Some of the upsides of making bread at home are the therapeutic effects of baking, control over the ingredients you use, saving money, and a final product with better flavor and texture. However, you don't want to ruin your homemade bread with improper storage, and wrapping it in plastic may not be the best choice.

While most bread sold in the grocery store is wrapped in plastic, this is meant to maintain freshness and keep the bread on the shelf for longer, and doesn't account for how the storage affects the bread's texture. The plastic traps moisture within the bag and softens what should be a nice, crispy crust on the loaf of bread.

When baking your own loaf at home, if you want to keep the bread's brown and slightly crispy crust intact, wrapping it in plastic is the worst thing you can do. The best way to store the bread is at room temperature, preferably inside a bread bin or cupboard, though you will have to eat the bread faster while it's still fresh and crispy.