August 26, 2021 - 2:52pm
Freezing a whole loaf
I am visiting some friends mid week and they would like some bread. However, I won’t be able to bake it the day before and would have time to bake it about 3 days ahead of the visit. My plan was to bake a sourdough Hokkaido milk bread. What would be the best way to freeze and then thaw the loaf before transport to their home several hours drive away?
Benny
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and our best results are fully cooled loaves double bagged with minimum air in the bag. We have gone to the extent where we put a straw in the bag to suck out the air, if that made a difference it was minimal. When removed from the freezer we leave them in the bag till they have warmed close to room temperature to avoid condensation forming on the crust. I was pleasantly surprised by the bread after freezing.
Exactly my experience. The key is to allow it to completely thaw before opening the bag.
Thanks for sharing that Gary.
is remove the bread from the oven 15 minutes early then follow the freezing operation as above then when the bread is taken out of freezer heat the oven to 350° and then put the bread in for 10 to 15 minutes. This results in the just baked aroma and crust.
That is helpful Gerhard, so you just let it thaw, no warming up in the oven then is needed. I’m making a soft bread so it doesn’t need a crisp crust.
and the bread comes out tasting fresh. I think when there is a lot of air left in the bag there is a greater chance of ice crystals forming. I have never left bread frozen more than 10 days or so can’t say what longer term freezing would do.
So what I’m hearing so far leads me to think that once fully cooled, I should wrap the bread in clip wrap and then place that into a ziplock freezer bag removing as much air as possible. That can then be frozen. When needed take it out of the freezer, left with the cling wrap on and inside the bag until it fully thaws. Does that sound right?
Yes. I use heavy plastic bread bags but the same idea. I like the bread bags because it is easy to gather the top and suck the air out of the bag. I don't double wrap mine.
Bread is amazingly fresh. The above is exactly what I do and recommend this method to my friends.
It is important to thaw in the bag. One friend didn’t and mentioned the bread was dry after freezing. That was solved after she started thawing in the bag.
Make sure you allow enough time for the loaf to come to room temperature. That takes several hours.
By the way, I use two bags if the bread is to be frozen more than a week.
Most recently, buttermilk white bread based on King Arthur’s basic white bread recipe and ciabattas. Though I mostly toast the white bread, the ciabatta slices thaw and are just about perfect for sandwiches, though the crust softens a bit. I am fairly casual about freezing and thawing. Packed in a simple plastic bag with twist tie. Thaw on the counter maybe covered with a tea towel. Sounds like you can just thaw en route. You are the kind of company we all wish for.
Phil
Thank you Phil, I’ve also been freezing slices and you’re right it works really well. Although I usually toast them, I’ve also eaten them thawed on the countertop and they too are good.
Benny
Clarence Birdseye taught us that the faster food freezes, the more appealing it is when thawed. We’ve therefore been minimally wrapping fully cooled bread before freezing: one freezer bag or one layer of clingfilm. That and 3% olive oil in the formula have improved freeze/thaw of our weekly miche quarters.
Tom
Tom that is almost what I’ve been doing with my baguettes which are the only breads I’ve tried freezing unsliced. I wrap them in two layers of clingfilm mostly because they are too long to easily cover with one. You’re right it is usually better to freeze quickly so maybe best to wrap with cling and freeze before placing that in a ziplock bag. Thanks. Benny
Freezing bread is part of my normal routine. I bake a 1kg flour weight loaf, then cut it into quarters. Three quarters are frozen in freezer ziplock bags, and the remaining quarter is my working loaf that sits on the counter in a ziplock bag.
I have frozen entire loaves in the past. Results are no different for me than when cutting into quarters before freezing.
No bread that is frozen will have the same crunch characteristics of a freshly baked and cooled bread. It's not possible, so don't expect this. Frozen and thawed bread, however, has a very nice uniform crumb structure because the moisture will have uniformly distributed through the entire loaf. This is unlike a freshly baked and cooled loaf which is moister in the middle and drier on the outside/crust.
Thaw completely to room temperature before slicing. Toasting the bread will speed thawing but it will become toast, and not a simple slice of bread. For me, toast and untoasted bread are two different things.
Flavor is unchanged when freezing.
Thank you, for whole loaves I’ve only ever frozen buns or baguettes, otherwise the bread is always sliced first. I guess a loaf like a Hokkaido milk bread will be optimal for freezing whole since the crust is generally one you want soft so freezing won’t alter that too much.