How to Freeze Bread

Does your bread go stale or moldy before you can eat it all? Freezing your bread will keep it fresh for 3-6 months. Whenever you want to eat it, you can thaw it in the refrigerator, or pop a slice directly in the toaster. Whether you are a home baker, or have just purchased too many rolls from the supermarket, freezing your bread will make sure your bread loaves stay fresh and ready to eat.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Freezing Your Bread

1. Let your bread cool on the counter if you have just baked it. 3 to 4 hours is generally enough time for a fresh-baked loaf to cool. Make sure your loaf is completely cool before you freeze it. Freezing a hot loaf damages the consistency of the crumb.^[1]
   
2. Slice your loaf if desired. If you are freezing sandwich bread, and anticipate wanting to thaw out a slice at a time, then it is easiest to slice your bread before you freeze it. This way, you can defrost one slice at a time instead of having to thaw the whole loaf.^[2]
   
   
3. Seal your bread in a Ziploc bag. If your loaf is whole, place into a large Ziploc bag and press the air out of the bag before you close it. If your loaf is sliced, place a piece of parchment paper between each slice so that the slices will be easier to separate once frozen.^[3] Then place the sliced loaf into a large Ziploc bag, press out the air, and seal.
   
   
4. Place your bread in the freezer. Now that your bread is packaged properly, it is ready to go in the freezer. If you are freezing sliced sandwich bread that you will need to access often, keep it in a handy-to-reach part of the freezer. If you are freezing a whole loaf, and will only need to access it once, you can put it farther back in the freezer.^[4]
   
   • Bread can last between 3 to 6 months in the freezer, but flavors may start to dull after a month.^[5]

[Edit]Thawing and Refreshing Your Bread

1. Toast a single slice directly from the freezer. If you want to immediately eat a single slice of bread, you can toast it straight out of the freezer. You do not need to thaw your slice before you toast it.^[6]
   
   
   • This method works well if you know the entire loaf will not get eaten in one seating. Then you do not have to thaw and refreeze a whole bread loaf each time.
   • If you want your bread slice to be thawed, but not toasted, let it thaw on the countertop for a few hours.
2. Thaw a loaf on the countertop for several hours or overnight. If you want to thaw an entire loaf, take it out of the freezer and place it in on the countertop for 3 or more hours.^[7] It will gradually thaw until it is no longer frozen. You can eat it now, or you can heat the bread in the oven to fully restore its fresh-baked state.
   
3. Preheat the oven to 350 F° (177 C°) to refresh the loaf. You will use the oven to restore your to its just-baked state, so that it tastes as good as new. Make sure the rack is in the center position.^[8]
   
4. Run the loaf under a light stream of cold water. Do not soak the bread. Only coat it finely in water. This thin coating of water will steam in the oven and create a crisp crust.^[9]
   
   
5. Place the loaf directly on the oven rack and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, check to see if the crust is crispy enough for your satisfaction.^[10] A crisp crust should crackle to the touch.
   
   
   • Some kinds of bread, like baguettes, only need 15 minutes, while others might require 20 minutes.^[11]
6. Cool your bread on the countertop for at least an hour before serving. Your bread will taste freshly baked.^[12] If you want to freeze it and store it again, you can.
   

[Edit]References

1. ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/the-best-way-to-freeze-and-thaw-bread-246477
2. ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/the-best-way-to-freeze-and-thaw-bread-246477
3. ↑ https://www.abeautifulplate.com/how-to-store-bread/
4. ↑ https://www.abeautifulplate.com/how-to-store-bread/
5. ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/the-best-way-to-freeze-and-thaw-bread-246477
6. ↑ https://www.self.com/story/the-best-way-to-defrost-bread
7. ↑ https://www.abeautifulplate.com/how-to-store-bread/
8. ↑ https://www.abeautifulplate.com/how-to-store-bread/
9. ↑ https://www.abeautifulplate.com/how-to-store-bread/
10. ↑ https://www.abeautifulplate.com/how-to-store-bread/
11. ↑ https://www.abeautifulplate.com/how-to-store-bread/
12. ↑ https://www.abeautifulplate.com/how-to-store-bread/

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