We’ve been putting baked goods in the freezer for years. My mother-in-law told me it was a terrible mistake.
It’s a fact that most of us have a habit of storing food that we don’t consume immediately in the freezer. However, this habit doesn’t always pay off, especially when it comes to baked goods. Imagine you wake up one morning and realise you don’t have any bread. In this case, you should reach for the one you have in the freezer. But is that really a good idea?
Mold in baked goods forms much quicker than we think.
Baked goods are prone to rapid mold formation, often as early as 48 hours after baking. Mold may not be visible to the naked eye, but it is already present in baked goods. Freezing bread stops the mould process. We need to know how old the bread is and whether it already contains hidden mould. And what about when we put warm bread in the freezer? This leads to steaming and also accelerates mould formation.
The real issue is defrosting.
Defrosting is the biggest challenge. Once baked goods are removed from the freezer and allowed to thaw at room temperature, moisture and heat will accelerate mould growth. Once thawed, the health risks increase.
Storage in the fridge is also not ideal.
Do you think it’s a good idea to store baked goods in the fridge because the temperature is lower there? The humidity in the fridge is also bad for the baked goods. Furthermore, there is a risk of contamination due to the fact that we store many other foods in the fridge.
I’m going to tell you how to store baked goods properly.
The best way to store baked goods is to consume them as fresh as possible, as soon as they have cooled. If you have to store it, let it cool and wrap it in a cloth bag or clean cloth and store it in the pantry or bread bin. Baked goods stored this way will last longer and remain tasty for longer.
