Paul Hollywood has finally shared his expert opinion on where you should store your bread – and given his take on putting loaves in the fridge. 

The Great British Bake Off judge, 58, is sometimes known as the King of Bread and has taken to TikTok to answer one of his most frequently asked questions. 

It seems to be an issue which strongly divides GBBO fans; as Hollywood’s video now has 1.2 million views.  

In the clip, the professional baker says he is not a fan of keeping bread in the fridge, choosing instead to keep it in a bag on the counter. 

He confessed: ‘A big question I get asked a lot is “where do you store bread?” 

Paul Hollywood has finally revealed his take on whether you should keep bread in the fridge

‘If you put your bread in the fridge it will stale three times quicker because you’re drawing all the moisture out of the loaf. 

‘To be honest, I just put it in a brown bag and leave it on the side.’

However, people in the comments were quick to point out that bread would quickly get mouldy if left out of the fridge.

One person wrote: ‘I keep in fridge or freezer works just fine.’

Another person said the bread expert was ‘wrong’ and added: ‘I keep mine in a sealed bag in the fridge it’s keeps much better in rather than than out.’

‘I slice and freeze mine because I’m the only one that eats it,’ another person wrote.

Even breadmaker Warburtons jokily commented: ‘You must really trust your relatives.’ 

But food safety expert Sarah Taylor agreed with Paul that keeping your loaves cool could cause them to go stale prematurely. 

Sarah, from High-Speed Training explained: ‘You should never store your loaf in the fridge. 

Paul says he is not a fan of keeping bread in the fridge, choosing instead to keep it in a bag on the counter

‘This is because the cold conditions inside the fridge will make the starch recrystallise, causing the bread to develop a stale taste and texture.’

She added: ‘If you tend to go through your bread slowly, a better option is to freeze it – this keeps the loaf edible and prevents the spread of mould.’

For anyone looking to keep their bread fresher for longer periods, Sarah recommended buying sliced bread – pointing out that mould takes longer to spread in comparison to a freshly-made loaf. 

‘Your average supermarket bread tends to wave goodbye to freshness within a week, while those tantalising freshly baked loaves will go off even quicker – something to mull over when picking your bread,’ she added.

However, if you do want to reap the health benefits of a fresh loaf, or enjoy making your own bread at home – there is no need to panic. 

People in the comments were quick to point out that bread would quickly get mouldy if left out of the fridge

Regardless of what you use to store your bread – whether it is kept in a bread bin or its original wrapping, she says you should always endeavour to store it in a cool, dry place.’

Giving another handy tip, she urged against the practice of sealing bread in plastic packaging in warm conditions.

She elaborated: ‘If the bread comes in plastic packaging, it may ‘sweat’ in warm environments, causing moisture to form inside the packaging.

‘You should try to use a bread bin or breathable bag to avoid this, but if you have no other option, then storing the bread inside a cool, dry cupboard can help slow the process down.’

Her final tip to keep loaves fresher for longer is to keep them away from water at all costs – as this will rapidly increase mould development.

Keeping bread in the fridge is a controversial matter – as Paul’s video already has 1.2 million views (stock image)

The food safety guru said: ‘Moist, damp environments are the perfect conditions for causing mould spores to develop and spread quicker than they normally would, so slow this down by keeping the loaf as dry as possible.’

A mum influencer previously shared her own hack to stop bread going mouldy, and it only costs 60p. 

Katya Mackle, also known as @katya.macle on TikTok, said she uses celery to make it last longer. 

She put celery sticks at the end of her loaf, saying it doesn’t alter the taste or smell of the bread.