I always have frozen my sourdough bread as I usually bake 2 loaves at a time. I cut in half, wrap with Saran Wrap and put in a freezer zip loc bag with a label in the bag for date and type. I defrost the bread overnight in the refrigerator when I know I will need it the next day, and have a slice toasted with my coffee in the morning. The bread is re-wrapped in the Saran Wrap, put back in the ziploc bag and I leave it on my counter. It does get a little drier but feel that because I don’t preslice, the bread stays relatively fresh. Also a little butter and jam is perfect on the toast. No one has ever complained with this technique. I am enjoying your channel.
Nice video, I usually use glad wrap or similar, cut off a long piece of glad and lay flat, add one slice of bread, cover it with the wrap, add another slice and cover etc etc, until I have about 10 slices. I just re-use the glad wrap over and over. I've been freezing my bread for 30 years...
HI Philip, great video. We have been freezing our bread for sometime now. Because only one of us eats bread on a regular basis, I've leaned to freeze them in half loaf sections. That way I bake only about once every 2 weeks yet always have a fine loaf for most uses including sandwiches. And Congrats on the 100K club.
Great bunch of bread advice! I also was frustrated with the freezer-to-oven method and realized that simply setting the bread out to thaw turned out great (and less wasteful)! Also like using an iron skillet to toast thick slices of bread when it’s not as fresh. One side toasts while the top gets soft & warm with a lid on the skillet. (The toasted side is used for the inside of the sandwich and handles the juicier fillings & veggies while the soft side is easier on sensitive and smaller mouths.)
Hello Phillip. We freeze our weekly sandwich loaves. Love the old school trick rubbing the toast a garlic clove, some olive oil and flaked sea salt. Last year when I was in Maui, I bought some black lava salt. We like to make compound butter with different herbs or other flavors. I place the butter in a small ramekin and just before serving I sprinkle the black salt on top of the butter. The presentation is great and the flavor is amazing. Great topic. Cheers!
Great tips! As always, super clear explanation too :) I freeze them in slices too but I'm not organized enough to put paper between each slice! I slice the loaf and put it in a roomy tupperware box. I find as long as it's not packed too tightly slices can be seperated by jamming a butter knife or thin spatula between each slice and lightly twisting, and they pop apart pretty easily! Not as convenient, but works for me!
I too trained at a michelin starred restaurant in the UK in the early 90's. Chef made us make lots of bread and as per the steps below after cooling we arapped them tightly in plastic wrap, then froze them. When time to defrost, straight from frozen into the microwave for 2-3 minutes at full power then let them sit still wrapped for 20 minutes and hey presto then you can recrisp it in the oven. Or just toast the slices. Works a treat.
I've made 100% cotton little bags with drawstrings I put the bread in before putting it into the zip lock bag. It wicks all moisture away from the loaf that can make it soggy when defrosting. I love your idea for separating the slices! I've made your salad and it was amazing!! `I also made bread pudding (our pudding not yours LOL) with your rustic loaf and it was so unique and delishous! I got a new book "The Rye Baker" to get more sourdough recipes I would recommend if you don't already have it. We are in a heat wave but still canning blueberries. So looking forward to Fall. Thank you for sharing, Philip, and you and your family stay well!!
Cheers Melody I've seen the book - the rye baker. I need to make sure I can find a good supply of Rye flour. I don't know much about it, but after watching a video by Modernist Cuisine Bread, I know that I need to find some good flour. You are still working hard on the farm in the heat then! It's been warm here, we hit 39c (102F) yesterday. Five days and its summer hols with the family, I hope you find some time in your busy schedule to relax!
@@CulinaryExploration send me a Post Office Box and I will send you Rye berries. Then you can use one of those mills behind you. About 10 years ago I learned to make starter with rye and pineapple juice it is the best thing since sliced bread!😂 A Reuben sandwich with homemade rye is to die for. You and your family have a wonderful vacation and be safe!
@@melodysfiresidefarm That's very kind of you but I wouldn't put you to the expense of shipping to Greece from the US. I will hunt down some berries closer to home, thank you though :)
I'm doing this for decades. Good to share with others. Now, in tropicals, where I live, freezing is essential due to high humidity. My friends are soon opening deli, where freezing breads will save lot of money. Mostly, they will sell sourdough ciabbata and if left fresh ciabbata is not sold, then keeping in freezer will keep it as fresh as it was day before. 😉
I bake 2 round loaves per week. After fully cooling, one gets frozen right away, one goes in the refrigerator. Cut a slice as I need it, 1-2 minutes in toaster oven comes out perfect for sandwich, crisps up the crust without toasting the crumb. When that loaf is running down, I take the frozen one out and put it in the refrigerator overnight. I like your precut method, I might try that.
OMG Philip you must have been peeking into my kitchen as I though that I was the only one who sliced, segregated with paper between slices then freezing. Very comforting to have your seal of approval. but phew its quite arm aching stuff slicing up a couple of loaves, well I think so! Thank you for all of those invaluable tips.
I also freeze sliced loaves with the parchment paper between slices. It's a great trick. I defrost slices, especially of sandwich loaves, in the microwave. 9 or 10 seconds on each side does it.
Hi Phil, funny how your video on freezing Sourdough bread, popped up the following day when I was telling myself how glad I was to have my freezer chuck full of my bread even though I’ve been doing this for ages now. It’s so convenient that I am happy every time as if I had just started doing this practice. 😊 I don’t bake as regularly as you do, and mostly during the colder months. I always bake two loaves and so will end up with more bread that I know what to do with; hence why I freeze it. What I like to do is cut the loaves in half, wrap the cut face with aluminum foil, place both halves in a paper bag and inside a plastic bag (typically a grocery bag), squeeze out the air and tie a knot or put a twistie and pop it in the freezer. I’ll take out one half at a time for consumption during the following days. I’ve left some frozen loaves for many months and although you will get freezer burn, it is typically confined to the first and last slice. This only happens if you leave them in your freezer for several months. I typically toast the slices but sometimes eat them fresh too, and they hold up remarkably well. That’s what’s beautiful about SD bread! I’ve never par-baked a loaf although some bakeries in the USA, practice this method, as they perform everything except the baking at one central location, but then distribute it around where it is baked at the PoS. I think you should try par-baking one more time but make sure you spray or brush the top lightly before the bake- this will certainly darken the crust. Cheers!
You're right Cachi, sourdough has a remarkable keeping quality. I will try part baking again, I just never seem to be able to get the same depth of colour on my loaves when I bake the second time around. Part baking is getting bigger here in Greece within the growth of chain bakeries, it's been around in the Uk for decades. Hope you are keeping well buddy.
Here’s an additional side benefit to freezing bread and subsequently, toasting it. Us SD bakers and people who just enjoy eating SD bread, know the myriad of its benefits over white, yeasted bread. This new piece of information is quite surprising, and in a good way. Take a load of this: ruclips.net/video/HYZO-AktTeg/видео.html Enjoy your defrosted, toasted SD bread! 😊
I always freeze slices but I never thought about using the sandwich paper dividers, so thanks! Presumably they can be peeled off the slices right away for immediate toasting? I just recently noticed the defrost button on our toaster. I’ve simply been toasting directly from the freezer. Which actually gives a crispier crust with our toaster at least.
Can you freeze sourdough bread dough before baking? I would love to try but don’t want to waste dough and time? Since I live alone I always freeze my bread. I wrap it in a paper towel to defrost or toast. Thanks for all the delicious recipes and tips.
I wonder if par-baking sourdough bread would work? Bake normally until getting the first hints of color then pull out of the oven, cool completely then freeze. Do a full thaw and shortened bake when ready to use. Is the crumb properly formed by that point?
Congratulation for reaching 100,000 subscribers! Do you feel like a star? I cannot resist not to eat a big chunk of fresh bread first before freezing them in quarters. I too put paper in between if I slice them before freezing. How do you manage to slice your sourdough so evenly?
I'm pleased you thought that was even Becky, I was waiting for someone to tell me they looked like door stops! I'm pleased about the 100K as it's a defined benchmark, but I'm really excited about my plans for the website ;)
I prefer to take it out of the freezer, run it under running water (don't be afraid) and go straight to the pan preheated at 220c and bake for 15 minutes, it's crispy and soft as before.
There’s a video on YT of a gal taking a very old boule that was hard/dried out and dunking it in water. Then she baked it and it was just as good as the initial bake! Amazing, the wonders of simple water!
Hey Bryan, I've got to admit that I'm lazy taking temps after baking. I've just got a "feel" for when it's ready, but I appreciate that doesn't help you. I'll try to remember to dip more temps!
@@CulinaryExploration it sounds like a wonderful excuse to use one of your nuclear-powered WiFi and Bluetooth enabled, fully semi automated digital thermometers, as well as solving a major question effecting the Universe as we know it... When is a loaf of bread baked?
Thanks - I hate wasting bread so this is a great strategy - as far as defrosting - as long as you aren’t in a massive hurry - I put what I want to defrost in microwave. Leave the microwave door slightly open so light is on and it takes a few hours to defrost. Cheers
I always have frozen my sourdough bread as I usually bake 2 loaves at a time. I cut in half, wrap with Saran Wrap and put in a freezer zip loc bag with a label in the bag for date and type. I defrost the bread overnight in the refrigerator when I know I will need it the next day, and have a slice toasted with my coffee in the morning. The bread is re-wrapped in the Saran Wrap, put back in the ziploc bag and I leave it on my counter. It does get a little drier but feel that because I don’t preslice, the bread stays relatively fresh. Also a little butter and jam is perfect on the toast. No one has ever complained with this technique. I am enjoying your channel.
Nice video, I usually use glad wrap or similar, cut off a long piece of glad and lay flat, add one slice of bread, cover it with the wrap, add another slice and cover etc etc, until I have about 10 slices. I just re-use the glad wrap over and over. I've been freezing my bread for 30 years...
HI Philip, great video. We have been freezing our bread for sometime now. Because only one of us eats bread on a regular basis, I've leaned to freeze them in half loaf sections. That way I bake only about once every 2 weeks yet always have a fine loaf for most uses including sandwiches. And Congrats on the 100K club.
Cheers Vic, I ignored freezing for way too long. It's made my life a lot easier!
Great bunch of bread advice! I also was frustrated with the freezer-to-oven method and realized that simply setting the bread out to thaw turned out great (and less wasteful)! Also like using an iron skillet to toast thick slices of bread when it’s not as fresh. One side toasts while the top gets soft & warm with a lid on the skillet. (The toasted side is used for the inside of the sandwich and handles the juicier fillings & veggies while the soft side is easier on sensitive and smaller mouths.)
It's a lot easier to leave it to thaw Helen, that's for sure. I like the idea of using the skillet, nice tip!
Hello Phillip. We freeze our weekly sandwich loaves. Love the old school trick rubbing the toast a garlic clove, some olive oil and flaked sea salt. Last year when I was in Maui, I bought some black lava salt. We like to make compound butter with different herbs or other flavors. I place the butter in a small ramekin and just before serving I sprinkle the black salt on top of the butter. The presentation is great and the flavor is amazing. Great topic. Cheers!
Rubbing sourdough with garlic and drizzling it with olive oil is possibly my favourite thing to do with sourdough. The butter sounds fantastic Blair.
Great tips! As always, super clear explanation too :) I freeze them in slices too but I'm not organized enough to put paper between each slice! I slice the loaf and put it in a roomy tupperware box. I find as long as it's not packed too tightly slices can be seperated by jamming a butter knife or thin spatula between each slice and lightly twisting, and they pop apart pretty easily! Not as convenient, but works for me!
I too trained at a michelin starred restaurant in the UK in the early 90's. Chef made us make lots of bread and as per the steps below after cooling we arapped them tightly in plastic wrap, then froze them. When time to defrost, straight from frozen into the microwave for 2-3 minutes at full power then let them sit still wrapped for 20 minutes and hey presto then you can recrisp it in the oven. Or just toast the slices. Works a treat.
Love the detail instructions and many options. Also very much appreciate the practice of reusing parchment/plastics.
I've made 100% cotton little bags with drawstrings I put the bread in before putting it into the zip lock bag. It wicks all moisture away from the loaf that can make it soggy when defrosting. I love your idea for separating the slices! I've made your salad and it was amazing!! `I also made bread pudding (our pudding not yours LOL) with your rustic loaf and it was so unique and delishous! I got a new book "The Rye Baker" to get more sourdough recipes I would recommend if you don't already have it. We are in a heat wave but still canning blueberries. So looking forward to Fall. Thank you for sharing, Philip, and you and your family stay well!!
Cheers Melody I've seen the book - the rye baker. I need to make sure I can find a good supply of Rye flour. I don't know much about it, but after watching a video by Modernist Cuisine Bread, I know that I need to find some good flour. You are still working hard on the farm in the heat then! It's been warm here, we hit 39c (102F) yesterday. Five days and its summer hols with the family, I hope you find some time in your busy schedule to relax!
@@CulinaryExploration send me a Post Office Box and I will send you Rye berries. Then you can use one of those mills behind you. About 10 years ago I learned to make starter with rye and pineapple juice it is the best thing since sliced bread!😂 A Reuben sandwich with homemade rye is to die for. You and your family have a wonderful vacation and be safe!
@@melodysfiresidefarm That's very kind of you but I wouldn't put you to the expense of shipping to Greece from the US. I will hunt down some berries closer to home, thank you though :)
I'm doing this for decades. Good to share with others. Now, in tropicals, where I live, freezing is essential due to high humidity. My friends are soon opening deli, where freezing breads will save lot of money. Mostly, they will sell sourdough ciabbata and if left fresh ciabbata is not sold, then keeping in freezer will keep it as fresh as it was day before. 😉
I bake 2 round loaves per week. After fully cooling, one gets frozen right away, one goes in the refrigerator. Cut a slice as I need it, 1-2 minutes in toaster oven comes out perfect for sandwich, crisps up the crust without toasting the crumb. When that loaf is running down, I take the frozen one out and put it in the refrigerator overnight. I like your precut method, I might try that.
OMG Philip you must have been peeking into my kitchen as I though that I was the only one who sliced, segregated with paper between slices then freezing. Very comforting to have your seal of approval. but phew its quite arm aching stuff slicing up a couple of loaves, well I think so! Thank you for all of those invaluable tips.
The bits of paper makes life really easy Ramon, it's a pain slicing but the reward is worth it lol
@@CulinaryExploration 👍
I also freeze sliced loaves with the parchment paper between slices. It's a great trick. I defrost slices, especially of sandwich loaves, in the microwave. 9 or 10 seconds on each side does it.
Thank you so much for most useful information!!
Makes sense to purposes between slices. I have to cut back on the amount of bread that I eat and this looks like a good solution.
Birdy
Hi Phil, funny how your video on freezing Sourdough bread, popped up the following day when I was telling myself how glad I was to have my freezer chuck full of my bread even though I’ve been doing this for ages now. It’s so convenient that I am happy every time as if I had just started doing this practice. 😊
I don’t bake as regularly as you do, and mostly during the colder months. I always bake two loaves and so will end up with more bread that I know what to do with; hence why I freeze it. What I like to do is cut the loaves in half, wrap the cut face with aluminum foil, place both halves in a paper bag and inside a plastic bag (typically a grocery bag), squeeze out the air and tie a knot or put a twistie and pop it in the freezer. I’ll take out one half at a time for consumption during the following days.
I’ve left some frozen loaves for many months and although you will get freezer burn, it is typically confined to the first and last slice. This only happens if you leave them in your freezer for several months. I typically toast the slices but sometimes eat them fresh too, and they hold up remarkably well. That’s what’s beautiful about SD bread!
I’ve never par-baked a loaf although some bakeries in the USA, practice this method, as they perform everything except the baking at one central location, but then distribute it around where it is baked at the PoS. I think you should try par-baking one more time but make sure you spray or brush the top lightly before the bake- this will certainly darken the crust. Cheers!
You're right Cachi, sourdough has a remarkable keeping quality. I will try part baking again, I just never seem to be able to get the same depth of colour on my loaves when I bake the second time around. Part baking is getting bigger here in Greece within the growth of chain bakeries, it's been around in the Uk for decades. Hope you are keeping well buddy.
USA is all about convenience.
They sell a lot of take home and bake loaves.
@@curiousmind3710 I've never seen that before. We used to get part-baked cheap garlic baguettes to take home and bake.
Here’s an additional side benefit to freezing bread and subsequently, toasting it.
Us SD bakers and people who just enjoy eating SD bread, know the myriad of its benefits over white, yeasted bread. This new piece of information is quite surprising, and in a good way. Take a load of this: ruclips.net/video/HYZO-AktTeg/видео.html
Enjoy your defrosted, toasted SD bread! 😊
I do the same paper method!
Congrats Phil on reaching the 100K level. Really enjoy your straight forward approach!
Cheers Diane, appreciated :)
I always freeze slices but I never thought about using the sandwich paper dividers, so thanks! Presumably they can be peeled off the slices right away for immediate toasting? I just recently noticed the defrost button on our toaster. I’ve simply been toasting directly from the freezer. Which actually gives a crispier crust with our toaster at least.
They turned out great!! Would love to see more from you :) keep sharing… I’m subscribed to your channel!! 🤩
Thanks for posting Philip. I love to watch your RUclips…. I’m just bulking a couple loaves of your old faithful 😀
It's good to hear you are making use of the Old Faithful! Pleased you are enjoying the content :)
Can you freeze sourdough bread dough before baking? I would love to try but don’t want to waste dough and time? Since I live alone I always freeze my bread. I wrap it in a paper towel to defrost or toast. Thanks for all the delicious recipes and tips.
Play double bag mine to prevent freezer burn
100k subs congrats!
Cheers bud!
Great video !
I wonder if par-baking sourdough bread would work? Bake normally until getting the first hints of color then pull out of the oven, cool completely then freeze. Do a full thaw and shortened bake when ready to use.
Is the crumb properly formed by that point?
I would suggest using a microwave to defrost. It’s fast and there is minimal moisture loss. Works very well with slices.
🫣
Congratulation for reaching 100,000 subscribers! Do you feel like a star? I cannot resist not to eat a big chunk of fresh bread first before freezing them in quarters. I too put paper in between if I slice them before freezing. How do you manage to slice your sourdough so evenly?
I'm pleased you thought that was even Becky, I was waiting for someone to tell me they looked like door stops! I'm pleased about the 100K as it's a defined benchmark, but I'm really excited about my plans for the website ;)
@@CulinaryExploration definitely much more even than mine. Hahaha
I prefer to take it out of the freezer, run it under running water (don't be afraid) and go straight to the pan preheated at 220c and bake for 15 minutes, it's crispy and soft as before.
There’s a video on YT of a gal taking a very old boule that was hard/dried out and dunking it in water. Then she baked it and it was just as good as the initial bake! Amazing, the wonders of simple water!
thanks forcthe great sharing 😍😍😋😋
I wonder if vacuum sealing before freezing would extend the freezing time?
Could do I guess, I don't own a vacuum sealer, so if anyone else gives it a try let us know
I've tried that, but it doesn't work when sliced. For a whole loaf, I would flash freeze the loaf first and then vacuum seal it.
Thanks.
Well done Phillip on 100000 subscribers 👏. Can you do some info on bread knives. Different brands etc
I'll be filming a vid on the Lamson knife I'm using very soon Peter
Hi Phil. An interesting video as always.
What's the core temperature of your loaf when baked?
Hey Bryan, I've got to admit that I'm lazy taking temps after baking. I've just got a "feel" for when it's ready, but I appreciate that doesn't help you. I'll try to remember to dip more temps!
@@CulinaryExploration it sounds like a wonderful excuse to use one of your nuclear-powered WiFi and Bluetooth enabled, fully semi automated digital thermometers, as well as solving a major question effecting the Universe as we know it... When is a loaf of bread baked?
You can skip the paper, give it a try - use a butter knife to split the frozen cut slices
Reheated frozen bread has lower sugar levels it becomes a resistant starch .👍🥖
Wooow awesome
Cheers :)
Hey brother, just saw Σφολιάτα in the freezer!! ahah
Speedy sausage rolls ;)
Thanks - I hate wasting bread so this is a great strategy - as far as defrosting - as long as you aren’t in a massive hurry - I put what I want to defrost in microwave. Leave the microwave door slightly open so light is on and it takes a few hours to defrost. Cheers
What about nutrients being reduced through freezing?
Thank you.