Sliced store-bought bread keeps about 3–5 days on the counter, going by USDA FoodKeeper's entry for commercially baked whole wheat bread. Homemade bread keeps 3–5 days and fresh bagels 1–2 days. In the freezer, bread keeps its quality for about 3 months.
Past the best-by date, bread is fine to eat as long as there's no mold; it may just be drier. If you see mold on any part of the loaf, throw the whole thing out. Bread is porous, and USDA says mold can reach below the surface where you can't see it.
Storage Facts
Bread, at room temperature unless noted
- Store-bought sliced bread, counter
- 3–5 days
- Same, freezer
- 3 months
- Homemade bread, counter
- 3–5 days
- Fresh-baked bagels, counter
- 1–2 days
- Bagels, freezer
- 3 months
- Flour tortillas, pantry from purchase
- 3 months
How long each kind of bread lasts
FoodKeeper has separate entries for several kinds of bread. Where a time says “from purchase,” the clock starts the day you buy it, not on the printed date.
| Bread | Counter | Fridge | Freezer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sliced bread, commercially baked | 3–5 days | Not recommended (goes stale) | 3 months |
| Commercial breads, rolls, buns, flat breads | 14–18 days from purchase | 2–3 weeks after opening | 3–5 months |
| Homemade bread | 3–5 days | Not recommended (goes stale) | 3 months |
| Bagels, fresh baked | 1–2 days | Not recommended (goes stale) | 3 months |
| Muffins, packaged | 3–7 days | Not recommended (goes stale) | 3 months |
| Cinnamon rolls, baked | 1–3 days | No USDA time | 3 months |
| Doughnuts | 1–2 days from purchase | 2 days after opening | Not recommended |
| Flour tortillas | 3 months from purchase | 3 months after opening | 6 months |
| Corn tortillas | 25–45 days from purchase | 60–90 days from purchase | No USDA time |
USDA has no separate entry for sourdough, rye, gluten-free bread or English muffins, so we don't give numbers for them. Go by the date on the package and check for mold. Canned or tubed dough (biscuits, crescent rolls) is a different product with a use-by date; see refrigerated dough.
Why the numbers don't match
FoodKeeper gives two very different answers for store bread: 3–5 days for sliced, commercially baked whole wheat bread, but 14–18 days from purchase for its broader “commercial bread products” entry. It also lists that entry at 2–3 weeks in the fridge after opening, while its whole wheat entry says refrigeration isn't recommended because the bread goes stale.
USDA doesn't explain the gap. Its homemade bread entry hints that preservatives matter: homemade bread “ may have shorter shelf life due to lack of preservatives.” Warmth matters too; FSIS notes that most molds prefer warmer temperatures, though they can grow in the fridge as well. In practice, plan on the shorter figure for a loaf on the counter, use the date on the bag as a guide, check for mold before each use, and freeze what you won't finish.
Is bread good after the best-by date?
Usually, if there's no mold. Bread dates are set by the bakery, and you'll usually see a best-by date, sometimes a bare date or a sell-by date for the store. USDA defines a best-by date as when a product “will be of best flavor or quality. It is not a purchase or safety date.” FDA puts it the same way: “If stored properly, a food product should be safe, wholesome, and of good quality after the quality date.”
So the date tells you when the bread may start to taste less fresh. It doesn't tell you when it becomes unsafe; mold does. See what best-by means and what a sell-by date means.
Half a loaf left and the date is Friday? Scan the bag once. FreshScan reminds you two days before, which is enough time to make toast, stuffing or croutons, or to freeze the rest.
Free on theApp StoreMold: what to do
- Throw out the loaf. USDA's mold chart puts bread and baked goods in the discard column: porous foods can be contaminated below the surface. Don't cut off the spot or salvage slices from the other end.
- Don't sniff it. USDA warns that sniffing moldy food can cause respiratory trouble.
- Bag it and clean up. Wrap it or put it in a small bag before throwing it away, then check nearby food it may have touched and clean the breadbox or shelf where it sat.
Stale bread is a different story. Dry, hard or tough bread without mold isn't a safety problem; it's a texture one. Toast it, make breadcrumbs, or use it in bread pudding or strata.
Should you keep bread in the fridge?
For most bread, no. FoodKeeper's advice for sliced whole wheat bread is blunt: “Refrigeration not recommended - bread will quickly dry out and become stale.” It says the same about bagels and muffins.
The reason is starch, not moisture loss alone. As bread ages, its starch molecules gradually re-form an ordered, crystalline structure (food scientists call it retrogradation), which firms the crumb. In a 2011 study in the journal Starch/Stärke that stored bread at 25°C (77°F), 4°C (39°F) and -18°C (0°F), this happened fastest at 4°C, a typical refrigerator temperature. The frozen bread changed far less: its water activity, a measure of the water available in the crumb, held almost steady for 23 days.
| Where | Good for | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Counter, in its bag | Bread you'll finish within a few days | Mold, faster in warm, humid kitchens |
| Refrigerator | Slowing mold in a hot kitchen, for bread you'll toast | Goes stale fastest here |
| Freezer | Keeping bread about 3 months | Freezer burn if not wrapped tightly |
Freezing bread
Freezing is the best way to keep bread you won't finish soon. FoodKeeper gives sliced bread, bagels and packaged muffins 3 months in the freezer, commercial breads, rolls and buns 3–5 months, and flour tortillas 6 months. Those are times for best quality.
- Freeze it while it's fresh, not on the day it starts to turn.
- Slice the loaf first so you can take out a few pieces at a time.
- Seal it in a freezer bag with the air pressed out, or wrap it tightly, to limit freezer burn.
- Toast slices straight from the freezer, or thaw them on the counter in their wrap.
More on using food before it goes: how to reduce food waste at home. For other foods, the shelf life chart and the food expiration calculator have FoodKeeper times.
Questions people ask
How long is bread good after the best-by date?
There is no set number of days: it is fine to eat as long as it has no mold. A best-by date is about flavor and texture, and USDA says it is not a safety date. Past the date, bread is more likely to be stale or dry, which is a quality problem. Check the whole loaf for mold before eating it; if you see any, throw the loaf out.
How long is bread good for on the counter?
USDA's FoodKeeper gives sliced, commercially baked bread 3–5 days at room temperature and homemade bread 3–5 days. Fresh bagels keep only 1–2 days. FoodKeeper's broader entry for commercial breads, rolls and buns allows 14–18 days from purchase, so some packaged breads may last longer; the best-by date on the bag and a mold check are your guide.
Does bread go bad if there's no mold?
It goes stale, which is not the same as going bad. Stale bread is dry and firm because its starch recrystallizes as it ages; that is a texture change, not a safety problem, so you can toast it or turn it into breadcrumbs. Mold is what makes bread unsafe to eat.
If one slice has mold, can I eat the rest of the loaf?
No. USDA's advice is to discard bread and baked goods that show mold, because they are porous and mold can spread below the surface where you can't see it. Don't cut around it or pick out the good slices, and don't sniff the moldy bread.
Should I keep bread in the fridge?
Usually not. Refrigeration slows mold but makes bread go stale faster; FoodKeeper notes this for whole wheat bread, bagels and muffins. Keep bread you'll finish within a few days at room temperature, and freeze the rest.
How long does homemade bread last?
FoodKeeper gives homemade bread 3–5 days at room temperature and notes it may keep for less time than store bread because it has no preservatives. Freeze what you won't eat in that time.
Sources
- FSIS FoodKeeper Data — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (data.gov, public domain)
- Molds on Food: Are They Dangerous? — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. FSIS blocks automated fetches; the page text was checked in October 2026 through a text-only copy of the same URL. The handling chart is also reproduced in WSU Extension's Molds on Food handout: https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2057/2021/03/Molds-on-Food-LC.pdf
- Food Product Dating — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
- Letter to industry supporting the “Best if Used By” date label (May 23, 2019) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Effect of storage temperature on starch retrogradation of bread staling (Aguirre et al., Starch/Stärke 63(9):587–593, 2011) — Wiley. Abstract read via the FAO AGRIS record: https://agris.fao.org/search/ar/records/65df4ed90f3e94b9e5d73a52