How to Freeze Bread
It seems simple – who needs a tutorial on freezing bread? But this has been a work in progress for me. I bake a lot of bread that ends up getting used a slice or two at a time. Stale and/or freezer-burned bread is not tolerated in our household. What follows is the best way I know how to freeze bread to get great results each time you pull a few slices from the freezer.
We always freeze bread the same day it’s made. Homemade bread gets stale pretty quickly, and we prefer to eat it as fresh as possible.
After slicing the bread I lay the slices flat on a cookie sheet, and freeze for a few hours, or until they won’t stick together. Then I just toss them all in a bag to put in the freezer. One of the most annoying things about freezing bread is when you just need one or two slices, but when you try to get them out, the whole loaf is stuck together. This is a great way to avoid that.
We always double bag our bread! This is one of the simplest ways I’ve found to avoid freezer burn.
English Muffin Toasting Bread
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups warm milk (120 to 130 degrees)
1/2 cup warm water (120 to 130 degrees)
*Cornmeal
In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast, sugar, salt and baking soda. Add warm milk and water; beat on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat on high for 3 minutes. Stir in remaining flour (batter will be stiff). Do not knead. Grease two 8-1/2 in. x 4-1/2 in. x 2-1/2 in. loaf pans. Sprinkle pans with cornmeal. Spoon batter into the pans and sprinkle cornmeal on top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans immediately to cool on wire racks.
So that’s it! Good luck, happy bread baking, and happy freezing!
Northerly Nosh 