Cooking basic
How to use and store stale bread safely
Recognise dry stale bread, reject spoiled bread and store useful slices before they go to waste.
Stale bread has lost moisture. It may feel dry, firm or chewy, but it should still look and smell like normal bread. That is different from bread which is mouldy, damp, unusually discoloured, slimy or has an unexpected smell.
Do not use mouldy bread
If any bread in a loaf shows mould, discard the whole loaf. Do not cut away the visible patch and use the rest: mould can spread through soft food where it cannot be seen. This follows Food Standards Agency advice on mouldy food.
Store it before it spoils
Keep bread covered in its original bag, a clean bread bin or another suitable container, following the pack instructions. If you will not finish it in time, freeze slices while they are still sound. Separating or portioning the slices before freezing makes it easier to take out only what you need. Defrost according to the pack instructions or toast suitable slices from frozen.
Put sound stale bread to work
Dry but sound bread can absorb custard in bread and butter pudding, become breadcrumbs for toppings or coatings, or be toasted for croutons. Check it again before use and discard it if there are any signs of spoilage.