Moldy Bread

[circlew]

Bread has been returned to the store, and a full refund made.

I bought that bread because I enjoy eating good bread, and this didn't meet that description. The mold was in several parts of that loaf; I suppose if I was starving I could have eaten it, but in this case I wouldn't have found it very pleasant.

 

[ea56]

Tom,

I completely understand your being dissatisfied with opening a loaf of bread just purchased and finding it molded. I’d return it too! When I say I wouldn't toss the rest of a loaf I’m operating under the assumption that either I’d baked the bread myself or it was a loaf I’d purchased and had for a few days.

But absolutely a freshly purchased loaf should be fresh and free of mold when opened after purchase, and returned if not.

I meant no offense.

Eddie

 

[circlew]

No offense taken, Eddie. I wish I could taste some of your delicious bread - or pie!

 

[sudsmaster]

The problem is that bread mold is somewhat toxic. Perhaps a lot toxic.

Whereas mold on stuff like cheese can simply be cut away with not health issues.

I learned about the dangers of moldy bread in my teens. No thanks.

And with "all that's going on", why add bread mold to your risk level?

Again, if it's a long loaf, and the mold is only at one end, then possibly you could eat some from the other end. However, you cannot usually see the nearly invisible mold tendrils that invade the loaf. Why take that risk?

 

[ea56]

Rich,
I totally respect you viewpoint on mold and bread. You have to do what you feel is right for you. I even happen to be allergic to mold and received bi-weekly allergy shots for mold and several other allergies from ‘91 thru ‘19. I can honestly say that I’ve never to my knowledge become ill from eating bread that came from a loaf that had a little mold on part of it.

Of course if a loaf of bread had a lot of mold I’d toss the whole thing, as common sense would dictate. But one slice and the rest is clean and smells and tastes fresh, I’ll take the chance.

Maybe thats the extent of my life's walk on the wild side, LOL.

Eddie

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

My sister tried to remove mould from a loaf of bread to enjoy peanut butter sandwiches but more and more mould would appear—that being the only bread in the house had been all but a case for child protective services…

Sad, what renders something good and nutritious like bread inedible… Maybe I need to consider making my own… I have flour and yeast…

— Dave

 

[mrboilwash]

AFAIK mold on food can be anything from absolutely harmless to quite dangerous because of the toxins some kinds of molds produce when they metabolize the food.
The problem is you can never tell what kind of mold you`re dealing with and some of the toxins might give you nasty diseases like liver or kidney failure or cancer if you consume them again and again.

I`m not a believer but wasting food I consider a sin, even more so if an animal has been exploited producing the food. So I don`t stock up more than I can use up.
But if anything has spoilt which rarely happens I also have no problem to toss it.

 

[sudsmaster]

Well, like I said, mold on stuff like cheese, especially if it's aged with mold, is said to be relatively harmless. And at present I forget which cheeses come with a mold wrapper. LOL.

Mold on bread, nope, not good.

When I was in college, there was a course called "Molds and Man". I never took it, but now I wish I had.

Then there are the "Moldy Oldies", but that a whole nother kettle of fish (old pop music, mostly).

 

[foraloysius]

My brother, who worked for the Dutch health authorities always warned for the dangers of moulds. Some worse than others. Since then I always kept bread in the freezer and take out what I need.

Make sure the slices are separated from eachother and put it on it's bottom so the slices don't get pressed together. In that way chances are smaller than they will stick together. When thawed it tastes as fresh as when it was frozen.

Keeping bread in the fridge is not a great idea. It may keep longer but it's taste is also affected and it may even dry out. That will not happen when you freeze it.

 

[labboy]

When I buy a loaf of sliced bread, I will put a few slices in a Ziploc for immediate use then put the rest in the freezer.

My background is clinical lab science and I have taken a lot of microbiology. I never wanted to chance eating moldy bread so would throw the whole loaf away if I observed any mold. I am even more careful now due to receiving chemotherapy. (I love blue cheese, brie, smoked fish and those are all off limits to me now for the time being.)

Bob

 

[adam-aussie-vac]

In my house,

Everybody has a different Bread because that’s what they like, with me I buy a full load and then slice it up (slices are barely thin enough to fit into the white slots of my Sunbeam automated toaster) if I’m not making toast within the next 15 minutes after slicing up the bread into the freezer the entire loaf goes

 

[ea56]

As I’ve mentioned before I bake all of the bread that we eat. I bake a fresh loaf of whole wheat or white sandwich bread about every 5-6 days. We each eat a half of a sandwich for lunch everyday and Fridays is sandwich night for dinner and of course we each have a whole sandwich for dinner that night.

I let the bread cool completely then slice the whole loaf using a West Bend Slicing guide so each slice is uniform. Then I wrap the sliced loaf tightly in plastic wrap, place it in a plastic produce bag and then into a large ziplock bag, which is then placed into a plastic bread box in the pantry. I’m very careful how I handle and store the bread I’ve baked. Every time after I take any slices from the loaf I carefully re warp it just as before, this keeps the bread fresh and mold free. I find that freshly baked bread stays fresher at room temperature, freezing works well for store bought bread because they use preservatives, home baked bread of course doesn’t have any preservatives in it. IMHO it becomes drier after freezing and never has the same fresh taste as bread stored at room temperature..

Occasionally, during warmer weather after the 4th day I may find a small white spot on the most outside slice of the loaf, with the rest of the loaf still being untouched by any sign of mold. That slice will be discarded and the rest of the loaf then is placed into the fridge to keep any further mold from developing.

I’ve been doing this since the beginning of 2018 with no adverse effect on the health of either of us.

I bake every bit of bread that we use, sandwich bread, hot dog buns, hamburger buns, dinner rolls, rustic crusty sourdough loaves, all of it. And I believe that its way more wholesome than anything I could be buying in the store. I enjoy the whole process of baking our daily bread.

Of course if a loaf was badly molded or had green mold I’d discard it, but that has thus far not happened.

This is the way I was raised. None of us ever got sick from following these guidelines and neither have I or my husband. And as I mentioned before I’m allergic to mold, if anyone was going to have an adverse reaction to bread mold it would be me, so I must be doing something right in the way I keep bread mold at bay.

Eddie

 

[sudsmaster]

Well, to be honest, I cannot remember the last time I bought a loaf of bread. I have a half loaf (still in the original wrapper) in one of the freezers. Eventually it's going to make its way out to the compost bin.

Why? Well, I prefer rice, noodles, and pasta for my carbs.

Periodically I do buy some packaged frozen hamburgers complete with buns and cheese. But I'm trying to wean myself off those as well. No one's perfect.

 

[ea56]

So Rich, based on you post above who has more experience with handling and storing bread, you or I?

As I said before I appreciate your viewpoint on moldy bread and consuming it. And I agree, bread that is really moldy needs to be discarded. I just come from a different perspective than you since I do bake, eat, use and store bread on a regular daily basis.

I respect your opinions and think of you as a friend. You do you and I’ll do me.

Eddie

 

[sudsmaster]

Eddie,

I suppose you have "more (recent) experience with handling and storing bread". However bread mold has not changed over the past century, so I don't know if your more recent experience matters much. It's more of a scientific question, and science tells us that bread mold is not healthy to consume, regardless of how much bread one has handled.

However I'm willing to admit that my aversion to bread mold might result in acceptable bread being relegated to the dumpster or compost bin. That's a sacrifice I'm willing to take in the interest of health.

Better safe than sorry.

 

[foraloysius]

We're meaning well Eddie. Keep in mind that when you get older that your resistance may become less. What wouldn't make you ill in the past can do that when you get older. Just a suggestion, you could freeze half the bread you bake and take it out of the freezer again after you and David consumed the first half? Worth trying I think.

 

[combo52]

Keeping Bread Fresh

Bread should be put in the freezer, not the refrigerator, putting in the refrigerator only helps a little and it does not taste good after just a week or so whereas putting it in the freezer it will keep for months and you just take out the slices you need.

 

John L.

 

[mrboilwash]

Of course the freezer is a way better option to keep bread fresh.
It just doesn`t work for me because my freezer is always crowded with other stuff whereas my refrigerator is barely half full.
I know it`s not perfect but at least I don`t have to throw any bread away.

Wonder if my grandma exaggerated a bit about the American habit of keeping bread in the fridge, but in the 40s and 50s freezers were still a luxury and everybody had a toaster to crisp stale but mold free refrigerated bread a bit up.

 

[vacerator]

Summer high humdity and temps. perhaps?

I had to toss almost an entire package of Egglands best pre boiled eggs which had gone slimy and tan. They always last us 2 weeks in winter, even after opening.