what I do is use the sandwich mode ,unplug machine 10 or 15 minutes before time is up take bread from pan at end of cycle let the bread cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes then place in a plastic sealed ziplock bag until cooled at room temp' then i freeze the bread for one hour slice it and store in freezer whenever we need bread for sanwiches it is always soft and tender after thawing it at room temp.let me know if this helps .