Whether it is to anticipate future meals or keep unused bread, it is possible to place this food in the freezer.
However, this cold storage is not similar to that of other ingredients or products.
To avoid any health or storage problems, it is important to follow a few simple instructions for freezing bread.
To discover
Recipes, tips, chef's secrets... Download the Le Figaro Cuisine app
How to freeze bread properly
Like many other fresh foods, bread is perfectly fine to freeze after purchase or a few days later.
This avoids waste or ending up with bread that is too hard.
For optimal storage, bread (regardless of its shape or taste) should be placed in an airtight freezer bag.
In addition, it must be at room temperature before being placed in the freezer.
Hot bread put in the cold could lead to bacterial growth and food poisoning when thawed.
If the bread in question is a baguette, it is best to cut it into two or more sections to save space.
It also helps to limit waste by defrosting only the amount needed for a meal or recipe.
For a country loaf or cut loaf, several slices can be frozen together.
Even if the setting is cold and fast, frozen slices of bread rarely stick together.
As soon as the bread is sliced, just place it in the freezer bag and place the whole thing in the freezer.
If no bag is available, the bread can be wrapped in a plastic bag.
In both cases, it is important to empty all the air contained in the freezer bag or the plastic bag before closing it.
To do this, simply press lightly on the container while taking care not to crush the bread.
Read alsoPractical: how to properly freeze and thaw your food
How long can bread be stored in the freezer?
Once the plain is placed in the freezer, it can be kept cold for several months.
On average, it can stay there for six months without health risks if stored at a temperature of -18°C.
This goes for all types of bread including sandwich bread and baguettes.
In order to know since when the bread has been frozen, the ideal remains to indicate the date of freezing directly on the bag or on a small label.
In video, how to choose the right ingredients for homemade bread
The different possible methods for defrosting bread
Depending on the time available or personal preference, there are three ways to defrost bread.
The first is to let the bag thaw in the open air.
To ensure optimal defrosting, the bag should be wrapped in a clean tea towel.
It then takes between 30 minutes and an hour depending on the ambient temperature before you can eat the bread.
The second technique consists of defrosting the bread in the oven in order to give it back its crispness and the flavor of the bread coming out of the bakery.
To do this, heat the oven to thermostat 6 (180-200°C) then place the bread on the rack for 5 to 10 minutes.
Ideally, you should wait 15 minutes after taking the bread out of the cold to put it in the oven.
This waiting time is necessary to prevent the bread from being too hard after baking.
It is also possible to move a cup filled with water and resistant to heat to give even more softness to the crumb.
Finally, it is possible to defrost bread using the microwave.
Very fast, this method is effective in case of urgent need for bread.
For this technique, you must start by taking the bread out of the freezer bag and placing it in absorbent paper or in a tea towel.
Then the bread can be placed in the microwave.
You don't have to go through the defrosting option, but through the classic heating mode.
The easiest way is to do 15-second cooking sessions.
This allows you to see if the bread is not hardening too much.