I didn’t learn this til recently. My bread use to spoil after a week. Now I just keep it in the freezer and toast it when I want to use it. Comes out perfect every time.
Refrigerating bread makes the yeast crystals break down and go stale faster. Heat can fix this, but only once or twice. This is why toasting stale bread brings it back a bit.
Freezing bread is the correct way, as it stops the yeast crystals in their tracks, rather than breaking them down. Reheating frozen bread gives you almosy fresh bread.
Think about how bread is stored before you buy it. Unless it’s only partially cooked, it’s not refrigerated.
Exactly what I do. I can actually buy a bunch of bread now because most of it stays frozen and there’s only half a loaf on the counter at a time. It’s kind of miraculous how well it dethaws.
My mom froze bread when I was growing up and it always made it soggy and crumbly. I don’t know how all these people are so happy with it. When I got out on my own I found never frozen is much better. Just buy half loaves if you’re worried it’s going to go bad.
I wonder if the type matters. I put all my loaves in the freezer from Sam’s and just take one out and put it in the bottom cupboard the night before if I’m low/out and it looks and tastes exactly the same as the never frozen loaf I will use first after I get home from shopping. I love my dedicated upright freezer. Not as efficient as a chest freezer but it’s convenient enough that my kids and I actually use it daily instead of trying to avoid it.
You might be doing something wrong. Definitely should be in a airtight ziploc bag. It will get sort of freezer burned if not. Toasting it instead of thawing helps.
That’s what i’ve always seen as well. I don’t know what people do to make it work
It was my mom that did this, and always got store brand white bread. For the people saying it works, are you on the Wonder Bread side, or something with more substance?
My suggestion would be to freeze half a loaf and pull it out when needed. Bread thaws quite well and it doesn’t get stale that way.
I didn’t learn this til recently. My bread use to spoil after a week. Now I just keep it in the freezer and toast it when I want to use it. Comes out perfect every time.
I haven’t had a problem with the last pieces being stale. Either that or I’m just not very picky about how stale bread is.
You’re not very picky.
Refrigerating bread makes the yeast crystals break down and go stale faster. Heat can fix this, but only once or twice. This is why toasting stale bread brings it back a bit.
Freezing bread is the correct way, as it stops the yeast crystals in their tracks, rather than breaking them down. Reheating frozen bread gives you almosy fresh bread.
Think about how bread is stored before you buy it. Unless it’s only partially cooked, it’s not refrigerated.
I will agree with that statement. As long as I’m not eating anything dangerous (I am picky about that!), I prefer it that way.
Exactly what I do. I can actually buy a bunch of bread now because most of it stays frozen and there’s only half a loaf on the counter at a time. It’s kind of miraculous how well it dethaws.
This is going to sound like a real stupid question.
When you unfreeze it, does it get sad looking and taste funny?
Or am I doing something wrong?
My mom froze bread when I was growing up and it always made it soggy and crumbly. I don’t know how all these people are so happy with it. When I got out on my own I found never frozen is much better. Just buy half loaves if you’re worried it’s going to go bad.
I wonder if the type matters. I put all my loaves in the freezer from Sam’s and just take one out and put it in the bottom cupboard the night before if I’m low/out and it looks and tastes exactly the same as the never frozen loaf I will use first after I get home from shopping. I love my dedicated upright freezer. Not as efficient as a chest freezer but it’s convenient enough that my kids and I actually use it daily instead of trying to avoid it.
You might be doing something wrong. Definitely should be in a airtight ziploc bag. It will get sort of freezer burned if not. Toasting it instead of thawing helps.
Straight into the toaster from the freezer. If you want bread, set the toaster light. If you want toast, set it dark.
Some toasters even have a switch for frozen bread to compensate.
Here in rural Canada we have always frozen bread even short term. Mostly because mice can’t get into the freezer.
You’re not going to enjoy dethawed bread if it formed crystals in the freezer. The only option is to toast it.
That’s what i’ve always seen as well. I don’t know what people do to make it work
It was my mom that did this, and always got store brand white bread. For the people saying it works, are you on the Wonder Bread side, or something with more substance?
Not mine.
I keep it in the bag on the counter and it thaws just fine
Slice it first and you can then fetch a slice from the freezer and pop it into the toaster, easy peasy hot bread in the morning.
That’s what I do. buy baguettes for the entire week at once, then freeze most of it, thawing what’s needed every day.
It’s weird how common this claim is. Growing up, my Mom always frozen bread to keep it longer, but it always tasted bad and was the wrong texture
Homemade isn’t.
Are you a medieval peasant? Most folks in the US buy our bread premade, some are even lucky bastards and live by a bakery.
Even medieval peasants bought their bread from bakeries most of the time.
No I’m trying to save money, because bread here is 5 dollars a loaf. Homemade is way cheaper and it’s very easy.