Do You Have Issues When You Freeze Bread?
I bake six loaves at a time of Spelt bread. And because we can’t eat it all at once I freeze five loaves and have one in the bread box. I have noticed that the loaves which are frozen tend to have a bit of crust separation when sliced even though they are completely unfrozen when being sliced. Is that a common issue with frozen loaves or is the freezer maybe too cold or some other factor affecting the outer crust of my bread? Any comments would be most appreciated. Thanks and have a great day!
PS - Just to clarify, the crust only breaks or fritters away from the loaves from the freezer when I go to slice it after completely thawed. Not to be confused with “flying crust” which is something completely different. Also of note, this only happens when I use the chest freezer. It does not happen when i use the much smaller freezer in the refrigerator.
I had that problem years ago and, by accident, came up with a solution.
Once cooled, I wrap my bread in plastic wrap and then put it in a plastic zip bag with the air pushed out. I found that if I leave the bread like that overnight and then freeze it the next day I don't get the crust separation. Works for me.
Dave
Thanks Dave! I wonder if wrapping the loaf with cling wrap is needed if you are bagging the loaves in a zip bag with the air pushed out. I guess air is the enemy here. Although I do wonder if my chest freezer’s temperature might be the issue. It’s much colder than the refrigerator freezer although I did not measure with a thermometer yet. The ideal temperature for baked goods is 0 degrees Farenheit or -18 Celsius, apparently…
I freeze my loaves *after* slicing (typically I bake four loaves of sandwich/pan loaves and freeze three). This makes it super easy to leave the loaf frozen and just pop off as many slices as needed for the meal at hand. I haven’t ever tried freezing before slicing. It’s very curious that this only happens to you with one freezer! Does your chest freezer get colder than the other one?
Great idea! And yes, I believe the chest freezer is much colder than the fridge freezer but I haven’t measure it with the thermometer yet.
Fridge freezers are normally frost-free and cycle temperatures to maintain the frost-free environment. This may be another factor in the minimal crust separation.
Mangia Pane I think you're right. Air is a problem and wrapping it any way to keep air out works. The air problem usually manifests itself in the form of freezer burn, I find double wrapping keeps me from having that problem.
Your two freezer temps could well have something to do with the crust problem. Most home refrigerator freezers fluctuate a great deal due to opening and closing and also due to the modern defrosting cycles most of them have. It may also have an effect on the humidity that surrounds the loaf. That could have something to do with crust separation. I use a stand alone freezer to hold all my breads and just thaw them from there. I honestly don't know why letting the wrapped loaves sit over night at room temp before freezing works for me, but it does.
Kjknits, I've never pre-sliced before freezing but it's an interesting idea, especially for breakfast loaves. I may have to try it.
Dave
Yep, it has worked well for us for years! I just put the slices back together like a whole loaf. That keeps the cut sides from being exposed to air inside the bag. I just use inexpensive gallon twist-tie bags from Walmart.
I like it. A nice simple solution - and the bread is ready to go after you take it out of the freezer.
I prefer the pre-slicing method, too. I have been able to reuse some bags from store-bought bread for the freezer. I sometimes see some freezer burn, but a quick trip through the toaster seems to restore edibility.