February 2, 2008 - 11:24pm
Reviving frozen, sliced, bread
Hi all,
I have a loaf of bread that I've sliced, wrapped in foil and then plastic, and froze. I would like to thaw and revive the entire loaf.
What is the best way? I guess I should thaw overnight, on the counter, in the foil. However, can I also put it in the oven for a bit to revive it? If I do so, how do I let it cool without drying out?
Thanks!
I slice and freeze bread all the time. Right now I have a large boule of sliced sourdough whole wheat in the freezer. After slicing it I place it in a plastic bag in its original loaf shape. Then when i'm ready to use I it take out the number of slices needed. I do not wrap it in alum. foil, just place it in a plastic bag approximately the size of the loaf and gently press the air out of the bag. Make sure it's fully cooled to room temp. before slicing and freezing, otherwise it will stick together during the freezing process and it may be difficult to seperate the slices, depending on what type bread it is. Also, be careful not to press the sliced loaf together too tightly before freezing or the slices will stick together after freezing. If you're going to be using the entire loaf after thawing it out theres no reason to slice it beforehand, just let it thaw at room temp. and then slice it. To thaw out the slices I spread them on the counter, cover them with plastic film and allow them to thaw. They will thaw fairly quickly that way. I don't think I would try thawing it in the oven unless you turn the oven on and then turn it off after it hits about 100 deg. and I certainly would not use a microwave oven. I have thawed whole, unsliced loaves overnight with no problems.
HO
I freeze loaves unsliced but often cut in halves (or quarters, for 3+ lbs miche). I wrap each piece in heavy duty foil and place them in a plastic bag well sealed.
To thaw, I take out the bread from the freezer, unwrap it and put it in a bread bag from the KA Baker's Catalogue, generally overnight. If I just wanted to thaw a slice or two, I might thaw wrapped in wax paper.
David