I'll be honest, I love bread. I never leave the grocery store without at least one loaf of sourdough and sandwich bread. Sadly, as much as I love bread, I can never finish an entire loaf before it gets moldy and stale.
Luckily, you can safely freeze your bread so you never have to worry about not having fresh bread on hand at all times.
We're covering how to freeze bread that still tastes amazing. Our methods will work with all types of bread, so you can rest easy.
How To Freeze Bread
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The shelf life of bread depends on the type of bread you're using. Homemade bread often has fewer preservatives than store-bought and goes stale quicker. A good rule of thumb is if you purchase a whole loaf of bread and know you cannot eat it within 3 days, freeze half.
If you only need to freeze the bread for three weeks or less, simply wrap the bread in plastic wrap, freezer paper, or aluminum foil, and toss it in the freezer.
If you're freezing store-bought bread, all you need to do is put the bread bag directly in the freezer. The plastic bag the bread is stored in will keep it safe and protected in the freezer.
If you have leftover hamburger buns or dinner rolls, put them in a freezer bag and seal tight. Make sure all the air is let out to get the best seal.
Freezing Bread Up to 6 Months
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To keep bread fresh for months you'll need to first wrap the bread in plastic wrap, followed by freezer paper or foil.
Make sure to write the date on the bread so you finish the loaf within 6 months. If you go past the date, you risk your bread getting freezer burned. Freezer burn will change the texture and leave the bread with an unpleasant flavor.
How To Thaw Frozen Bread
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To defrost a loaf of bread, simply place the bread in the refrigerator overnight. If you have slices, pop them directly in the toaster. The heat from the toaster will fully thaw the bread.
Bread Tips
We suggest storing slices of bread, instead of a whole loaf. This ensures that you always have just what you need. Leftover crusty bread, like a baguette, makes an amazing french toast or bread pudding. Stale white bread makes great croutons or breadcrumbs.
Want to impress your significant other on Valentine's Day? Nothing says 'I love you' like a freshly baked loaf of bread.
If you have dessert bread, like coffee cake, you can wrap it in foil and freeze up to three months.
Make Your Own Bread
One of the best parts of homemade bread is that you can freeze the bread dough and bake it fresh whenever you want. This easy recipe doesn't even require you to knead the dough.
First, mix yeast, warm water, flour, and salt. Next, let the dough rise at room temperature for 2-3 hours. Preheat a dutch oven and fold the dough into a round ball. Place the dough on parchment paper and cook in the dutch oven for about 40 minutes.
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