Keeping bread fresh?

[TMikeR]

I bake bread 2 to 3 times a week, following a general no knead type recipe, baking in a Dutch oven. The day it's made, the bread tastes fantastic, but declines quite sharply the following day, and by the third day really needs toasting.
I tried storing in an air tight container as one method, and loosely wrapping in a clean tea towel as another, but the results seems the same, the bread declines quite sharply by the third day.
Anyone any suggestions on how to keep the bread fresher longer? If I tried more conventional knead/multi rise methods of baking, will the bread last longer? There are loads of these types of recipes and techniques, but with longevity and freshness of a few days in mind, and recommendations?
Thanks for any feedback!

 

[Barriehie]

I too bake bread frequently. I let it cool to room temperature and then it goes in a paper bag which is then placed in a plastic bag. I also add an egg yolk for every 400 grams of flour. The lecithin in the yolk is a natural preservative.

 

[badjak]

Freeze it

 

[TastyReuben]

One of the characteristics of classic no-knead Dutch-oven bread is that it develops a fantastic crispy crust…that deteriorates to soft and mushy in less than 24 hours. I’d have to go back and research it, but I think the guy who first popularized that method (Jim Something-or-Other) said that it was best consumed the same day.

To my knowledge, there really isn’t any way to preserve it and keep that crunch. I’ve seen people lightly spritz it with water and put it back in the oven to freshen/re-crisp it, but I’ve never tried that.

Traditional bread, in my experience, will last longer, but even then, you’re just looking at a few days for optimal quality. No preservatives has its trade-off, unfortunately.

Having stored mine every which way I could, I’ve found a dedicated, vented breadbox (like your grandma had) works best for me. No bags, no wraps, no fridge. Just toss it in the box and eat some every day until it’s gone, and if you can’t eat that fast, wrap the reminder well, freeze it, and use it for breadcrumbs and the like. My freezer is full of bits and bobs of bread!