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On the day I bake my no knead sourdough, after the bread is completely cool, I slice the bread. I then use small pieces of parchment paper between the slices to make it easy to get two slices out for a sandwich. These pieces of parchment paper are reusable. I double bag the loaf in good quality plastic bags and into the freezer it goes. I pop the frozen bread slices directly into the toaster to defrost (making sure the parchment doesn’t go into the toaster). These slices are just like they were on the day the bread was baked. I have a 35 year old Krups Slice-It which produces perfect uniform slices.
Nice method!
@steve7377 Stephen, I basically do a similar method to store my homemade bread. I don’t put parchment paper between the slices only because I don’t seem to need to. If my slices freeze together, I simply pop a knife gently partially between the two slices and give a little twist to the blade. The slices just pop apart. Having a slicer must be wonderful though! I do slice my bread by hand with a bread knife. Let’s just say that means some of my slices have more personality than others.
Blessings,
Leah
Another way to mail bread so that it is fresh is to partially bake (aka half-bake) the loaf. Whomever receives the loaf will need to finish baking it, but it yields a freshly baked loaf of your bread. I am also thinking of “freezing” the half-baked bread but haven’t had time to experiment with that, yet.
Here is how to make half-baked bread:
Do not use an enclosed container such as a dutch oven, combo baker, or cloche.
Bake the bread in an oven with the temperature reduced by 25% from what it would normally be. As an example, if you normally bake at 450°F (230°C), reduce the oven temp to 335°F (170°C).
When the loaf begins to brown, it will have brown splotches, pull the loaf from the oven. The internal temp should be 95°F (35°C). Allow the loaf to cool completely.
After the loaf is completely cooled, place the partially baked bread in a plastic bag, seal the bag.
Bread prepared this way will stay fresh for 2 to 3-days at room temperature. To finish baking, place the loaf in an oven preheated to 350-390°F (180-200°C), bake until the loaf reaches the desired color.
I think this may be a preferred way to freeze bread for later use though it will require thawing and some baking on the other side. But the trade-off is a fresh baked loaf of bread. I’ll take it! I also think there will be some breads this technique will not work with.
Here is a short video (1-min 24-sec) of someone named Waldo explaining this technique:
My experience with this technique is that it worked very well with yeasted bread but not as well with sourdough … maybe. I only got about 80% of the rise I was expecting with the sourdough. However, the sourdough recipe I tried using this technique with was also the first (and last) time I tried that recipe. The reduced rise could have been cause by other variables that come into play when making sourdough breads.
These are helpful instructions. Thank you for sharing. I once parbaked cinnamon rolls. They were a little glue-y inside – need to tweak my defrost or bake times.
I slice the entire loaf the day after baking. I almost always have two loaves. There’s only two of us so the loaves don’t get eaten that fast. After slicing the loaves, I piece them back together and freeze them in a lightly sealed plastic bread bag already sliced. I also have the linen cloth bags that I place the wrapped loafs into to prevent ice crystals or freezer burn. Whenever I want a slice or more of the bread, I just pry the desired slices apart. They will pull apart while still frozen. If they are a bit stubborn, just give them a minute and they will pull apart for you. However, I rarely have any trouble prying them apart right out of the freezer. Works great!
Hi, I’m a little confused about your wrapping technique. Do you put your sliced bread in the plastic bag and then put the linen cloth bags over that? There are only two of us as well and my bread dries out so fast so I’m looking for advice on how to preserve the bread for later use.