If you run an artisan bakery — or if you have a passion for baking homemade bread — you might be thinking of shipping bread to online customers or friends and family. As with all perishable goods, shipping bread is a time-sensitive task, and you’ll need a bit of careful planning to ensure it doesn’t go stale.
In this guide, we’ll cover the best way to mail bread through USPS, UPS, and FedEx. Read on to learn how to protect your loaves in post so that they still feel oven-fresh after transit!
What you’ll need to mail bread
- Packaging to store the bread, such as:
- Paper bag with plastic bag or plastic wrap
- Aluminum foil with freezer bag
- Reusable beeswax bag
- Packing material, such as tissue paper, kraft paper, or crumpled newspaper
- Shipping box slightly larger than the bread
- Gel packs, if shipping frozen bread
How to package bread for shipping
1. Plan before you bake
To ensure the bread reaches your recipient at its freshest, you’ll usually need to send it out on the same day you bake.
Plan your baking schedule so that the bread has time to cool completely before packaging, and so that you have enough time to send it at the local post office before packages are picked up daily. Alternatively, if using a pickup service, ensure you have enough time to package your shipments before the carrier arrives at your home or business.
If you want to freeze your baked goods, you can pack and ship them on a different day from the baking. This is most suitable for yeast-based breads and intricate baked goods like cake or cinnamon rolls.
2. Pack baked goods based on type
How to ship banana bread, pumpkin bread, and other quick breads
Quick breads made with chemical raising agents, such as banana bread, pumpkin bread, and zucchini bread, have a longer shelf life than yeast-based bread.
To keep quick breads soft and fluffy throughout shipping, make sure your loaf has cooled completely first. Wrap the loaf in a paper bag, followed by a plastic bag or plastic wrap. Alternatively, you can store it in a beeswax cotton bag.
Place the loaf in a sturdy box and add kraft paper or tissue paper to pad out the empty space.
How to ship sourdough bread, baguettes, and other yeast breads
While you can ship yeast bread with the same process as shipping quick bread, you can also freeze the loaf to keep it feeling extra fresh! Once you remove the loaf from the freezer, tightly wrap it in foil and a plastic freezer bag, or place it in a bread bag.
Place the loaf in a box with kraft or tissue paper for padding, and add a small card with thawing instructions (frozen bread is best heated in the oven for a freshly baked feel)!
For extra protection, add gel packs to your box. If you do this, you’ll have to line the box with plastic and place it inside a larger corrugated box marked as “perishable”.
How to ship cinnamon rolls, iced buns, and other intricate baked goods
If you want to ship bread that’s a little more delicate, such as bread with icing or intricate decorations, you should freeze it first to prevent damage in transit. Once frozen, carefully wrap it in plastic multiple times, followed by bubble wrap or aluminum foil for extra protection.
Follow the same steps in the previous section to package your homemade bread in a box.
3. Ship bread to your destination
All major carriers allow you to ship fresh food. For the best results, choose the service with the shortest transit time. Keep in mind that these can often be pricier than baking the bread itself; opting for a 2-day service can help reduce costs.
These are some of the best shipping services for mailing perishables like baked goods:
- USPS: Priority Mail Express® or Priority Mail®
- UPS: UPS Next Day Air® or UPS 2nd Day Air®
- FedEx: FedEx Standard Overnight or FedEx 2Day
Most post offices and postal services only operate from Monday to Saturday. You should try to mail packages earlier in the week to ensure they don’t get stuck at a postal distribution center during the weekends — watch out for holiday delays, too!
noissue bread packaging options
Custom waxed bread bags
noissue reusable custom waxed bread bags keep your bread fresh for longer. They’re made from natural cotton canvas and coated with beeswax, providing a breathable alternative to plastic bags that customers can use time and time again.
Create custom waxed bread bags for your bakery with a choice of nine bag colors and up to four Pantone color inks. With a low MOQ of only 200 units, it’s an excellent choice for smaller bakeries looking to offer some extra special packaging.
Custom paper bags
noissue paper bakery bags are a cost-effective option for bakeries wanting to add their brand to every order. They’re lightweight, affordable, and suitable for shipping and in-store.
That’s a wrap
Now that you know how to send bread in the mail, you can safely ship baked goods to eager customers or gift homemade loaves to loved ones. No matter who your recipient is, they’ll appreciate how fresh the food arrives!
Check out the noissue blog for more packaging tips for small businesses, or explore our bakery packaging range to add more flavor to your brand.