Bread is a staple most of us need to have on hand. While it will keep a week or so on the counter at room temperature, how long is it safe freeze bread? It will keep 6 months or more in the freezer. You should never put your bread in the refrigerator though. Refrigerators will cause bread to prematurely go stale. Continue reading to learn more about storing breads and bread doughs so that you have fresh bread on hand just when you need it and don’t unnecessarily waste it.
How Long Can You Freeze Store Bought Bread?
In general, bread lasts 6 months in the freezer and this is also true for store bought bread. Bread sold in your local grocery store doesn’t typically sit on the shelves long. You should still check the date on your bread just to make sure you’re not getting an old batch.
Best way to keep bread fresh in the freezer?
You’ll want to wrap your bread well with plastic wrap and then wrap it again with aluminum foil. Both of these wraps will help keep the bread soft and moist once it has been unfrozen.
Another great suggestion is to include some wax paper between slices of bread before putting a loaf in the freezer. You don’t want to have to thaw an entire loaf just to need a couple slices to make a sandwich.
Is it bad to freeze bread?
Fresh bread that has never been frozen is going to be best but it isn’t really bad to freeze bread. The freezing process can cause bread to go stale if not properly wrapped and protected. Even when well protected it isn’t realistic to expect it to be as fresh as it was when it went in the freezer although you’ll likely be pleasantly surprised with how well it will hold up.
How do you thaw frozen bread?
If you thought to keep your slices separated when freezing then you can just wait 10 minutes or so at room temperature and a slice or two should be ready to eat. Alternately you can toss them in the fridge and they’ll thaw a little more slowly. But don’t leave them in there for days as the fridge will cause bread to go stale. You can also speed up the process with a toaster or an oven.
To thaw a full loaf, wrap it in aluminum foil and place in the oven for 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees.
Can frozen bread go bad?
Absolutely! A freezer only slows down the decomposition process. Anything that can go bad eventually will in a freezer. It will just take a lot longer for it to do so. Sometimes foods can still be edible technically but the texture or flavor can be so adversely affected that you won’t want to eat it. Unfortunately nothing lasts forever in this world.
How long can you freeze dough?
Bread dough can be typically be frozen for up to 1 year but is best when used earlier. This will also vary a bit from one type of bread dough to the other. Yeast should remain live through the freezing process so it should be able to rise after thawing is complete.
How do you freeze bread dough?
The only important thing to know about freezing bread dough is that if you know you plan to freeze it you will want to use twice the amount of yeast that your recipe calls for and you should not use fast acting yeast. Just use active dry yeast for best results.
How do you thaw frozen bread dough?
Thaw frozen dough in the microwave on the defrost setting for 3 to 5 minutes. This will obviously vary based on the amount of dough you’re trying to thaw. You will want to spray a non stick cooking spray on a microwave safe plate to put your dough on to prevent it from sticking.
If you’re not in a rush, you can remove the dough you intend to use the night before allow it to thaw out over night. This is the preferred method if you have the time to spare.
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Wrapping Up:
Freezing Bread, Bread Dough, and Other Tips
Freezers are wonderful inventions, but how long is it safe to freeze bread or dough? Freezers have allowed us to conveniently store all sorts of foods for surprisingly long periods of time without them going bad. Unfortunately this isn’t unlimited. 6 months is about the maximum for cooked bread and 1 year is around the maximum for bread dough. Also, you will want to know a few tips prior to simply throwing your bread or dough in the freezer to save yourself some headache later. Hopefully this article has been able to give you those tips you need to make the bread aficionado in you delighted with the results.
