Bread typically lasts up to five days once opened, but this depends greatly on how it's stored and the type of bread. Though bread is often an affordable staple, seeing a loaf go mouldy can be frustrating and contributes to unwanted food waste. Keen to see how long I could keep my homemade loaf fresh, I tested several storage hacks, including fridge and freezer options as well as using a cloth bread bag, writes Express.co.uk's Sophie Harris. The results were quite eye-opening - one method even kept the bread fresh for about 10 days.

1. Storing bread in the fridge. Sophie Trueman, in-house waste expert at Too Good To Go, suggests keeping bread in the fridge is best, especially for pre-sliced sandwich loaves. According to her, refrigeration will "last much longer, extending its expiration date". Ensuring the bread is sealed and away from fruits or vegetables helps preserve it. I sliced and bagged my bread before chilling it on the fridge's lower shelf.

It was my first time refrigerating bread and it indeed stayed fresher for longer compared to room temperature. Although it became slightly dry over time, the slices remained edible. I'm not keen on cold bread, so I let it come to room temperature before eating. 2. Storing bread in the freezer. When it comes to keeping bread fresh, the fridge is a no-go zone for me, and despite being clued-up on the fact that bread can survive a stint in the freezer for a good while, I've never actually stashed any in there. Bread can chill out in the freezer for up to three months and still thaw out just fine in a few hours.

You can even pop sliced bread, small pancakes, and crumpets straight into the toaster from their icy slumber. If you're planning to freeze your loaf, wrapping it twice is the trick to keep it tasting oven-fresh once defrosted. I used tin foil for my bread as clingfilm was in short supply, making sure to double-wrap for maximum freshness. Don't forget to slap a date label on it – you'll want to munch it within a couple of months to dodge freezer burn.

This freezing technique did wonders for longevity, and I polished off all the loaves in two weeks. Although the texture was a tad different post-freeze, which didn't quite tickle my fancy, it was a win for cutting down food waste. 3. Storing bread in a bread bag. As a homemade bread aficionado, I've always been partial to using bread bags for storage. They come in various sizes and materials, designed to extend that just-baked taste.

Sophie chimed in with some advice: "Remember that if the bread is freshly made, you should not store it in an airtight bag, since it will not be able to breathe." She added: "You have to let it breathe so that it maintains its most optimal conservation. Storing it in a bread basket or cloth bag is always the best option.". You can find these bread bags for as little as £5 on websites such as Amazon. The bag helped my loaf last for approximately 10 days without any visible mould. It did begin to dry out after the fifth day, but it remained edible until the tenth day, by which time the loaf had been consumed anyway.