My own version of the "take n bake"
Before I started baking my own bread, I would often buy the frozen "partially cooked" artisan bread loaves to keep in my freezer. 15 minutes in the oven and I had what was supposed to be a fresh baked loaf of bread.
I have been experimenting with my cooking times, removing my bread from the oven at the partially cooked stage and freezing it, then finishing it off at a later date. has anyone else experimented with this.
My cooking times are 45 minutes in total. About 25 lightly covered and about 20 uncovered. I put a small dish of water in the bottom of my oven for the entire cooking time.
I have been removing after the 25 minutes and flash freezing while still hot, then cooking from frozen on a flat baking sheet for 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven. Plus adding the cup of boiling water to the bottom of the oven.
I wonder, has anyone else been experimenting with this and perhaps has it perfected. Should I be letting it cool before freezing; should I be thawing before finishing cooking? Should I be eliminating the water for the last stage of baking?
I will, of course, continue my practising; but if someone has perfected this, I won't need to practise anymore!
Being a newbie, I have nothing to offer from my still very limited experience. However, I recently read Bertinet's book Crust. A number of different recipes include comments on freezing. They're not all the same. Some say to bake just until the crust starts to color, others 3/4 bake, and some just say that the fully baked loaf freezes well. I think he generally cooled unfinished loaves before freezing then baked from frozen.
As for what he says about specific types of loaves, I got the book from the library, so maybe you can too, or perhaps another reader who owns a copy can tell you more.
This topic has come up every year around the holidays for the last several years. A lot of discussion over what method is best- to parbake or to freeze fully baked or even to freeze dough (and when-before or after final rise). Do a couple searches and get some ideas.
I don't believe I have ever seen an actual parbake method outlined so I follow your results with interest.
about how commercial bakeries make "brown 'n serve" baked goods:
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/comment/302928#comment-302928
I have been baking bread this morning. I baked two baguettes. One I "flash froze" while still hot, right out of the oven, wrapped tight, labelled and put in my quick freeze tray. The other I let cool before wrapping and freezing. It also went into my quick freeze tray. Both cooked for 25 minutes. not yet browned, (or browned much). So, next step will be to remove from freezer, finish cooking them both (after a 10 minute thaw) and see if it's better to cool it before freezing or freeze right out of the oven. Not sure about that. Will finish both, I think, right in my baguette pan, uncovered, no foil for 20 minutes @ 400. any thoughts?
Is this a special little flash freeze unit like I have seen on Iron Chef? Whoosh! 200F to -50 in 10 seconds!(In which case I feel envy-what a great tool) Or is it a home deep freezer?
Intriguing!
Nothing like Iron Chef ------- I have a special tray in my deep freezer with a "quick freeze" button. I put something in this tray, I press the button and it takes less than half the time to freeze solid. It's an awesome little button.
I baked these two baguettes this morning. One I finished off in the oven (which is obvio
us), the second, I removed from the oven before it was done, to cool and then quick freeze. This is a fire-roasted red pepper baguette with all purpose white flour and kamut flour.
Through-out the holidays, I baked bread a LOT, and experimented with my take n bake processes. The cooking time I ordinarily use is 30 minutes covered, and then 15-20 minutes uncovered. I put a small pot of boiling water in the bottom of the oven when I want a really crunchy crust. So, my take n bake experiments have produced the best re-bake when:
I remove a loaf from the oven after the first 30 minutes. It's not finished, it's not browned, it is still quite heavy. I let it cool for 10-15 minutes then wrap very, very well in wax paper and then seal it in a plastic baggie, labelled and frozen.
To finish, I remove from freezer, let it partially thaw for about 30-40 minutes then put on a flat baking tray in 400 degree oven, and with the small pot of boiling water on the bottom of the oven.
Upon removing from the oven, it is really difficult to tell the difference between the one cooked to completion and the other.
Very handy to have this perfected; especially if you want a fresh bread in 20 minutes or so because of surprise company or a surprise invitation and there is no time to bake something from start. I now expect I will always have one or two baguettes in my freezer.
Sounds so simple. I will have to use this technique in the future.
Thank you for posting the followup!