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Sep 23, 2023

The 6 Best Bread Boxes of 2023

Our favorite, the Brabantia Roll Top Bread Box, keeps bread fresh without being

Our favorite, the Brabantia Roll Top Bread Box, keeps bread fresh without being an eyesore.

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Food & Wine / Amazon

Even if you're not a Marie Kondo devotee, having a bread box to store baked goods can make any kitchen space feel a little tidier. The best bread boxes are sturdy and designed to keep your bed fresh and prevent mold. It's also a must if you are a devoted bread baker with all the bread-baking tools. Preservative-free homemade bread keeps homemade bread longer than a sad plastic bag.

"Most folks don't realize that a plastic or paper bakery bag won't keep bread fresh, even if sealed up tight," says Meghan Splawn, a food editor, recipe professional, and podcast co-host of "Didn't I just Feed You?". "A bread box is that extra layer of defense against air and moisture that can cause bread to spoil while keeping your counter tidy," she says. "A bonus benefit is that bread stored at room temperature is softer, easier to slice, and toast. I love a bread box for keeping cookies and snacking cakes (like pound cake or banana bread) fresh too."

While you can technically store your bread in many different ways, we prefer using a bread box, so all of our baked goods have a place to live. They also tend to last much longer. Bread boxes come in many fun and functional styles and designs, so you can easily find one to match your kitchen style. We tested many popular options to curate a list of options for every household.

Amazon

Pros: The bread box is sturdy and feels indestructible, according to one of our testers.

Cons: The price may be high for some looking for a more affordable option.

We adore how easy the Brabantia Roll Top Bread Box is to keep clean and looking new. Even after slamming the lid, the exterior looks identical to the first day we used it. Our tester, who grew up using bread boxes in Germany, called the bread box "sturdy as hell" and "flashy." The corrosion-resistant steel body is sleek, modern, and available in colors like white, black, and red. We found mold in a bag of bagels after a couple of weeks, but the other bread stayed incredibly fresh. The lid slides down to close, and it has a tight seal. There is little ventilation, which might be a problem with baked goods that have more moisture. Although we found it performed well and holds a good amount of bread, the price is slightly higher than some may want to pay for such a bread box. It's available in white, metallic gold, and matte black.

Price at time of publish: $72

Amazon

Pros: We liked how easy it was to open and close the lid.

Cons: It shows fingerprints, which is something to consider if your household has many little hands.

The Oggi Stainless Steel Bread Box is made from durable stainless steel and frosted plexiglass, meaning it is made to last. The exterior can show smudges and fingerprints, which might not be ideal if you have kids. Otherwise, it is a sizeable modern box that looks commercial with a polished edge. The lid stays in place securely, and the bread box's top curve prevents it from sliding up or down. We never saw bread get moldy or stale during testing, and we tested pre-sliced whole wheat, sourdough, and brioche. The bread box has an excellent internal height, which means you can easily fit large artisan loaves that are tall or odd-shaped. The brand also recommends using this for purposes other than bread, like medication storage, when you need to keep things tidy and organized.

Price at time of publish: $50

Amazon

Pros: It is an elegant addition for anyone looking for something to blend in with their other French ceramic pieces.

Cons: You can fit up to a couple of loaves here, but it is best for fresh bread.

The Emile Henry Breadbox is the perfect addition to a bread baker's baking tools. It's the ideal vessel to store a homemade loaf of bread naked. The glossy white Burgundian clay and beechwood construction create an optimum environment for bread storage. The seal is not airtight, and there is a hole towards the bottom, so the bread stays moist. The beechwood lid doubles as a cutting board. You can store one to two loaves of bread in this bread box or smaller items like English muffins and bagels. We use this as a dedicated sourdough storage box because we love being able to flip the lid, cut off a slice, and throw it all back–crumbs and all–into the vessel. If you store items in plastic bags, the bread will mold faster, so opt for au natural or a cloth bag to contain the crumbs. It also has "Bread" embossed on the side of the container, which is a lovely old-fashioned call-back to bread boxes–even though this box is at home in any modern kitchen.

Price at time of publish: $160

Williams-Sonoma

Pros: It kept bread fresh and mold-free for over a week.

Cons: The construction isn't seamless, and some parts feel flimsy.

Williams Sonoma's Olivewood Bread Box is part of a more extensive collection that includes other kitchen items like a paper towel holder and utensil holder if you like to keep things matching. The bread boxes, carved from a solid piece of olivewood, are one of a kind due to their unique grain patterns. We noticed glue on the olivewood, and the acrylic lid might not appeal to plastic-averse cooks. Seeing your bread inventory through the window without touching anything is still lovely, and it's hard to beat the look and performance of this box. Since the top is not airtight, there is a good amount of airflow, and the bread is kept fresh for over a week. This is a splurge and a distinct style, but it looks stunning on any counter.

Price at time of publish: $150

Amazon

Pros: It's got a magnetic lid to ensure a firm seal.

Cons: This is for a more modern kitchen, given its design.

Brabantia's Rectangular Fall Front Bread Box is another incredible choice from the Dutch manufacturer. To fit into any design scheme, it comes in several colors, such as matte black, white, pine green, passion red, platinum white, and brilliant steel. It's a great bread box for a family of four to five since it can hold a lot of bread. It may be tight if you have limited counter space since this bread box has a large footprint. We like the added storage from the flat top, where you could easily place a few canisters. It's super sleek and minimalist and looks incredibly high quality. One tester called it a "countertop spaceship" since it is modern and elegant. The fall front closure also has a magnetic seal and noise-dampening materials, so it doesn't clatter open or shut. The base has a textured pattern to enable more ventilation. You can even hang it up on a wall thanks to the hanging holes on the back of the bread box.

Price at time of publish: $71

Yamazaki

Pros: It is huge and can fit so much bread, about six loaves.

Cons: It is so large it might need to be more convenient on some countertops.

Not only is the Yamazaki Tosca Bread Box a beautiful example of minimalist Japanese design, but it is also huge. Like, so big you can fit enough bread for a family of six with room to spare. Our only complaint aside from its exaggerated size is that the lid can slam down on the counter if you are not careful during the opening. The lid is on a hinge and has an ash veneer handle threaded through some metal. The seal is nice and sturdy, but there is still a good amount of ventilation in the seams. During our tests, we never saw mold, even with preservative-free bread we stored in a plastic bag to test. Since it is so big, you need a large countertop for this to work. What's nice about its large size is that the top is another excellent place to keep plates of cookies or other treats you don't want to place inside. It feels incredibly well-made, and we have not seen any marks even though we can be ham-handed with our things.

Price at time of publish: $128

Amazon

Pros: It is straightforward to clean, thanks to its polyurethane construction.

Cons: We found the cutting board subpar because it requires extra cleaning due to its crumb-catching grooves.

The Joseph Joseph Bread Bin is a super modern bread box with a bonus cutting board built into the lid. The inset handle has a modern look and is also easy to grab. After using the bamboo cutting board on the underside of the lid, you can dump the crumbs before replacing it. The polyurethane main compartment is easy to clean and feels substantial enough to feel quality. We also like the price since it performs well, and the black or white models are simple enough to be at home in any kitchen style. One home tester said, "It's sleek without being slick." We do wish there was more ventilation since that helps bread last longer. Instead, a whoosh is like a hermetic seal whenever you open the box. Still, nothing developed mold or became stale during testing, so it handled every type of bread super well.

Price at time of publish: $60

The Brabantia Roll Top Bread Box keeps bread super fresh without being an eyesore. The Oggi Stainless Steel was also a runner-up in our bread box tests.

We evaluated 18 bread boxes of all shapes and sizes during the testing period. We tried to use a variety of breads, including homemade bread, bakery-fresh loaves, store-bought sandwich bread, and other baked goods like muffins or bagels, to see how fresh they stayed. We checked them after three days and then seven days to see if there was any mold and how fresh the products remained.

Food and Wine / Sarah Martens

The bread box you choose should match your household eating habits and counter size. Most bread boxes should fit one two three loaves of bread but consider larger models if you have a larger family. Ensuring the bread box is short enough if your counters sit underneath cabinets is also essential.

More airtight materials like metal and plastic will have less ventilation than more porous materials. The more natural the material, the better the bread box maintains the proper humidity for baked goods. That's not to be said that metal or red plastic boxes don't perform well. Numerous models in our selection have superior ventilation and did a good job keeping all loaves of bread, quick and yeasted, fresh as long as needed.

Bread boxes need a fraction of ventilation, so condensation does not build up. Having some airflow ensures that bread will not mold due to an accumulation of humidity in the box. Well-made bread boxes have some airflow, whether a gap in the seam or a dedicated hole.

Bread boxes have various lid sizes, like roll-down and hinged doors; some even have removable lids. Some of those lids have cutting boards built-in, making these bread boxes functional and multi-purpose.

Keeping your bread in the refrigerator to extend its freshness degrades the quality of your product. A bread box will give you a more orderly way to store the various types of bread most households use and keep them fresh longer.

You need to clean your bread box per the manufacturer's instructions. It's essential to periodically clean out all crumbs, smudges, and fingerprints with hot soapy water or a wet rag, so mold or insects don't become a problem if mold spores develop. Clean with vinegar and water solution.

Jennifer Zyman is a Senior Commerce Writer for Food & Wine and a former restaurant critic with a culinary school degree and over 15 years of food writing experience. Her work has appeared in Atlanta Magazine, Bon Appetit, Eater Atlanta, The Kitchn, Local Palate, National Geographic, Simply Recipes, Southern Living, and Thrillist. She wrote this story using testing data, research, and culinary expertise from Meghan Splawn.