The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Question re: freezing bread

bakinbuff's picture
bakinbuff

Question re: freezing bread

Hi all!  I have a question about freezing bread.  I generally bake a small sourdough loaf (no commercial yeast) on a daily basis which is nice, because it means warm fresh bread at lunch daily.  However, I am curious about freezing loaves as I tend to make an extra loaf every few days to give to my father-in-law, and sometimes he can't pick it up the same day.  Just wondering if anyone has any advice about freezing baked bread, and is it ever as nice defrosted as fresh?  Thanks for any advice!

wally's picture
wally

You should not have any problems if you let it cool completely and then cater-wrap it (double wrap).  Once removed from your freezer, just allow it to thaw before removing the plastic wrap.  A brief re-heating will restore your crust.  BTW - sourdough has excellent keeping qualities, so if we're just talking about a few days, you would do as well to simply leave it on the counter or put it into a paper bag.

Larry

breadbaby's picture
breadbaby

I have frozen all kinds of bread and it always seem to thaw out just as nice as when it were frozen.  Just be sure to let the loaves cool completely before you wrap them, and then wrap them well.  And you know, even frozen-and-thawed homemade bread will be much, much better than any mass-market product.

pjaj's picture
pjaj

I've had no problems with freezing bread. I bake 8-12 large loaves in one day and freeze all but one. They usually last me several weeks. As everyone says, let them cool, wrap well (I use sealable plastic bags). To defrost 2 minutes at full power in the microwave, turn it over and repeat for two more minutes - nice warm bread.

Mae Hodges's picture
Mae Hodges

Hi,

I've found that some of my bread dries out when I freeze it. I think it's probably because I'm not wrapping it tightly enough-- I put it in plastic bread bags with a twist tie. Do I need to get special thick bags? Should I use plastic wrap? Is there a limit to how long bread can stay in the freezer without losing quality?

My bread is all whole wheat, if that makes a difference.