How to Store Baked Goods and Baking Ingredients

These days, everyone orders their treats online. Let's look at how to store baking ingredients and baked goods, how long they keep and some useful storage techniques.

Baked goods are a favorite for many people. If you have a sweet tooth and often have cakes and pastries delivered to your door because you simply love them, here is how to keep them at their best.

Storing Baking Ingredients

1. Flour (cake flour, bread flour and so on): free from insects, flour stays in good condition for up to 5 months. Store it in a clean, well-ventilated, odor-free room at 68–72°F with 55–65% relative humidity. Any flour containing insects must be separated and thrown away immediately.
2. Yeast spoils easily. Keep it dry and away from direct sunlight and moisture. If it is not refrigerated, store it at no higher than 90°F. Under these conditions, dry yeast keeps for at least 1 month, possibly longer.
3. Sugar: both white and brown sugar absorb moisture, so take them out of the bag and store them in plastic or glass containers. Otherwise the sugar will draw moisture from the air until it becomes damp, which lets microorganisms thrive and turns the sugar sour. Keep caster sugar and icing sugar in a dry place when not in use to prevent clumping, and avoid metal containers, which may rust.
4. Fats and oils: vegetable fats keep for 2–3 months at room temperature; for longer storage, refrigerate them. Solid lard should be refrigerated in a tightly sealed container, or it can be kept at room temperature. Salad oil and olive oil go rancid easily once opened. Besides refrigerating vegetable fats, keep them away from strong-smelling foods, because fat absorbs foreign odors quickly and easily. The main enemies of fat are light, air, water, heat, high temperatures and metal, all of which make fat turn rancid more easily.
5. Eggs: store fresh eggs in the egg compartment of the fridge with the wide end up, and they will keep for up to 5 weeks. Fresh eggs lose moisture and carbon dioxide as they age. Eggs readily absorb fridge odors, especially if not kept in their compartment. Separated egg whites keep for about a week in the fridge in a tightly sealed glass container. Do not keep eggs too long, even in the fridge, as bacteria may develop and cause food poisoning.
6. Milk: fresh milk and whey should be refrigerated when not in use to stop them spoiling, as lactic acid turns milk sour. Evaporated milk is not a problem because canned milk has already been sterilized, but watch out for swollen cans, which indicate spoiled milk. Store milk powder in a cool, dry place with the lid tightly closed; because it contains very little moisture, it draws moisture from the air and forms lumps.
7. Spices and baking powder should be kept in a cool, dry place with the lid tightly closed. Their tins must be clean and rust-free.
8. Additives such as SP (cake emulsifier) should be kept in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dry place, out of direct sunlight.

Storing Baked Goods

Cake

Cake is a favorite for many people, not least because it looks tempting and tastes wonderfully well balanced. Cake keeps for 5 days in the fridge. Wrapped in an extra layer of plastic film and frozen, it keeps for 1–2 months. Fruit cakes made with liquor, nuts and dried fruit can keep for several months.

Brownies

Another favorite for chocolate lovers, as most brownies are packed with rich chocolate flavor. Brownies keep for anywhere from 1 to 30 days: 1–3 days at room temperature, 7 days in the fridge and 1 month in the freezer. Always wrap them in plastic film before chilling or freezing.

Bread

Many people buy a big loaf of bread and cannot finish it in one go, so they need a way to store it. Most bread comes with an expiry date printed on the bag. For filled breads, such as butter bread, raisin bread or other filled buns, many people put them in the fridge, but that is the wrong approach because it makes the bread hard. The right way is to wrap the bread in plastic film and freeze it. Whenever you want to eat it, simply warm it up and it will taste as good as new.

Egg Tarts

A popular bake for anyone who loves a rich, sweet, well-balanced flavor, egg tarts stand out for their crisp shell and soft center. They keep for 1–2 days at room temperature or 3–4 days in the fridge. Always reheat them before eating.

Besides storing baked goods properly to extend their life, it is also important to choose a delivery company that specializes in food and bakery delivery. Fast, careful delivery keeps cakes and pastries tasting as if they were freshly made, and keeps them looking tempting too.