November 22, 2021

BREAD BOXES: PERFECT FOR YOUR ARTISAN BAKING SUPPLIES

If you’re an aficionado of artisan bread or enjoy baking bread at home, you owe it to yourself to get the best investment you can buy when it comes to artisan baking: a bread box. 

Thought to be some two hundred years old, this traditional piece of kitchenware is making a comeback in the modern home as people are giving up store-bought, pre-sliced bread for healthier alternatives. Bread boxes extend the short shelf life of artisan and home-baked bread, allowing it to retain its optimal quality for three to four days, and sometimes up to a week.

If you’re serious about your bread, a bread box should be a priority for the artisan baking resources you need to get. To get familiar with this essential household item, here is a short primer that tells you what you need to know.

What is a bread box?

Known as a “bread bin” in the UK, a bread box is a container with the purpose of preserving your bread in optimal edible condition. This staple of kitchen counters across North America has an uncertain origin, but a specimen found in the Smithsonian dates back to the late 1800s.

How does a bread box keep bread fresh?

A breadbox can keep bread from going stale by creating a controlled environment that provides the perfect balance of conditions that allow it to retain its freshness. To keep it from going stale, bread needs to be in a moist environment, but not too moist; not only that, bread needs to breathe to keep its freshness.

A bread box can do all these things by:

1. Providing bread with a cool place with a constant room temperature that can prolong its crispy exterior and satisfying chew.
2. Offering a container with a loose lid, thereby introducing an airflow that can reduce condensation and prevent mold from occurring. 
3. Offering a container with a lid tight enough to slow the drying process and keep away pests, but without being airtight.

What’s wrong with storing bread in the refrigerator or freezer?

Unfortunately, because a cold environment will speed up the staling process, a fridge is a poor place to store your bread. It’s true that you can freeze bread to make it last longer, but it loses its chewiness after getting reheated in the microwave.

And although wrapping bread in plastic may be one way to protect it against the elements, this preservation process will ensure that your bread remains edible, but loses its crispy exterior.

Is a bread box environmentally friendly?

You bet! A bread box doesn’t require or use any plastic. Additionally, by helping to preserve your food, your bread box helps reduce food waste in your household.

Can you customize the chewiness of your bread with a breadbox?

Yes! Because bread gives off humidity, less bread will mean a lower humidity and less chewiness.

Bread box tips to remember

• Don't overfill
• Don't use with oversized bread (e.g. baguettes, boule)
• Keep bread unsliced and unwrapped
• Only put in freshly baked bread after cooling

Are you looking for a bread box for your home? Consider Berlinger Haus’ Bread Box with Metallic Door, a fantastic addition to your artisan bread baking supplies! 

With its sleek, stainless steel cover, this 15" x 11" x 7.25" bread box is large enough to hold two loaves of bread, and yet leaves enough room on your counter for all your cooking activities! This stylish and modern bread box provides the proper ventilation needed to keep your artisan and home-baked bread fresh and delicious! Available in Emerald, Rose Gold, Burgundy, and other colors.

Looking for more great kitchen products to complement your artisan baking resources? Explore Berlinger Haus’ Kitchen Accessories in our online store.

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