I have an excellent loaf of bread that I needed freezing, What's the best method?

[DS1]

I have Ciabatta I need to go through first, but it might take me a few days, and this "Winter White" loaf which was baked today isn't going to get any better. So I want to freeze it.

Suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

[Warpy]

1. Just make sure the wrapper is air tight

and that you've squeezed as much air out of it as possible. Big freezer bags do the trick. Air is what dries the bread out in the freezer and makes it go stale.

Thawing should be done at room temperature unless you preslice the loaf and do it as needed in the toaster, which is what I do in summer when homemade bread seems to go moldy in just a couple of days.

Homemade bread probably won't languish in the freezer for more than a week or two, but freezing for that time preserves its quality a lot better than any other method.

[DS1]

3. Thanks Warpy and Lisa, that's all the info I need

[lisa58]

2. we use "press and seal" and it works great - just make sure it is completely wrapped.

[kestrel91316]

4. I pre-slice mine and shove it in a bread bag with a bag tie.

Then it's easy to just pull out however many slices I want and let them thaw on the counter a few minutes. Or they go straight in the toaster oven if I'm in a hurry.

I made sourdough bread yesterday, 2 loaves. One I presliced as above. The other I left intact and froze. When I'm done with the forst loaf, THEN I'll thaw out and pre-slice and refreeze the second.

[hippywife]

5. And make sure the bags are

actual freezer bags rather than storage bags. If all you have are storage bags, wrap the bread in an additional barrier of some kind first before putting them in the storage bag to freeze.

I didn't know you were a baking kinda fella. :hi:

[DS1]

6. I buy a loaf each Saturday from the local bakery

It's out the freezer now, but had been double-bagged :)

[hippywife]

7. Hang around here long enough

and you'll be baking your own. LOL Can we interest you in a little Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMxJgIpe38Q

[DS1]

8. Sounds like what our baker does

salt yeast flour water and that's it

I like their Winter White loaf

[hippywife]

9. That and a little time

and the right amount of heat...ya got yerself a yummy loaf of bread.

[eridani]

10. Or, for some of us, a fecking BRICK that tastes good n/t

[hippywife]

11. I wish I could figure out

why you're not getting the results you want. I bet if we all put our heads together we can do it. :hug:

[eridani]

12. Tomorrow I am going to try white bread to see if there is a problem with my basic technique

This may well require an oven replacement. There is no natural gas in our area, so will have to be another electric one, but I can probably do better than one whose manual comes from Chicago 6, Illinois.