices.
Porous foods such as bread may have been contaminated by mold beneath the surface, past the point where you can see it, meaning that you should not simply throw out moldy spots and keep eating the rest. While many types of mold are completely harmless, there is always the risk you might become sick eating mouldy or expired bread. Eating moldy bread can definitely get you sick – and not just because it tastes terrible, but also because eating some types of mold could actually be dangerous for your health. If you decide to eat bread that is grown mold, is stale, or has a distasteful look or flavor, you could be setting yourself up to get food poisoning.
To learn about How To Preserve Garlic, check out my article where I cover everything you need to know.
If there is no mold present on the bread, you are free to continue eating it — just maybe you will not enjoy the flavor or texture. If there is any mold growing on your bread, do not just shave it off and eat it, get rid of it, because mold will damage your health and lead to severe illnesses. While it is most likely you will not become seriously ill eating some safe-looking bread, be aware that you are still eating mould spores — even if they are not showing yet.
Once bread loaves start tasting off-flavor, even if the surface does not appear to be covered in mold, you should toss them out. Remember, bread can spoil and smell terrible, even when you cannot see any visible mold on its surface. Bad bread typically has a vinegary or beer-like odor, and this is not going to be the case with the bread you are eating. If you consume an excessive amount of bad bread (especially if it contains mold), you can expect to experience diarrhea and vomiting within one to two days.
Technically, it is okay to eat expired bread, especially if it is been expired only for a day or two, but do it carefully at all times. Eating bread that is past its prime or past its shelf life is not always a good thing, and the truth is that you can generally safely eat bread for as long as 5-7 weeks past its printed expiration date. It all depends on the bread, but I would not expect any bread to hold its quality for longer than 3-5 days past the date. If bread is sealed correctly, you can expect it to keep for a couple of days longer than it will keep on the counter.
If you really do leave your bread out for too long (or make the mistake of letting it go cold) throw it in the oven, and you should be able to turn back quite a bit of staining, provided that you wrap it tightly enough to keep it from drying out. If you do not want to bother heating your bread, wrap it tightly in plastic and/or foil and leave it at room temperature; it will not be quite as good the next day, and will only worsen from there, but you should be able to squeeze some additional life out of the bread before it is not pleasant anymore.
Do not refrigerate your sourdough bread, because bread goes stale the fastest at temperatures ranging from 0-10 degrees Celsius, so refrigerating your sourdough bread will make it go stale a lot quicker than keeping it at room temperature. Store your sourdough bread in sealed containers so that it does not dry out and stale, preferably in cool, dry conditions so that mould does not grow. To preserve the sourdough bread fresh up to 3 months, tightly wrap the loaf with plastic wrap and freeze it at -18 degrees Celsius, this will keep the bread from becoming moldy and stale; after 3 months of freezing, the quality of the bread will begin to deteriorate.
Your stale loaf will not burn in the oven, since bread is baked at a relatively low temperature of 150 Celsius. Preheat your oven to 160 Celsius and dump your frozen loaf into the oven straight from the fridge. For icing, it is best to cut your bread ahead of time, so that you only take out what you need at a time.
If you are baking the bread, make sure that it is fully cooled down before you store it, so you can minimize the humidity levels and avoid mold. If you are storing your bread for a longer time, you are encouraged to put the loaf into a sealed baggie with a little desiccant or rice in it, which will help absorb any excess moisture and keep mould from growing. Check for moisture in your container or bag before you store the bread, as mold grows well in damp environments.
How long until bread goes bad?
Locally acquired bread, both multi-grain, entire grain, and white, goes on around 5 to 7 days in the storage space. While it could in any case be protected to eat following seven days, it’s generally flat by this point. With regards to custom made bread, you can store it in the storage space for around 4 to 5 days.
Can you eat bread 10 days after expiration date?
However long your bread is without form, you can eat bread after it has terminated. On the off chance that it is dry, it could taste better toasted, or even made into bread scraps for cooking with. It might taste flat whenever eaten crude. You likely will not appreciate it as much as expected, yet it won’t hurt you.
Can you get food poisoning from expired bread?
Bread can cause food poisoning. Mishandling causes food safety concerns with bread, including mould growth, streptococcus contamination, and undercooked dough. Food poisoning symptoms include nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, and diarrhoea and can appear as soon as 30 minutes after eating.