As a lifelong consumer of bread, I am mesmerized by this question. I've seen but a mere trifling amount of loaves go bad in my days. I currently just have my loaf twisted and not even tied: it's doing quite fine. I think that since all foodstuffs are organic and if they are not refrigerated, they need to breathe. Too many molded veggies have I had to toss because they were too tightly wrapped. I suggest that you wrap it snugly yet allow a small passageway in order to allow it to breathe.

Freeze it!

We are in big dilemma here in upstate New York during the warmer seasons. It's just too humid to leave bread out for longer than a day, even then you might get mold, store-bought or homemade. And I hate putting it in the fridge. Yes, the mold doesn't grow as fast but the bread gets staler faster. What I try to do is wrap in up in a paper sack, tightly closed. This keeps out the light and some of the moisture of the bread. If I have just baked it that day and it still might be a tad warm, I leave the bag open for awhile. And try to keep it in the dark, no light. A bread box, especially made of clay is great. If I must put it in the fridge, doesn't paper sacks are better than plastic. I go to a lot of trouble to bake bread with great crust, French bread that crackles as is cools. I hate losing that when I put it in plastic. Bread just doesn't belong in plastic if you can help it. If you aren't going to use the bread up in 5-7 days, cut off the part you aren't going to use and freeze it immediately, air tight as possible. Then you could thaw it and place in in a 350° oven and reheat it for 10-15 minutes and you have almost like fresh:-)

hoping more people will weigh in on this!

I buy half loafs which they sale here - less bread less waste. Less air less chance of crusty or dry bread. less light = less mold.

To keep bread fresh, place loaf in a normal plastic bag, little air content is good, not focusing on putting air out, don't want to crush bread. Tie with twist tie place 2nd plastic bag over first. All the best bread companies SF area do this. Never in fridge unless you have large rodant problems.

Air in your bread bag will make your bread stale.

hi. my mother always put a loaf of bread in the freezer to keep it fresh,i prefer to squeeze all the trapped air out of the loaf of bread,then twist the tie on it.we do this to all bread stuff.

i have no clue but my guess would be toavoid putting air in the baqq

I make my bread and keep it in a plastic container in the fridge

Treat bread the same way you do coffee. Squeeze the air out, tighten the end and place in the fridge. It will last twice as long this way.