I am new to baking homemade bread. I am finding conflicting information about the best ways of storing the bread after the initial indulgence. Some sites say to use cloth, others plastic, others aluminum foil or paper… What have you found to be best way to store bread, both for the short and long-term durations?
This article and the comments after might give you some ideas. Climate is definitely relevant. Some places are so humid that crispiness is gone within hours, or so dry that hardening begins just as quickly.
My favorite way is on the cutting board cut-side down and/or under a clear glass bowl. After 3-4 days, sliced and doubled bagged in the freezer (re-use the bags indefinitely).