Cooling, Storing and Freezing Baked Goods: Keeping Bread, Cakes, Cookies and Pastry Fresh

You have spent an afternoon baking: a loaf of bread, a tray of cookies, a cake for the weekend. A day later, the bread is dry, the cookies have gone soft and the cake has lost its moisture. Storing baked goods properly is as important as baking them well, and the right method depends on what you have made. Bread, cakes, cookies and pastry all behave differently, and what keeps one fresh can ruin another.

This guide explains why baked goods go stale, how to cool them properly, how to store each type at room temperature, when the refrigerator helps and when it hurts, how to freeze and thaw bakes so they taste freshly made, and how to revive day-old bread and pastries.

Why baked goods go stale

Staling is not simply drying out. In bread and many cakes, the starches that softened and swelled during baking gradually recrystallize as they cool and age, making the crumb firm and dry-tasting even when moisture is still present. Our guide to how starches thicken sauces explains how starch behaves when heated and cooled.

Two practical consequences:

• The refrigerator speeds up staling in bread, because recrystallization happens fastest at cool, above-freezing temperatures.
• Freezing stops staling almost completely, which is why freezing is the best way to keep bread fresh for more than a day or two.

Meanwhile, crisp items such as cookies and crackers go soft because they absorb moisture from the air or from softer foods stored nearby.

Cooling: the first step

Proper cooling prevents soggy bottoms and condensation.

• Cool bread completely on a wire rack before slicing or wrapping. Bread continues to cook as it cools, and cutting too early makes the crumb gummy.
• Cool cakes in the tin for about ten minutes, then turn them out onto a rack.
• Move cookies to a rack after a few minutes on the tray, once they are firm enough.
• Cool muffins briefly in the tin, then on a rack, so the bottoms do not sweat.
• Never wrap warm baked goods, which traps steam and makes them soggy and more likely to grow mold.

Storing bread

A few tips:

• Store cut side down on a board, which protects the crumb.
• Avoid the refrigerator for bread, unless the weather is very hot and humid and mold is a problem; even then, freezing is usually better.
• Slice before freezing, so you can take out only what you need.

Our guides to basic bread for beginners and sourdough starter basics cover baking the bread itself.

Storing cakes

• Unfrosted cakes: wrap in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days.
• Cakes with buttercream: usually fine at cool room temperature for a day or two in an airtight container, unless the kitchen is warm.
• Cakes with cream, cream cheese frosting, custard or fresh fruit: keep in the refrigerator, following food safety guidance, and bring to room temperature before serving for better flavor and texture.
• Cut cakes: press plastic wrap against the cut surface to keep it from drying out.

Storing cookies

• Crisp cookies: store in an airtight tin or jar, separate from soft cookies, so they stay crisp.
• Soft, chewy cookies: store in an airtight container. Some bakers add a slice of bread to the container to help keep cookies soft; the cookies draw moisture from the bread.
• Decorated cookies: store in a single layer, or between layers of parchment.

If crisp cookies go soft, a few minutes in a moderate oven, followed by cooling on a rack, often brings them back. Our guide to cookies: chewy or crisp explains what makes cookies crisp or soft in the first place.

Storing muffins, scones and quick breads

• Muffins and quick breads: store in an airtight container lined with a paper towel, which absorbs excess moisture, for a day or two at room temperature.
• Scones: best eaten on the day they are baked; freeze any extras.

See our guides to muffins and quick breads and biscuits and scones.

Storing pastry and pies

• Fruit pies: many can be kept at room temperature for a day or two, loosely covered, then refrigerated.
• Cream, custard and meat pies: refrigerate promptly, following food safety guidance.
• Puff pastry and croissants: best eaten the same day; reheat briefly to restore crispness.

Our guide to pie crust and pastry covers making pastry that stays flaky.

Freezing baked goods

Freezing is the best way to keep most baked goods fresh for longer.

How to freeze

1. Cool completely.
2. Wrap well: plastic wrap followed by foil, or a freezer bag with as much air removed as possible. Air causes freezer burn.
3. Freeze in portions: slices of bread, individual muffins, wedges of cake.
4. Flash-freeze delicate items, such as decorated cookies or frosted cupcakes, on a tray until firm, then wrap or box them.
5. Label with the name and date.

What freezes well

• bread and rolls;
• unfrosted cakes and cake layers;
• muffins, quick breads and scones;
• most cookies, and cookie dough;
• unbaked pie crusts and many baked fruit pies;
• pizza dough and flatbreads; see our guide to flatbreads and pizza dough.

What freezes less well

• cream-filled pastries and custards, which can separate or weep;
• meringue toppings, which can become sticky;
• crisp items with delicate textures, which may soften.

Most baked goods keep good quality in the freezer for a few months. Our freezing food guide explains safe freezing more generally.

Thawing

• Bread: thaw slices in the toaster straight from frozen, or thaw a loaf at room temperature in its wrapping, then refresh it in a hot oven for a few minutes.
• Cakes: thaw in their wrapping at room temperature so condensation forms on the wrapping, not the cake.
• Cookies and muffins: thaw at room temperature, or warm briefly in the oven.
• Cream-filled items: thaw in the refrigerator.

Reviving day-old bakes

• Crusty bread: sprinkle lightly with water and warm in a hot oven for a few minutes until the crust crisps.
• Croissants and pastries: warm in a moderate oven, not the microwave, which makes them chewy.
• Muffins: a few seconds in the microwave or a few minutes in the oven.
• Stale bread: turn it into breadcrumbs, croutons, French toast, bread pudding or panzanella. Our guide to reducing food waste at home has more ideas.

Baking ahead for occasions

Freezing makes it possible to bake ahead for birthdays, holidays and gatherings without a last-minute rush. Unfrosted cake layers can be baked, cooled, wrapped and frozen, then frosted on the day; many bakers find frozen layers easier to level and decorate. Cookie dough can be portioned into balls and frozen on a tray, then baked straight from frozen with an extra minute or two in the oven, so you can serve warm cookies to guests with little effort. Bread rolls can be baked a little paler than usual, frozen, then finished in a hot oven before serving. Plan the thawing time into your schedule, and give everything a quick refresh in the oven where appropriate.

Preventing mold

• store bread and cakes in a cool, dry place, away from the stove and direct sunlight;
• keep bread boxes and containers clean and dry;
• cut away nothing: if bread or cake shows mold, it is generally safer to throw it away, since mold can spread beyond what you see. Follow food safety guidance for your country.

Frequently asked questions

Should I keep bread in the refrigerator?

Usually not. The refrigerator makes bread stale faster. Keep it at room temperature for a day or two, and freeze the rest.

How can I keep cookies crisp?

Cool them fully, then store them in an airtight tin, separate from soft baked goods.

Can I freeze a frosted cake?

Many buttercream-frosted cakes freeze well. Freeze uncovered on a tray until the frosting is firm, then wrap carefully. Thaw in the refrigerator still wrapped.

You will find more reliable baking guides in the Baking section.

The bottom line

Baked goods stay fresh when they are cooled completely, stored according to their type and frozen when they will not be eaten within a day or two. Keep bread at room temperature or in the freezer, never in the refrigerator; store crisp cookies apart from soft ones in airtight tins; refrigerate anything with cream, custard or fresh fruit; and wrap everything well before freezing in portions. Thaw in the wrapping, refresh bread and pastry in a hot oven, and turn stale leftovers into something delicious.