It may seem like bread just won’t stay fresh long enough to bring on a camping trip. However, there is an easy method to help keep your bread soft and delicious.
To keep bread fresh when camping, put it in several Ziploc sandwich bags. Put two slices of bread into each sandwich bag, then put those into a large plastic bag. Next, tie the large bag shut with a bag tie. This will keep the natural moisture trapped with the rest of the bread, even when you open the bag to remove some.
Let’s take a look at the items you will need and the steps you should take to pack your bread effectively.
Items You’ll Need to Keep Bread Fresh
- A loaf of sliced bread.
- Several Ziploc sandwich bags that seal shut.
- A large plastic bag. The bag that a loaf of bread comes packaged in will work great.
- One bag tie.
How to Pack Your Bread for Camping
Below are three easy steps to pack bread for your next camping trip. Following these steps will help keep your bread as fresh as possible, preventing it from going stale or growing mold. Get ready for some fresh, tasty sandwiches!
1. Separate the loaf of bread into groups of two slices each.
Essentially, you want to pack your bread by putting two slices into each separate sandwich bag. You don’t have to pair up and pack the whole loaf, but you should definitely pack a little more than you think you’ll need. When you’re at the campsite, it’s much better to have extra bread than not enough.
2. Put two slices of bread into each Ziploc sandwich bag.
Place two slices of bread into each sandwich bag and seal them shut. By packaging the bread separately, you won’t allow the moisture from all of the other slices to escape when you open just one Ziploc bag. The bread’s natural moisture prevents it from going stale, so it’s important to keep the moisture trapped with the slices that you aren’t ready to eat yet. This is the most important step for keeping your bread fresh when you’re camping.
3. Place the sandwich bags inside of the large plastic bag.
Next, place the Ziploc bags into a larger plastic bag and tie it shut. If you have one handy, we recommend using a bag tie. Bag ties are very effective, but are also easy to remove and put back on.
This step is important for two reasons. First, carrying ten small sandwich bags can be difficult. By putting them all into one larger bag, the bread will be much easier to carry and pack.
The second reason is that the larger bag provides a second barrier, helping to trap in the natural moisture of the bread. Additionally, the bag will prevent the humid air at the campsite from reaching the bread. To keep your bread fresh, you want to avoid humidity as much as possible.
The plastic bag that a loaf of bread comes packaged in will work perfectly for this. They come with almost all packaged bread that you get from the supermarket. These bags also come with a bag tie, which are great for sealing the bag shut. Simply place all of the sandwich bags into this bag.
6 Tips for Keeping Your Bread Fresh
1. Bring packaged bread instead of homemade or bakery bread.
Packaged bread from the supermarket has preservatives in it to ensure that it stays fresh for as long as possible. Homemade bread, on the other hand, does not have any preservatives in it. This means pre-packaged bread will stay fresh for a longer period of time, which is crucial when camping.
2. Avoid putting bread in the cooler.
Believe it or not, bread goes stale much faster in the refrigerator than it does on the kitchen counter. When camping, you can apply this logic to your cooler. Your bread will go stale much faster in a cooler than it will outside. The ideal temperature for storing bread is about 68º F (20º C).
3. Consider the type of bread you are bringing.
Because different types of breads use different ingredients, some types will stay fresh and tasty for longer periods of time. For instance, white bread will typically become moldy faster than sourdough bread. Consider bringing sourdough or rye bread on your next camping trip.
4. Keep the bread out of direct sunlight.
Another great tip for keeping your bread fresh is to keep it out of direct sunlight. Sunlight will cause the temperature inside of the bag to increase significantly. The increased temperature will encourage and speed up mold and bacteria growth. Be sure to keep your bread bag covered and out of direct sunlight.
5. Do not leave your bread in the car.
As you probably know, the inside of a parked car can get extremely hot. In fact, when outside temperatures are just 80 degrees, the interior of a car can quickly reach above 130 degrees. These hot temperatures will heat up the inside of the bread bag, which will significantly speed up mold growth. Instead, you should store the bread at your campsite and out keep it out of any direct sunlight.
6. Only open the bag of bread when you need to.
The bag of bread should remain tightly closed at all times. The only time you should open it is when you are taking out slices to cook or eat. It’s important to keep the bread’s natural moisture trapped inside of the bag. Additionally, it’s important to keep outside moisture from entering the bag.
FAQ
How long will bread stay fresh?
If you are able to keep it stored in an airtight container, most bread should last 5 to 7 days. However, homemade or bakery bread will only stay fresh for around 2 to 3 days because they don’t have preservatives in them. For camping trips, we recommend that you bring store-bought packaged bread.
Frozen packaged bread can last up to 6 months. Although you aren’t able to keep bread frozen while camping, this is a good thing to keep in mind when storing bread at home. Homemade and bakery bread can also last up to 6 months in the freezer.
Is it safe to eat stale bread?
Yes, it is usually safe to eat stale bread. In fact, many delicious recipes for croutons and stuffing use stale bread as an ingredient. However, if the bread is moldy or smells sour, we don’t recommend eating it. Throw it away instead.
Is it safe to eat moldy bread?
We do not recommend eating bread that has any visible mold on it. We also do not recommend eating bread if it has a moldy or sour smell. Some people suggest that if you remove the moldy portion of the bread, then the rest is edible. While you may be able to eat it without getting sick, you are most likely still ingesting mold. Mold roots spread very quickly throughout the bread and aren’t always visible to the naked eye. In our opinion, you should not eat moldy bread at all.
Final Thoughts
Following these few simple steps should help keep your bread fresh while camping. However, it’s important to remember that the bread will still only be good for a few days at most. Additionally, if you’re camping in humid temperatures, your bread will likely go bad quicker. After a few days have passed, be sure to dispose of any left over bread.
Following these few simple steps and tips should help keep your bread fresh while camping. Your bread will stay fresh for a longer period of time, so you can whip up quite a few delicious sandwiches.
However, it’s important to remember that your bread isn’t going to stay fresh forever. Without the ability to freeze bread, it can only stay fresh for a limited time. If your camping trip is only a few days to a week, this method should help you keep it fresh for the majority of your trip.
Additionally, if you’re camping in humid temperatures, your bread may go bad a bit faster. Just remember to keep both the sandwich bags and the larger bag closed, and only open them to remove the slices that you need. Also, only remove the slices just before you begin cooking or eating.
That’s it, guys! Enjoy those fresh, tasty sandwiches. While you’re at it, fry me up a grilled cheese!
Do you have some great tips and tricks for keeping your bread fresh while camping? Let us know your thoughts and ideas in the comments below.
Happy camping!
Great tips. Thank you