Our favorite, the Brabantia Roll Top Bread Box, keeps bread fresh without being an eyesore.
We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. Dry Fruit Packing Box
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 bread fresh and prevent mold. It's also a must if you are a devoted baker with all the bread-baking tools required to keep your kitchen supplied with fresh loaves. Preservative-free homemade bread keeps longer in a bread box than in 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. As an added bonus, 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. To make it easier, we tested many popular options to curate a list of options for every household.
This bread box is sturdy and feels indestructible.
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, so you know it's extra sturdy. 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 like sourdough bread. 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.
Material: Steel | Dimensions: 9.84 x 18.3 x 7.36 inches
Food and Wine / Donna Freydkin
We liked how easy it was to open and close the lid.
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. However, we did find that 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 oddly shaped. The brand also recommends using this for purposes other than bread, like medication storage, when you need to keep things tidy and organized.
Material: Frosted plexiglass and stainless steel | Dimensions: 7.5 x 15 x 10 inches
Food and Wine / Melissa Gray
Food and Wine / Melissa Gray
It is an elegant addition for anyone looking for something to blend in with their other French ceramic pieces.
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 kitchen, as 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. Plus, the beechwood lid doubles as a cutting board.
You can store one to two loaves at a time 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 early bread boxes — even though this box is at home in any modern kitchen.
Material: Ceramic and beech wood | Dimensions: 6 x 14 x 10 inches
It kept bread fresh and mold-free for over a week.
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. Each bread box, carved from a solid piece of olivewood, is one of a kind due to the wood's unique grain patterns.
We did notice a bit of glue on the olivewood, and the acrylic lid might not appeal to plastic-averse cooks. However, 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 will still look stunning on any counter.
Material: Olivewood and acrylic | Dimensions: 15 x 9.5 x 7.5 inches
Food and Wine / Sarah Martens
Food and Wine / Sarah Martens
It's got a magnetic lid to ensure a firm seal.
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, but 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 extra jars or canisters. Plus, it's super sleek and minimalist and looks incredibly high quality, and it will fit right in on any countertop without being an eyesore thanks to its modern and elegant design. 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 to further minimize any countertop clutter thanks to the hanging holes on the back of the bread box.
Material: Steel | Dimensions: 7.36 x 18.31 x 9.84 inches
Food and Wine / Ivy Ford
It is huge and can fit so much bread, about six loaves.
It is so large it might take up too much space 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 when opening it. 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. But 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 yet to see any scuffs or marks even though we can be ham-handed with our things.
Material: Steel, wood, and silicone | Dimensions: 9.5 x 17 x 14.25 inches
Food and Wine / Jennifer Zyman
It is straightforward to clean, thanks to its polyurethane construction.
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. And 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. 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.
Material: Bamboo and plastic Dimensions: 8.7 x 14.6 x 7.1 inches
Food and Wine / Christine Colby
Food and Wine / Christine Colby
Food and Wine / Christine Colby
We love the Brabantia Roll Top Bread Box because it keeps bread super fresh without being an eyesore. The Oggi Stainless Steel Roll Top Bread Box was also a pretty close runner-up in our bread box tests, thanks to its durable construction and roomy interior.
We evaluated 19 bread boxes of all shapes and sizes during the testing period, assessing them according to their design, performance, and value. 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. From that point, we began to note how many days it took overall for any stored goods to become stale. In addition to their functionality, we also took into account their design and how easy they were to keep clean.
Food & Wine / Sarah Martens
The bread box you choose should match your household eating habits and counter-size. Most bread boxes should fit one to three loaves of bread, but consider larger models if you have a big 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. However, that's not to say that metal or 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 and styles, like roll-down tops and hinged doors; some even have removable lids. A few models also have lids with cutting boards built-in, making them both functional and multi-purpose. Depending on your preferred aesthetic and how you plan to use your bread box, consider which type would best fit your lifestyle before you buy.
Keeping your bread in the refrigerator to extend its freshness degrades the quality of your loaf rather quickly. A bread box will give you a more orderly way to store the various types of bread most households use and keep them fresh for longer.
A good bread box works by regulating the amount of humidity your bread and other baked goods are exposed to. The best ones allow some air to circulate in order to prevent too much moisture from building up and causing mold, while also preserving the correct amount of humidity to prevent your bread from becoming as hard as a rock. While it can't preserve your bread indefinitely, it can help keep freshly baked bread from going stale or getting moldy for longer than most other storage methods.
You should always 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. You can also clean it with a vinegar and water solution.
Granrise Bread Box ($28 at Amazon)
Overall, the Granrise Bread Box performed extremely well during our tests and excelled at preventing mold. The only drawbacks are that it takes up quite a bit of counter space, and we wish it had a bit more ventilation.
Budeez Sandwich Sizer Bread Buddy Dispenser ($16 at Amazon)
This bread box kept our loaves moist and fresh for as long as they were in it. However, due to its design and shape, it can only fit certain types of loaves and isn't very versatile when it comes to storing other kinds of baked goods.
ETMI Bamboo Bread Box ($34 at Amazon)
While this bread box performed well overall, it simply couldn't keep up with our top performers. There's also the fact that it required some assembly, which we weren't expecting.
Home Basics Stainless Steel Bread Box with Roll Up Lid ($27 at Amazon)
During testing, we found the Home Basics Bread Box to be incredibly functional and effective. We only wish it were more aesthetically pleasing since it will spend a lot of time on your countertop.
We tested numerous other models that didn't make our list, including another Oggi bread box as well as additional models from Williams Sonoma, Brabantia, and other well-known brands. However, most of these didn't make the cut due to issues of quality or effectiveness. A few were simply so unappealing to use and look at that we couldn't comfortably recommend that you give up valuable counter space to house them.
Paper Chocolate Box By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.