subject: Learning How To Properly Freeze And Defrost Bread [print this page] If you enjoy making bread but want it to last for as long as possible, you need to learn how to freeze it without it going stale. This article explains the subtleties to keeping your products as fresh as possible.
There is no better time than the holidays for baking bread! It is perfect for holiday parties, gifts for friends and neighbors, and for munching on by the fire.
Nothing is better than the gift of homemade bread. It is a personal gift from the kitchen, and even better and delicious treat from the heart.
If you are going to make several loaves as gifts, you may need to freeze some to keep them fresh, before you are ready to give them away as gifts. Some women find that their loaves become hard and stale in this freezing process.
In order to avoid this, one needs to make sure that they know exactly how to use this process in the correct way. This article explains exactly how to do so.
In our exuberance, we often bake more bread than we can eat in a day or two, or ever more than we can give away. What is not given away goes in the freezer.
Sometimes, we bake bread just to store, for the future. This is a perfect way to begin a food storage for emergency.
It is wonderful to have homemade loaves on hand for those periods when we are just too busy to bake new products. And it is always a good feeling to have some saved ones on hand for an emergency.
There are three ways to use products from your freezer. Most commonly, the freezer is raided for that special kinds (like Canadian Cheese, Rosemary, and more) for a sandwich, or for fresh homemade loaves for breakfast toast. To accommodate those raids, keep lots of sliced loaves in the freezer.
A slice or two is snapped from the frozen loaf and dropped in the toaster while the remaining loaf goes back to the freezer. As long as you don't mind toasted bread for your sandwich, an array of slices are available for breakfast or sandwiches.
This way, each kid gets to choose the kind that he or she wants. Plus, you don't have to pull out a full loaf, eat half, and let the rest go back-just take it one slice at a time.
It can be removed from the freezer and allowed to thaw on the counter. Use it within a day or so just like you would fresh bread-any longer and it will begin to mold or go stale.
Frozen kinds can also be reheated and recharged in the oven. Defrost the bread completely on the counter, then reheat it in the oven for ten minutes at the same temperature at which it was baked.
This is a great addition to any dinner, particularly a soup of any kind. If you have guests, it certainly dresses up a meal.
The secret for a quality product from your freezer is starting with the freshest loaves possible. If you freeze it as soon as it is completely cooled, it will taste as if it came from the oven when thawed-perfect for guests when you don't have time to make a fresh one!
To freeze it-sliced or unsliced-place it in a plastic bag with the excess air pressed out. For longer storage, cover the plastic bag with aluminum foil.
Since air will slowly migrate through the walls of a plastic bag, plastic alone will work for only a month or two (heavier, freezer-type bags will help). If frozen in foil or freezer wrap, it can be stored for three or four months and still maintain top quality.
Mark all products going into your freezer with the date and the type of recipe to be sure that you can tell the difference between Old Wisconsin Cheddar Bread and Sour Cream Onion Bread. Keeping them as organized as possible will make it easier for you in the future!
Place the new loaves behind the loaves already in the freezer to help rotate stocks. By the way, never refrigerate your products.
Despite what you may have heard, it will go stale faster in the refrigerator than on the counter. Now experiment with some recipes you found online, or even create your own!
You will have perfect Christmas gifts in no time. Best of all, you will be able to store them for as long as possible!
