Preserving the fresh-baked quality of your loaves and cookies in a safe manner is of the utmost importance to our program practices.
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Cooling
- Thoroughly cool loaves and cookies to room temperature before packaging. This prevents unwanted condensation from collecting inside the packaging as the item cools, which can lead to mold or spoilage.
- In the early days, same-day bakers would package the loaves while they still had a little heat and that created steam in the bags…which could potentially lead to mold.
- In an abundance of caution, the standard recommendation is to let them cool overnight. But in fact, 5-8 hours should be sufficient.
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Packaging
- When items are completely cooled, use kitchen tongs or a gloved hand to place in the bag.
- For the bread loaves, squeeze out as much air from the bag as possible, then twist tie tightly closed. Watch our bread packaging video in baker resources if you have questions.
- For the cookies, fold the top of the wax bakery bag over and affix a sticker over the flap to seal. Watch our cookie packaging video in baker resources if you have questions.
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Freezing
- If baking any day other than Saturday, place the packaged items in your freezer until donation day, or a drop in a freezer bank. Even if you bake on Friday, go ahead and freeze your items, as even a short freeze will extend their shelf life.
- When transferring for donation, simply remove the baked items from your freezer and insulated bag and take them to your desired drop off location.
Let us know if you encounter issues with packaging your baked items, or if you have tips for your fellow bakers, in the comments below. Take a quick glance at the FAQ below, Troubleshooting Freezer Issues, for more