Personally I think frozen bread is good for toasting only! If you have a good starter and good ratio of whole meal flour or rye the bread can stay a few days, just make less and bake more!
I agree about baking a little and often. I don't like frozen bread and rarely freeze any.
I suppose I sometimes eat bread a little past its best having stored it in paper bags sealed as best as possible - not refrigerated! Without wishing to go on, this was Alex Croquet's suggestion also. He sells his bread in waxy bags for this purpose.
If I am out of sourdough I will make fast bread if I need to and with a clear conscience. A bit of yeast is nice for a change.
The new cookbook by Italian chef Giorgio Locatelli (with photos by Dan Lepard) has a focaccia recipe ready to bake in about an hour from scratch - I've made it. If you substitute 10% of chestnut flour, chickpea flour or toasted rice flour (his suggestions) for some of the white you can get a very tasty quick bread. His salt quantity needs hugely reducing (in the salamoia) if anyone has the book and is thinking of having a go.
We are a two person household, and I bake four loaves at a time. As soon as the excess loaves are cold they are double bagged and put in the freezer.
When a loaf is required I unwrap a loaf, put it in the microwave for 3 minutes on medium and then 2 minutes on high, then into the oven at 150C for 5 minutes to crisp it up again.
This gives me bread just like it was freshly baked. The enzymes in the loaf will let you do this once only.
Sorry Bill when my home nuke died I never went back! My mom is a French lady who forgot how it was in the old day's, she bags it and refrigerates it and freezes, drives me nuts! I am a purist snob and would rather throw the stale stuff in a soup or salad! No compromising with a hard head like me!
[quote="Jeremy"]
Personally I think frozen bread is good for toasting only!
[/quote]
That is because you all bake wheat breads or wheat with very little rye.
If you bake a wholemeal rye bread it tastes exactly the same if you take it out of the freezer in the evening and let it thaw out over night. The kitchen actually smells of fresh bread in the morning!!
Au contrair mon cher! I am a freak for rye and I just hate freezing, admitedly I have been forced to freeze only because I bake like an idiot more than I can eat!
Frozen sourdough makes the best toast in the world - and a great BLT when lightly toasted! Please don't knock toast! And remember that a sourdough sandwich that thaws during the morning is still a better sandwich for lunch than one made from supermarket bread! It's a very satisfying feeling to have a fresh loaf on the cutting board (cut side down under a clean tea towel) and a freezer full of sourdough bread (not to mention knibbling on a few crusts with butter while doing the slicing. I collect all the small end bits put them in a bag and in the freezer - they make great teething rings for my youngest to gnaw on.
Replies
Place it on the cut side down!
Jeremy
I slice mine and freeze it, then I eat it one slice at a time over the next week or two (depending how much I baked).
I make 2 small loaves...less than 500g. Eat one loaf at one or two sittings and freeze the other.
Personally I think frozen bread is good for toasting only! If you have a good starter and good ratio of whole meal flour or rye the bread can stay a few days, just make less and bake more!
Jeremy
I agree about baking a little and often. I don't like frozen bread and rarely freeze any.
I suppose I sometimes eat bread a little past its best having stored it in paper bags sealed as best as possible - not refrigerated! Without wishing to go on, this was Alex Croquet's suggestion also. He sells his bread in waxy bags for this purpose.
If I am out of sourdough I will make fast bread if I need to and with a clear conscience. A bit of yeast is nice for a change.
The new cookbook by Italian chef Giorgio Locatelli (with photos by Dan Lepard) has a focaccia recipe ready to bake in about an hour from scratch - I've made it. If you substitute 10% of chestnut flour, chickpea flour or toasted rice flour (his suggestions) for some of the white you can get a very tasty quick bread. His salt quantity needs hugely reducing (in the salamoia) if anyone has the book and is thinking of having a go.
Best wishes
Pete
Pete,
send me that to try and I will show you a great pate recipe at www.stuffers.com they have lots of sausage recipes too!
Jeremy
We are a two person household, and I bake four loaves at a time. As soon as the excess loaves are cold they are double bagged and put in the freezer.
When a loaf is required I unwrap a loaf, put it in the microwave for 3 minutes on medium and then 2 minutes on high, then into the oven at 150C for 5 minutes to crisp it up again.
This gives me bread just like it was freshly baked. The enzymes in the loaf will let you do this once only.
Sorry Bill when my home nuke died I never went back! My mom is a French lady who forgot how it was in the old day's, she bags it and refrigerates it and freezes, drives me nuts! I am a purist snob and would rather throw the stale stuff in a soup or salad! No compromising with a hard head like me!
Ta!
Jeremy
[quote="Jeremy"]
Personally I think frozen bread is good for toasting only!
[/quote]
That is because you all bake wheat breads or wheat with very little rye.
If you bake a wholemeal rye bread it tastes exactly the same if you take it out of the freezer in the evening and let it thaw out over night. The kitchen actually smells of fresh bread in the morning!!
Au contrair mon cher! I am a freak for rye and I just hate freezing, admitedly I have been forced to freeze only because I bake like an idiot more than I can eat!
Hey Carla what is that purple wheat called again?
Jeremy
Jeremy, will post you the recipe - I need to check one thing first. I think I made a muddle of the hydration when I made it first time...
Thanks for the pate link.
Pete
Take your time! I flubbed one formula today too!
Jeremy
[quote="Jeremy"]
Hey Carla what is that purple wheat called again?
[/quote]
Konini
I adore rye but do not think it freezes well, by the way.
Pete
I freeze my 1/3 rye loaves using the same method I described previously. Works for me, one of the few uses for a microwave.
Frozen sourdough makes the best toast in the world - and a great BLT when lightly toasted! Please don't knock toast! And remember that a sourdough sandwich that thaws during the morning is still a better sandwich for lunch than one made from supermarket bread! It's a very satisfying feeling to have a fresh loaf on the cutting board (cut side down under a clean tea towel) and a freezer full of sourdough bread (not to mention knibbling on a few crusts with butter while doing the slicing. I collect all the small end bits put them in a bag and in the freezer - they make great teething rings for my youngest to gnaw on.
Matthew