So I have my whole life put pizza in the fridge when it’s done, except on the odd occasion where I’ve gotten drunk pizza woke up to it out on the bench still.
However focaccia and other bread treats get left on the bench a day or two and no one sees an issue.
How about garlic bread? Fridge? I think so but then again I think of those bacon cheese roles that just live on the bench all the time.
I just don’t know anymore
Plain bread doesn’t have sufficient water activity to support bacterial growth.
Focaccia is generally bread with oils/fats (oils aren’t water so they don’t contribute to water activity).
Sweetened pastries have more water in them, but have most of the water bound to sugar molecules so that there’s not enough water activity to support bacterial growth.
But pizza has a water-based sauce on the crust, and often has moist toppings. That’s why some pizzas become soggy over time. That’s enough water activity to support microbial growth, including some microbes that cause illness. So pizza should be refrigerated.
Thank you for this, it’s a great explanation