Sliced bread should go into an airtight bag before it goes into the freezer; squeezing out the extra air keeps frost from building up on the slices and slows down drying. Bread frozen this way keeps a near-fresh texture for 2-3 months. Slipping a sheet of parchment paper between slices makes it easy to pull out just what's needed and leave the rest frozen. What's the best way to thaw it?
For 1 or 2 slices, going straight from the freezer into a toaster or a frying pan keeps the texture closest to fresh. For a whole loaf, leaving it in its bag at room temperature for a few hours is enough. Microwave thawing is fast but can toughen bread quickly; it's best reserved for bread that will be eaten right away, since bread that sits after microwaving can turn spongy. Which breads freeze best?
Dense, close-textured breads like whole wheat or rye hold their texture well after freezing and thawing. Airy, soft white breads can come out a bit wetter once thawed, so anyone planning to freeze more than they'll eat right away gets better results from a denser loaf. Writing the date on the freezer bag keeps a loaf from getting forgotten and eaten months later without anyone noticing how long it sat. Is there another method besides bagging slices?
A whole loaf can be frozen instead of individual slices; that takes longer to thaw and usually isn't practical for a single sitting, which is why freezing pre-sliced bread works better for most households. A loaf fresh out of a bread machine needs to cool completely before freezing; bagging warm or even lukewarm bread traps moisture inside, and the surface comes out damp once thawed. Frozen bread slices can also be used straight for sandwiches; filling a frozen slice and leaving it in the fridge for a few hours lets both the bread and the filling thaw naturally by lunchtime. Letting bread sit briefly exposed to air after coming out of the freezer, before being bagged again, keeps moisture that's collected inside the bag from soaking back into the bread. Bread with mix-ins, like garlic bread, loses its freshness in the freezer a bit sooner than plain bread, so it's best used within a shorter window. Bread sliced thin before freezing dries out a bit faster once thawed than thicker slices, which makes eating thin slices right out of the toaster the better plan. The freezer bag should be resealed tightly every time it's opened; a bag left loosely closed lets the remaining slices dry out and pick up frost faster. With the right bagging and thawing method, frozen bread ends up close to fresh and noticeably cuts down on waste. If the freezer bag isn't clear, noting the type of bread on the label makes it easier to tell one loaf from another once a few different kinds pile up in the freezer.
Comments (1)
Beyaz somun yerine tam buğday ekmeğini dilim dilim dondurmayı denedim, çözülünce gerçekten daha az ıslandı; tost makinesinden çıkarır çıkmaz taze gibi kokuyordu, bir daha beyaz ekmeği dondurmayı hiç düşünmüyorum.
Tam buğday ve çavdar gibi sıkı dokulu ekmekler dondurmaya gerçekten daha uygun, deneyiminiz bunu doğruluyor. Beyaz ekmek dondurmak isteyenler de dilimleri tek tek sarıp aynı şekilde tost makinesinde çözdürebilir.