If you’ve ever had the problem of having some of the bread in your kitchen go off and start to grow mold you may be wondering whether you can actually toast the moldy bread. Will it kill the mold and is it safe to eat?
Toasting bread that has mold on it will not kill the mold and it will not make it safe for consumption. The reason for this is that the toasting process does not get anywhere near hot enough to kill the fungal spores that will be present in the center of the slice of toast as well as on the surface where you can see it.
In addition to the presence of mold, the bread will also contain large amounts of bacteria that is likely to also cause issues so if there are any signs of white or green spots on your bread you need to throw it out.
Will Microwaving Moldy Bread Make It Safe To Eat?
Microwaving will not make the bread reliably safe to eat even though it will heat the bread in the bread through the center resulting in significantly higher temperatures than if the bread is toasted. You are far better off to accept the inevitable and either throw to bread out, eat cereal instead, or buy a new loaf of bread.
How Do You Make Bread Last Longer
If you are somebody that is constantly throwing out bread all the time you may be wondering what options you have to ensure that the bread lasts longer and is ready to eat when you need it.
To ensure that you do not waste any bread that you purchased there are a couple of options that you do have, the first is to freeze the bread and only take out slices when you need them which tends to work best if you are mainly toasting the bread rather than making fresh sandwiches. This is a particularly good option if you are eating gluten-free bread which tastes better toasted anyway.
The second option is to purchase half loaves which have been increasingly offered by breadmakers because of the reduced number of people living in dwellings in Western countries, in particular. Half-loaves will reduce the quantity of bread that is thrown out if you are an infrequent eater of bread. However, this option works best if you are frequently visiting the local grocery store and are able to buy loaves every couple of days which may or may not be the case.
Once you have bread in your home the other important thing is to ensure that it doesn’t go off too quickly by storing it properly which will reduce the rate of decay. The best option is to store bread in a bread bin as that stops exposure to light which will slow down the degradation. Additionally, the bread bin should ideally be stored in a cool dark location to minimize the temperature that the bread is exposed to which will also slow down the growth rate of any mold that is present.
The next important thing to do is to ensure that the bread bag that the loaf comes in is sealed securely at all times to minimize the ability of the pathogens to get into the bread.
Some people also store bread in the fridge which does reduce the temperature at which the bread is stored, however, it does introduce an increased degree of moisture which is another key ingredient that helps mold to grow so generally speaking there is not a great deal of benefits from refrigerating bread as it will still go moldy and probably at a similar rate to bread stored outside of the fridge.
Does Homemade Bread Last Longer Than Commercial Bread?
Homemade bread does not last as long as commercially produced bread loaves that are created on a mass basis even though they may be 1 or 2 days old before you purchase them from the store.
The main reason for this is because the homemade bread does not contain any preservatives and therefore will generally go off much quicker, typically in a matter of a few days. Similar things can be observed in independent bakeries which also produce loaves of bread that do not contain any preservatives. Typically these types of bread will only last around 4 or 5 days before beginning to turn.
What Can I Do With Stale Bread That Is Yet Turn Moldy
Stale bread, unlike moldy bread, is ok to eat provided that it has not developed any mold. However, stale bread will have a crunchier texture that is generally not as nice to eat fresh bread so the options with stale bread are toast bread which will mean that you will largely not notice the difference between fresh and stale bread.
Alternatively, it can be used in dishes that are ideally suited to stale bread which are things like french toast, and bread and butter pudding because they are capable of absorbing greater volumes of liquids which is advantageous for those particular types of dishes.
The other option is to turn the bread into croutons which can be fried and then used on things like caesar salads to add a little bit of crunch and texture to them.
What Should I Do If I Accidentally Eat Moldy Bread?
If you have accidentally eaten bread that is a little bit moldy and not realized it until you have had a few mouthfuls then important thing is to make sure that you monitor your health over the next couple of hours to make sure that you’re not feeling unwell or nauseous.
If you do present with any symptoms it is a good idea to visit your local doctor to see if there is anything that can be prescribed. Typically, if you are going to experience any symptoms most commonly you will start to feel the impact within 2 to 3 hours of consuming the bread, however, it does vary somewhat depending on the nature of the contaminants there in the bread.
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