I found this on the internet.
Here are several ways that people freeze bread.
I hope this helps us all.
Avoid stale or moldy bread by freezing your excess. Here's how:
For Short-Term Storage (less than three weeks): Wrap homemade bread in a bit
of plastic wrap, foil or freezer paper after it has cooled completely; and
freeze. Place store-bought bread directly in the freezer. The plastic bag
that it came in will keep it protected for a few weeks.
For Long Term Storage (more than three weeks): Wrap bread tightly in plastic
wrap. Then, wrap it again in foil or freezer paper. Write the date on your
bread before sticking it in the freezer; then, try to use it within six
months.
To Thaw: Simply place a loaf in the refrigerator over night.
Bread Freezing Tips:
. If it takes you a long time to eat a loaf of bread, slice your loaves
before you put them in the freezer. This will allow you to pull out just
what you
need
. Save time by baking several loaves of bread at a time and freezing them.
This
four-loaf white bread
freezes beautifully
If you have a ton of bread left, you will lengthen the time you can freeze
it if it's sort of vacuum sealed. Unless you have a sealer, just freeze on
a cookie sheet until solid then place in freezer bags. Seal the bag with a
straw in the zipper and suck out the air. I'm really not kidding. When the
bag is air free, you never get freezer burn.
Even when I'm not vacuum sealing, I always loose freeze on a cookie sheet
first. That way you can remove 1 or 10 rolls - whatever you want - because
they're
not stuck together.
My husband works for a major bread company & I work for him. Sometimes he
forgets to bring home any bread or buns; other times I have lots to freeze.
I just stick everything in the freezer as is. I have noticed that
sometimes when I allow it to thaw before using it, it's as fresh as when I
put it in
the freezer but other times it's hard on top. I think buns & wheat bread do
better than white bread.
If you wrap it in foil that will keep the bread from losing moisture and
keep it fresh longer.
Even plastic bags allow moisture loss....particularly supermarket bread
bags. That's why your bread is sometimes hard on the top.
I bake bread a couple of times a week, 3 or 4 loaves at a time. When the
bread has cooled I wrap it in papertowels and then place it in freezer bags.
I find that the papertowels absorb any moisture and the bread doesn't get
damp when it is defrosted.
White rolls dry pretty fast in the freezer. I wiould vacuum or wrap in foil
to keep them moist. Always freeze before trying to vacuum seal or you'll
flatten fresh bread too much. My DH brings home bags of SF sourdough when
he goes to SF and it works best if I wrap in foil before freezing. I put
them
in the oven with foil on to thaw and reheat and it comes out as if it was
just baked. I now freeze all my sliced bread immediately and only take out
what
I can use in a couple of days and I never have to throw out moldy bread any
more. It thaws so fast you don't have to take it out until just before you
need it if all of a sudden you need a whole loaf.
I use some that has been there awhile for bread crumbs.
hank you, Thank you ladies. Freezing buns & some loaves of store bought
bread has been a delima for me. The tops are dry even though I double wrap
them
without air. Never thought of tin foil as a first wrap! I am going to try
all of your tips, because I am tired of throwing out bread & buns. Audrey
Here's a tip someone told me and it works. What ever side is on the bottom
in the freezer put it on top when you are thawing. If you lay the bread
bottom
side down in the freezer when you get it out let it thaw with the bottom
side up.
wrap (homemade) loaves of bread tightly with plastic wrap, then wrap in
foil. This tight-fitting wrap prevents ice crystals from forming (the
famous
sticky bottom of a thawed loaf of bread) as well as freezer burn - which is
caused by evaporation of moisture in the bread because it's in a
loose-fiting
plastic bag - which causes the ice crystals.
Air-tight is always the trick to better freezing. Never leave things loose
in a plastic bag - that's an invitation to freezer burn.
I also make all our burger and hot dog buns, and they are best wrapped
individually in pop-up foil (I get boxes of it at Sam's). Once again, if
you use
a close-fitting, air-tight wrap, it will prevent freezer burn. You can't
place a whole bag of commercial hamburger buns loosely in the bag you
purchase
them in, in the freezer and not expect anything else but a formation of ice
crystals and freezer burn.
I also find defrosting baked items in the fridge overnight instead of on the
counter helps with the texture.
Freezing Baked Bread
Bakery bread is usually fresh but still needs to be frozen as soon as you
get it home for best results. Wrap well in moisture-vapor proof plastic wrap
with an outer layer of tin foil or in a plastic bag.
Freeze homemade bread,
like my sandwich bread,
after cooling it. Slicing is optional but allows you to pull out only the
quantity you need.
Baguettes freezing bread
Make sure you pick the freshest bread you can find for best results. You can
freeze store bough bread in the plastic it comes in if you plan to use it
within 2-3 weeks.
Bread wrappers are not designed for the freezer. For longer storage you need
to wrap the bread better, remove the air from the container and use a
moisture-vapor
proof material. Freezer-grade plastic wrap and tin foil work great. You can
also use a plastic freezer bag or vacuum sealer. Flash freeze the bread for
an hour or two on a cookie sheet before using a vacuum sealer so the bread
does not get flattened.
Thawing Baked Bread
A 1 pound loaf takes about 3 hours at room temperature, leave the loaf in
it's wrapper until thawed.
You could thaw 30 seconds at a time in the microwave. Keep checking because
every microwave is different. And give it a few seconds without the power on
for the heat to get to the middle, or you'll have a cold center with
overcooked outer edges.
Slices can thaw in 5-10 minutes at room temperature on the counter, and can
be uncovered.
Sliced bread can be toasted without thawing.
Freezing Partially Baked Rolls and Buns
Only partially baking bread is not recommended for yeast or quick bread
loaves. Just bake those until done and call it a day.
Rolls and buns however, because they are so much smaller, can be baked to
the point that they have risen but not browned. Most recipes can be baked at
300F for 15 minutes or so. Let them cool before freezing individually on a
cookie sheet. Package and label with type of bread, date and reheating
instructions.
To reheat take your frozen rolls or buns and put them in a preheated 400F
oven for 10 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Helpful Hints
Snug wrapping materials help the bread freeze faster by getting rid of the
insulating effect that the air space, sometimes called 'dead space,' inside
a loose fitting bag creates. Thus snug wrapping means a faster freezing so
smaller ice crystals form and you get better quality.
Freezing does not improve quality, if the bread is stale when frozen it
won't
get any better. Freeze bread as soon as you get it home, or cooled if it's
homemade, for best results.
Is it humid where you live? Humidity can cause condensation and make your
bread soggy as it thaws. Try putting a paper towel or two in the bottom of
the
bag or wrap the paper towel inside the plastic freezer wrap to absorb the
moisture and keep your bread dry.
If you make your own bread let it cool completely before freezing it so it
freezes faster and there is less condensation.
How long can you freeze bread?
That depends on the quality of the packaging materials. These are guidelines
based on a freezer set to 0F or lower. Bread kept longer than I recommend
is not necessarily bad but may start to lose quality. Bread doesn't lose
nutrients in the freezer if properly packaged and not oxidized or freezer
burnt.
Yeast dough however loses it's ability to rise as it stays in the freezer
and may fail if kept too long.
list of 7 items
. Bread in a lose plastic bag- one month or less
. Bread in freezer quality plastic wrap and tin foil- up to 6 months
. Bread in a vacuum sealed package- up to 6 months
. Partially baked rolls or buns loosely packed- 2-3 months
. Partially baked rolls or buns individually wrapped- 4-5 months
. Quick bread batter 3-4 months
. Yeast dough- 2-3 months
list end
What other bread products can I freeze?
Bread on Foodista
Bagels, pitas, waffles, pancakes, tortillas, crepes, biscuits, muffins all
freeze well. Try to use them within 4 months and package well.
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