How to Store Sourdough Bread

Here’s everything you need to know about how to store sourdough bread so it stays fresh longer. I’ll teach you the best methods for storing homemade sourdough bread at room temperature; the best way to freeze sourdough bread; and how to refresh and reheat leftover sourdough bread.

The short answer: store sourdough bread in a breathable bag at room temperature for 3 days; after that, it’s best to freeze it.

There’s a lot more that goes into storing sourdough bread, though, so read on!

two loaves of sourdough bread being stored in a brown paper bag one loaf is sliced and one isnt

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Table Of Contents

How Long Does Homemade Sourdough Bread Last

two loaves of sourdough bread in a brown paper bag one sliced with buttered slices next to it

Homemade sourdough bread lasts up to 5 days at room temperature. However, the taste and texture significantly decline after the first day.

Since homemade sourdough bread has no preservatives, like commercial loaves, it goes stale more quickly. However, the good bacteria in sourdough bread help to prevent mold as opposed to loaves made with commercial yeast.

Best Way to Store Sourdough Bread

kyrie with healthfully rooted home wearing a pinafore apron placing a loaf of sourdough bread in a brown paper bag for storage

The best way to store your sourdough bread depends on 3 things:

What qualities of the bread you want to keep, and which you’re willing to sacrifice (ie. crusty outside, soft inside).
How you plan to use the bread (ie. toast it, bread and butter, french toast, etc.)
What materials you have on hand.

I’ll address each of these in detail below.

How to Store Sourdough Bread to Keep it Crusty

Keeping sourdough bread crusty after day 1 is actually quite easy. It’s keeping it soft and crusty that can be tricky.

kyrie with healthfully rooted home wearing an apron storing sourdough bread in a brown paper bag

To keep leftover sourdough bread crusty, it’s best to store it in a breathable bag like a paper bag, cloth bread bag, or beeswax wrap at room temperature for up to 3 days.

How to Store Sourdough Bread to Keep it Soft

Keeping sourdough bread soft after day one is very difficult. You can do this most efficiently by using a bread box (see tips below if you don’t have a bread box).

However, if you want to keep your bread soft and don’t care about the crusty outside, you can store it in a plastic bag. Be sure to use the bread within 3-days if using this method since the plastic bag will cause the bread to mold faster.

When to Store Sourdough Bread in a Plastic Bag

When you’re freezing it
When you don’t care about the crusty outside and want to keep it softer
If you’re going to eat it within 3 days
When you’ve made an enriched dough like rolls or sandwich bread
If you live in a very low-humidity area

When to Store Sourdough Bread in a Paper Bag

sourdough bread boule being stored in a brown paper bag placed on a wooden cutting board next to a white and blue striped tea towel

When you want to keep it crusty
If you’re planning on toasting it
If you live in a normal to high-humidity area (the moisture from your environment will help to keep the bread softer)
If you haven’t sliced the loaf yet

Do’s: How to Store Sourdough Bread

sourdough loaves stored in brown paper bags with a white and blue tea towel underneath and half of the bread peaking out of the bags

Store in a breathable bag
Store in a bread box (or equivalent) – the bread box works because the moisture from the bread raises the humidity inside the box without getting too moist (like it would in a plastic bag).
Store cut side down – after slicing, simply flip the bread onto the flat side (where you sliced). In this case, the crust acts as a ‘bag’ or barrier to keep the inside soft. Only do this for the first 24 hours of storing your bread.
Store at room temperature – room temperature is the optimal temperature for storing leftover sourdough bread to keep it fresh.
Store in the freezer – storing in the freezer is the way to go after day 2 of storing your bread.
Wait 1-2 hours before slicing fresh sourdough bread – this helps the bread to fully cook, lock in moisture, and stay fresh longer after slicing.

Dont’s: How NOT to Store Sourdough Bread

Store in the refrigerator – this will dry out your bread much faster than room temperature.
Plastic bags – The plastic bag wont create enough air circulation, making the environment too moist as the bread releases it’s moisture, causing the crust to get soggy and mold to form faster. There are some exceptions to this, see the section above ‘when to store sourdough bread in plastic bags’.
Over or under ferment your dough – Keeping your bread fresh for longer starts even before baking the dough. If you over or under ferment your dough, it will negatively impact how long it stays fresh.
Over or under bake your dough – baking your dough at the right temperature and for the optimal amount of time will help to keep your bread fresh longer.

How to Keep Sourdough Bread Fresh on Day One

Keeping sourdough bread fresh on day one is not difficult, and you have tons of options!

a kitchen with a breakfast nook in the background and two loaves of sourdough bread on the island countertop being stored in brown paper bags

How to refresh same-day sourdough bread

Same-day sourdough bread usually doesn’t need refreshing, unless you’ve let it sit for over 5 hours, or if you’ve sliced it and want more several hours later. Here’s how to refresh it in those cases:

Soft bread – For soft bread, spray some filtered water over the crust then place it in a 300F oven for about 5-10 minutes.
Toasted bread – You can also toast it, but this seems like a waste for same-day sourdough bread!

How to Keep Sourdough Bread Fresh on Day Two

Sourdough bread significantly declines in freshness after day one. Day two storage for sourdough bread is more limited than day one, and you’ll find the need to refresh it much more.

Bread box – this is the best way to store your bread on day two. See below for what to use instead of a bread box.
Paper bag
Linen reusable bag
Beeswax wrap
Bread box
Tea towel

How to Refresh Day-Old Sourdough Bread

Refreshing day-old sourdough bread is similar to the same-day refresh, however, you might be more inclined to toast it since it’ll have dried out a bit more.

Soft bread – For soft bread, spray some filtered water over the crust then place it in a 300F oven for about 5-10 minutes.
Toasted bread – Slice the bread, slather butter on top, and toast it on high broil for several minutes.

What to Use Instead of a Bread Box

Would you like the benefits of having a bread box without having to buy another kitchen item? Here are some unique ways to keep your sourdough bread fresh without a bread box, but get the same effect.

basket with stems on top and a cake stand with homemade english muffins inside on a granite countertop

1. Store Sourdough Bread In the Microwave

The microwave actually provides a very similar environment to a bread box. Here’s how to store leftover sourdough bread in the microwave.

Cool the bread completely
Wrap the sourdough bread in a tea towel or paper bag
Place in the microwave
Use within 3 days

2. Store Sourdough Bread In a Dutch Oven

That’s right, the same dutch oven you likely used to cook the sourdough bread can be used to store it too!

Cool the bread and dutch oven completely
Wrap the sourdough bread (cut or whole) in a tea towel
Place in the dutch oven with the lid on
Use within 3 days

3. Using a Cake Stand to Store Sourdough Bread

This method provides an aesthetic benefit as well as storage.

Cool your bread completely
Wrap (or not) the loaf in a tea towel or paper bag
Place in the cake stand with the lid on
Use within 3 days

How to Store Homemade Sourdough Bread in the Freezer

The best way to store sourdough bread long-term is in the freezer as either a whole loaf, or in slices. After day two of storing your sourdough bread, it’s best to freeze it. Here’s how to do both methods:

How to freeze a whole loaf of sourdough bread

Cool the loaf completely
Wrap the bread in plastic wrap, or wax paper.
Take the wrapped loaf and put it into a plastic freezer bag, remove all air from the bag, and seal it shut.
Place the loaf in the freezer for up to 3 months.

How to freeze slices of sourdough bread (with pictures)

Time needed: 20 minutes

How to Freeze Slices of Sourdough Bread

Cool the loaf
Completely cool the loaf of sourdough bread.
Slice the loaf
Slice your loaf of sourdough bread into 1-inch slices and place on a baking sheet.
Partial freeze
Place the baking sheet into the freezer for about 15 minutes until the bread is slightly frozen.
Wrap up
Place the slices of bread in a brown paper bag, wax paper, or plastic wrap, then place those in a plastic gallon-size freezer bag.
Store in freezer
Store your sliced sourdough bread in the freezer for up to 3 months.

How to Reheat Sourdough Bread After Being Frozen

fresh loaves of homemade sourdough bread in brown paper bags with a blue and white tea towel next to them

Whole frozen loaf refresh

Remove the loaf from the freezer and let it defrost inside the bag for several hours.
Remove the loaf from the bag, then spray some filtered water over the crust then place it in a 300F oven for about 5-10 minutes.

Refreshing sliced frozen sourdough bread

The best way to refresh frozen slices is to toast them. To do this, I simply place the frozen slices on a baking sheet under a high broiler for a few minutes, then slather them with butter.
You can also let the slices defrost on a baking sheet, spray them with water, then place them in a 300F oven for about 5 minutes.

Best Sourdough Bread Bag

The best bag to store sourdough bread in is one that is breathable. Paper bags, beeswax wrap, tea towels, or a reusable cloth bag are all great options. Here are my favorite choices for each:

sourdough bread slices in a brown paper bag

Ways to Use Leftover Sourdough Bread

burrata bruschetta italiana on a wooden cutting board with fresh basil leaves peaking through the side

Toast it – this is my go-to method for using up leftover sourdough bread. It’s simple and still tasty!
Grilled cheese – try my grilled cheese with honey and garlic confit. Also, learn how to make a grilled cheese without butter here.
French toast – I love making sourdough bread on Saturday so I can make the family homemade french toast on a Sunday morning with the leftovers.
Breadcrumbs – grind the leftovers into bread crumbs and use in meatloaf, to bread chicken, or however else you like to use breadcrumbs.
Croutons – chop up into dices, drizzle with olive oil and bake until crispy, and use as croutons.
Bruschetta – use as the bread for my burrata bruschetta italiana!

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Dutch oven
Brown paper bags for sourdough bread
Cloth bags for sourdough loaves
Beeswax wrap
Tea towels
Bread box

How to Store Sourdough Bread FAQ

Can I store sourdough bread in a ziplock bag?

Storing leftover sourdough bread in a plastic bag is not the best method to retain freshness. However, there are some instances where storing in a plastic bag is best – for example, if you’re freezing the sourdough bread, or if you live in a very low-humidity environment.

How do you keep sourdough bread crusty?

To keep sourdough bread crusty you’ll want to store it in a breathable bag, or a bread box.

Why is homemade bread hard the next day?

Homemade bread dries out very quickly since it’s not loaded with all the preservatives of commercial bread you find at the store. Knowing how to store homemade bread the right way will help to prevent it from drying out.