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Baked goods are among the very oldest foods, but despite modern times and all conveniences people have not managed to make baked goods stay fresh longer than a few hours. After a few days baked goods harden, go stale and mold. Therefore many people choose to put baked goods in the refrigerator or freezer. But is that correct?
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The main enemy of fresh baked goods is air. You will very rarely find someone whose baked goods have not molded at some point because of the air. This is particularly unpleasant when buying large amounts for the weekend or long holidays, and that’s why people often store baked goods in the refrigerator or freezer.
According to experts, however, that’s not a good idea at all!
To understand the reason, it is important to realize that mold in nature is something like our human garbage collector. It is literally present in the air all around us; when it comes to food it most often attacks items that contain water and its role is to decompose almost any food so that it does not become an obstacle in nature.
Mold therefore does not spare baked goods either, on which mold begins to act roughly after 48 hours from the actual baking. Mold becomes visible to the naked eye approx. after 3-5 days, depending on the type of baked good. We can extend this mold-free period by proper storage, but refrigerators and freezers certainly do not belong among those.
That is because refrigerators contain many bacteria, but above all completely insufficient cold. Refrigerators were designed to extend the shelf life of our fresh foods, but unfortunately this does not apply to baked goods. The moisture that forms in the refrigerator even promotes mold growth in baked goods, all the more so if it is even wrapped in a plastic bag.
According to experts this phenomenon occurs because baked goods contain starch
If baked goods are baked and then exposed to air and cold, starch recrystallization begins, which harms our baked goods. The starch found in baked goods returns to a crystalline form when cooled and the baked goods become very hard, completely inedible and then subsequently moldy.
It is therefore much safer to store fresh baked goods in the freezer, because the frost completely stops the recrystallization process and the baked goods thus remain edible for much longer. But according to scientists, many people do this completely wrong.
Experts warned about an unpleasant habit that affects several households, and it consists in people trying to freeze baked goods as soon as possible right after they bring them home fresh.
However, these baked goods are often still warm and in this state certainly do not belong in the freezer. Because they are still warm, the baked goods would warm the air around them and unwanted recrystallization would start again. Moisture would form in the bag and even though the baked goods would soon freeze, they could later become moldy.
How to store baked goods correctly
If you want to store baked goods in the freezer and do everything correctly, let the baked goods cool completely, then wrap them in foil and only then put them in the freezer.
