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I thought it used to be that typical American-style soft bread which was left out of the refrigerator would get moldy within a short period of time. I remember (images?) of a single piece of white bread left out (probably for demonstration purposes), getting moldy over the course of a few days. That memory must be from ~40 years ago. But I also remember (from the 80s or 90s?) images of a (McDonald's hamburger) left out for a long time, and neither the bun nor meat going bad, demonstrating how many preservatives were being used.
For as long as I can remember, I've always kept bread in the fridge. That makes the texture much less pleasant, but stiff bread is better than moldy bread, right? I typically buy organic bread without artificial preservatives, except for the rye bread which I can't find in organic. Here in SC it gets hot and very humid, so mold-growth is faster than in other environments. I usually toast bread before eating it or making it into sandwiches (which I also store in the fridge for lunches for the next week) anyway.
But while my niece was here she never put her bread in the fridge. When she bought a loaf of an organic brand and left it out, it ended up getting moldy within a week or two, as I'd expect.
But another time she got a loaf of "Nature's Own Butterbread" and stuck it in the kitchen cabinet. When she moved out last week, there were still 6 slices left. The bread has been in there for at least 2 months, and still shows no signs of mold. It intrigues me, ergo this post.
Bread kept in its packaging must stay good longer compared to a single slice left out in the open air. But still, over 2 months seems a long time. Maybe typical "white" bread these days isn't the same as bread in the 1970s? I'd have thought the same amount of preservatives were already being used back then, but maybe not.
Also, the ingredient list for this bread doesn't even specifically mention any "preservatives":
unbleached enriched flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, sugar, contains 2% or less of each of the following: yeast, butter (made from milk), soy flour, wheat gluten, cultured wheat flour, salt, calcium sulfate, vinegar, monoglycerides, enzymes, monocalcium phosphate, soy lecithin, ascorbic acid, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid.
The vinegar and ascorbic acid may have some preservative effect.
According to The Best Preservatives for Bread, soy lecithin also acts as a preservative.
For as long as I can remember, I've always kept bread in the fridge. That makes the texture much less pleasant, but stiff bread is better than moldy bread, right? I typically buy organic bread without artificial preservatives, except for the rye bread which I can't find in organic. Here in SC it gets hot and very humid, so mold-growth is faster than in other environments. I usually toast bread before eating it or making it into sandwiches (which I also store in the fridge for lunches for the next week) anyway.
But while my niece was here she never put her bread in the fridge. When she bought a loaf of an organic brand and left it out, it ended up getting moldy within a week or two, as I'd expect.
But another time she got a loaf of "Nature's Own Butterbread" and stuck it in the kitchen cabinet. When she moved out last week, there were still 6 slices left. The bread has been in there for at least 2 months, and still shows no signs of mold. It intrigues me, ergo this post.
Bread kept in its packaging must stay good longer compared to a single slice left out in the open air. But still, over 2 months seems a long time. Maybe typical "white" bread these days isn't the same as bread in the 1970s? I'd have thought the same amount of preservatives were already being used back then, but maybe not.
Also, the ingredient list for this bread doesn't even specifically mention any "preservatives":
unbleached enriched flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, sugar, contains 2% or less of each of the following: yeast, butter (made from milk), soy flour, wheat gluten, cultured wheat flour, salt, calcium sulfate, vinegar, monoglycerides, enzymes, monocalcium phosphate, soy lecithin, ascorbic acid, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid.
The vinegar and ascorbic acid may have some preservative effect.
According to The Best Preservatives for Bread, soy lecithin also acts as a preservative.