OMG: You Can Actually Ship Your Homemade Bread To Loved Ones (2024)

FAQs

Can I send homemade bread in the mail? ›

The United States Postal Service recommends that breads should be “wrapped twice in plastic wrap and sealed inside a gallon-size plastic bag, or wrapped again in foil” before boxing. Make sure that there is sufficient padding (i.e. crumpled up paper, packing peanuts, bubble wrap) to secure your bread in the box.

Once it's completely cool, wrap the bread in a paper or cloth bag and then place it in a plastic bag. The paper or cloth layer is to absorb any condensation if there are temperature changes in transit, and the plastic bag is to protect the bread from any exposure to water in transit or if delivered in the rain.

Pack it well: To keep the bread from drying out or going stale, we recommend our friend Tim's method, which consists of wrapping it first in a paper bag, then in a plastic trash bag. Place this in a sturdy box and if there is excess space, add padding material so the bread doesn't get knocked around.

For a rough estimate, let's say you're sending a standard-sized loaf (about 2 pounds) within the U.S. Using a service like USPS, FedEx, or UPS, you're looking at anywhere from $5 to $15 per package for standard shipping. If you're sending bread overnight, the price jumps up.

Freeze Before Shipping

Quick-freezing bread also maintains its freshness by minimizing the yeast's ability to make it stale; quick-freezing also creates an even inside without discoloring the crust.

USPS, UPS, and FedEx all offer options to ship baked goods from point A to point B. The US only allows the shipping of baked goods if they are going from one individual to another, and it must be marked as a gift on the customs form.

Making bread from a machine is marginally cheaper than buying it, as long as you eat bread frequently enough to offset the cost of the appliance. Specifically, I see this as an investment that's smart for households that go through bread quickly, like large families or homes with multiple roommates.

Bread boxes, if you have one, work great, but you can also use wax paper, a beeswax and linen bag, or even a dishcloth. A clean dish towel is one of Hartzheim's favorite options. "Plastic bags help keep the crumb (the interior of the loaf) soft but also make the crust soft.

Where Is the Best Place To Store Bread? It turns out bread boxes aren't such a bad idea. "Homemade bread stored at room temperature will have the best quality if used within three to five days," Baker says. "Commercially prepared bread can be used within five to seven days.

Do bread boxes keep bread fresh longer? ›

USE A BREAD BOX

You can keep your fresh loaf in a bread box for a few days. With its dark and dry interior, a bread box helps maintain a decent balance of moisture to keep the inside of the bread soft and its exterior crusty. Make sure there is plenty of room inside for good air circulation.

The best thing you can do to truly prolong the life of your bread is to keep it in the freezer. Slicing it first (or cutting it into big chunks) allows you to remove portions as necessary so you don't run into the same problem of handling a whole loaf of bread. In this case, you can store your bread in plastic.

How you package it depends on the type of bread you're sending. For instance, soft breads should be wrapped twice in plastic wrap and then again in either a gallon plastic bag or foil, according to USPS. Harder, yeast-y breads can be wrapped in foil and then in plastic.

Durable foods that ship well include pound cakes, unfrosted cakes, breads, (not yeast breads), muffins, flavored nuts, candies (such as fudge), and cookies (drop cookies, like chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin, or bar cookies, such as brownies).

If you're sending sturdy baked goods locally, you can put pastries in priority mail. However, overnight shipping is the ideal way to send baked goods to preserve their quality. For fragile or temperature-sensitive items like cheesecakes, overnight shipping isn't just beneficial, it's required.

Most nonperishable food items are mailable domestically if properly packaged. See USPS.com Shipping Restrictions. See the Individual Country Listing for shipping restrictions to any country. See the Individual Country Listing for shipping restrictions to any country.

One final step - make sure your parcel is clearly labelled 'This way up' and marked as fragile. Cakes with no fresh icing, coffee cakes, Bundt cakes, and pound cakes are some of the best cakes for posting as they freeze and defrost well, so posting them frozen is a great way to preserve freshness.