I’ve kind of became addicted to this hobby ( obsession) and have alot o breads in the freezer. I freeze them in freezer bags an thaw them overnight on the counter. The crust is not as crispy as I like. I do thaw them in the bag maybe I should thaw out of the bag or freshen them up in the oven. What do you all do?
I go freezer to toaster, one slice at a time as needed. Sometimes, I get some freezer burn on the slices from careless resealing of the bag, but the texture is always good.
I’ve heard you can run an entire frozen loaf under water for a few seconds and then pop it into a preheated 350F oven for 30-40 minutes and the crust will crisp up. I haven’t tried it though. I imagine you could defrost on the counter and do the same thing just for a shorter bake time…
I’m going to try that.
good luck! please report on how it goes if you’re trying the “water then bake” thing.
Hi @Brewcat! Like @Fermentada I slice and freeze my bread in freezer bags. I just take out a slice or two at a time, as needed, and pop them into the toaster. That way the bread still has a nice crispy crust and great flavor like the day its first baked. I love having great bread ready when I want it. I keep a few different loaves in the freezer. I’m singularly obsessed with sourdough so I’ve been using it for all my breads. My husband’s favorites are the cinnamon raisin, the rye and the basic sourdough. I currently have all three in my freezer!
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I make a 6 cup sourdough round loaf, bake in clay pot and let cool and cut into 4ths,wrap in foil(which I use over again). put in freezer. Unwrap and put in microwave on thaw for a couple of minutes, turning a couple of times, slice and toast and put remainder in fridge in bag and use in next couple of days. Always crusty and as good as new!
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I like the toast idea but I’m going to try what @Fermentada suggests since I give them away so if it works I can freshen them up before giving them out. I’ll probably slice some up to freeze also. Another thing is I like to have a loaf on the counter to slice up and take with some cheese for bag lunches
I wrap then in foil and pop I the oven. The crust comes back and the crumb is great.
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I slice my bread as soon as it has cooled and place a piece of plastic wrap between each slice. After reassembly I place it in a freezer bag and again into a second bag. That bag is 4mm thick. Next it goes into the deep freez. I keep half a loaf in the fridge freezer and can peel a slice off whenever I need one. 2o seconds in the microwave and the bread tastes as if it was just baked or I pop it frozen into the toaster.
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Yes that is just the way to handle our excesses - into freezer sliced and then out into toaster. Works perfectly.
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Well I tried thawing then wet the crust and baking for 20 minutes and it works well. I’m going to try the slice and freezing method next. I just passed out the rest of my frozen bread with those instructions. I’ll have to get back at it
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Ohh I’m glad to hear it works. When I travel for the holidays, I like to bring entire loaves and sometimes the prep has to happen well in advance so freezing is a good option, and whole loaves make for nice presentation at dinner time.
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What temp and for how long?