Freezing bread is a common practice of storing bread when you have an excessive amount and want to prolong its shelf-life. Homemade bread usually lasts for four days, while store-bought bread lasts for seven days at room temperatures. Frozen bread can last for months, and it’s a handy solution – whenever you’re out of bread, thaw it, and voila! Enjoy in a fresh loaf.
However, many people misjudge how much bread they need and end up with an excessive amount of thawed bread that could go to waste. It’s well-known that the bread quickly becomes stale once you take it out of the freezer, so there are a few options – eat it, make bread crumbs or freeze it again.
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Can you refreeze bread that was previously frozen?
There is a question – is refreezing bread safe?
Yes, refreezing bread that has been thawed is perfectly safe, but you should be aware that you could end up with stale bread due to moisture loss. To improve refrozen bread taste, it’s the best idea to toast it.
You can refreeze bread within two days of thawing, but try to freeze it again as soon as possible. It would be best to refreeze it in a day since thawing, but two days will work, too. It doesn’t matter whether it is a whole loaf, sliced bread, or leftover pieces – the longer they’re left out quicker, the quicker they will begin to dry out.
Frozen bread taste and texture are far from fresh bread – the texture is dry and crumbly, while the taste is somehow stale and only reminds of a fresh loaf of bread. However, that’s not a big problem – you can always toast it and top it with butter or spreads you like.
How to freeze and refreeze bread properly?
Freezing and refreezing bread doesn’t require some unique methods – it’s a pretty simple procedure, but many people make mistakes that cause freezer burn to the bread. Freezer burn will additionally ruin bread’s taste, and here is how to avoid them:
Preparing bread
Slices of bread will freeze faster, thaw, and have a better taste than a whole loaf of bread. Before freezing, slice bread into pieces for best results.
Tip: Very important! To avoid freezer burn, never put warm bread into the freezer. Wait until the bread is completely cooled, or else warmth will cause moisture to condensate, creating ice crystals which will lead to freezer burns.
Packing
Once you slice bread, you can pack it. Put all slices together and wrap them in a freezer bag. Try to squeeze as much air as possible without ruining the bread texture. Removing excess air will prevent the stale bread phenomenon.
Once the bread is wrapped in a freezer bag and sealed tightly, wrap it again in another freezer bag or aluminum foil.
Double packing (freezer bags or plastic wrap + aluminum foil) will prevent air from getting in touch with bread, and also, there will be less risk of freezer burns. Freezing bread in an airtight container is also a suitable storage method.
Freezing
Put a little label with a date on the packaging and refreeze your bread when you finish wrapping.
You can use frozen bread within six months, but for optimal results, take it out of the freezer and use it within three months. Slicing bread will allow you to take out the exact amount of bread you need without thawing and refreezing it a couple of times.
How to thaw frozen bread safely?
There are three common ways of thawing bread, and each one of them works well. Which method you choose depends mostly on how fast you need your bread.
How to thaw bread at room temperature?
Thawing bread at room temperature is easy.
Take your bread out of the freezer and leave it covered in a bread box at room temperature to thaw. Bread could soften within 10 and 40 minutes, depending on how thick slices are. If you had an entire loaf of bread, it would be best to leave it to melt overnight.
This method is suitable when you’re not in a hurry and don’t need bread right away, but at some point during the day.
How to thaw bread in the microwave?
Thawing bread in the microwave is the fastest method of all. Take as many slices as you need and put them in a microwave for 15 to 60 seconds, medium-high setting.
After a given period, the bread will thaw and be warm and moist.
As much as microwaving method is fast, it has some downsides – microwaved bread can come out steaming hot, wet, and limp, but at least it won’t be dry, and it won’t have a taste stale.
How to thaw bread in the toaster?
Thawing bread in the toaster is also a fast method (not as quick as previous, but still, it will take only a few minutes). Put slices into the toaster and wait for a few minutes. Voila – perfect toast is ready!
Toasting frozen bread will remove its stale taste, no matter what type of bread you had refrozen. Bread will retain the same quality, but this method can be problematic if you do not need toast, except that it works perfectly.
You can use the same method in the oven – with an entire loaf of bread or slices.
Can you freeze bread twice?
You can refreeze your bread once, but refreezing it more than once is not recommendable.
It’s entirely safe to freeze bread twice (refreeze bread two times is fine) – your bread won’t be spoiled, but freezing it twice will ruin its texture and taste.
When you eat bread that you freeze twice, it will taste weird, while the texture will be dry.
To avoid this unpleasant experience, throw away once thawed bread and buy bread you’ll enjoy.
Can you refreeze sourdough bread?
No, it would be best if you didn’t freeze or refreeze bread made out of sourdough.
Sourdough is specific – it makes it wonderfully airy, soft, and chewy inside, while bread crust is beautifully crunchy and crispy. When you make homemade bread out of sourdough, avoid freezing it even once, especially avoid sourdough bread refreeze because you’ll end up with lower quality bread.
Sourdough won’t spoil once it’s frozen and thawed, but we will change all its characteristics due to which we love it. The crust will become soft during defrosting instead of being crunchy, while the inside will become soggy. For best results, eat it fresh.
Tip: Also, do not refreeze fresh bread dough. It will lose its texture and taste and won’t rise during the baking.
Can you refreeze french bread?
Like all other bread kinds, you can freeze french style bread or baguette once. All more than that will reflect on its quality. You won’t enjoy eating refreeze baguette, but if you still decide to refreeze it, thaw it in the oven.
Put the loaf into the oven preheated to 350 degrees F, and bake the loaf for about 40 minutes. That way, bread retains its flavor and crunchy texture.
Citations:
- https://www.myrecipes.com/extracrispy/how-to-defrost-bread-without-destroying-it
- https://foodsguy.com/refreeze-bread/
- https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/food/1355122/Can-you-refreeze-bread-evg
- https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/33981/refreezing-already-thawed-bread
