Whether you're big into baking with your sourdough starter, or just picked up a loaf of sourdough bread from the bakery, you're probably hoping to keep it fresh for as long as possible—if you don't manage to eat the whole thing in a day or two (guilty!). So that raises the question: Can you freeze sourdough bread—or will it impact the texture and flavor of the bread? And better yet, can you freeze sourdough starter if you love to bake your own but can't keep up with feeding your yeast?
The short answer is yes to both questions—but you'll need to prep them properly to ensure perfect sourdough for your next baking project or meal.
Can You Freeze Sourdough Bread?
The good news: You can freeze sourdough bread! That's the perfect way to keep your bread fresh if you won't be able to get through a loaf in a few days. Generally, a homemade loaf can do three to five days at room temperature, before it may go stale or develop bread mold.
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Frozen sourdough bread will have the best quality if you use it within three months of popping it in the freezer, but it'll still be usable indefinitely after that.
How to Freeze Sourdough Bread
The trick to freezing sourdough bread? Keep air away from the bread's surface to avoid freezer burn. If you're freezing a freshly baked loaf, you'll want to wait until it cools completely. You can freeze a whole loaf, a half loaf, or even cut it into slices, then wrap the bread tightly in freezer-friendly products. Consider double wrapping—in plastic wrap and then foil, or placing your tightly wrapped bread in a freezer bag with all the air pushed out of it.
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If you are freezing individual slices, you can wrap and store them in smaller freezer bags, so you don't have to disturb the whole loaf if you need a couple of slices for toast.
When you're ready to use your frozen sourdough bread, the best way to thaw it is basically, fast and hot. That means popping individual slices into the toaster or toaster oven. (Many have a specific frozen setting to do it justice.)
If you're thawing a full loaf, try putting it in a 325-degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes to get it back to fresh baked.
You can also place a frozen sourdough on the countertop to thaw—it should just take a few hours, even for a full loaf.
Can You Freeze Sourdough Starter?
If you're a baker who's gone all-in on the sourdough baking trend, you probably have a jar of starter somewhere in your kitchen. But if you aren't baking or using your sourdough regularly, it can be a little wasteful to keep feeding that wild yeast until you're ready to make some bread.
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Fortunately, you can chill or even freeze your sourdough starter to slow down the yeast's activity and preserve it until you're ready to bake. Sourdough starter stored in the fridge will stay in good shape for the occasional baker who might be making a loaf or two every couple of weeks. But if you need to store it longer—for instance, if you won't be baking much in the summer—the freezer is your best option.
How to Freeze Sourdough Starter
To freeze your sourdough starter, place a cup of the starter in a freezer storage bag, remove as much air as possible, and pop it into the freezer. You won't need to feed your starter again until you're ready to thaw it.
How to Thaw Sourdough Starter
You'll need to plan ahead when you're ready to start using your starter again, as you'll not only have to allow for thaw time, but you'll have to give your starter some TLC and feed it flour and water to help revive your yeast. It could take a few days for it to thaw and reset.
Start by taking your starter out of the freezer, and letting it thaw to room temperature. Then, discard half of the starter and feed it as you typically would. You may need to go through a couple of feedings before your sourdough will be ready to go.
The good news: You can freeze sourdough bread! That's the perfect way to keep your bread fresh if you won't be able to get through a loaf in a few days. Generally, a homemade loaf can do three to five days at room temperature, before it may go stale
stale
Staling, or "going stale", is a chemical and physical process in bread and similar foods that reduces their palatability. Stale bread is dry and hard, making it suitable for different culinary uses than fresh bread.
After the sourdough loaf has cooled I slice the entire loaf. It's extremely important that you let sourdough bread cool completely before freezing. I cut small pieces of non-stick baking paper and place them between the slices. I label and date a ziplock bag with a marker and slide the whole loaf inside.
Again I wrap them in plastic bags and put them in the freezer. To defrost I remove the bread from the freezer last thing at night, take it out of the bag, sit in on a cooling rack, and let it defrost for several hours or overnight.
The first step is to allow your loaf to thaw completely at room temperature. This slow thawing is essential as it helps maintain the bread's texture and prevents the formation of soggy spots, which can occur with rapid thawing methods like microwaving.
Freezing is the best way to extend the shelf life of bread, but there's an intriguing claim that freezing and then toasting bread can also lower its glycaemic index (GI), a measure of how quickly a food raises your blood sugar.
The most important thing to know is that you should never store sourdough in your fridge. The inside of a fridge is a very harsh environment that's much too cold and dry to store bread in. Your sourdough will get hard and stale much faster in the fridge than if you leave it out.
This process of freezing and reheating changes the molecular structure of the carbs (starch) in such a way that the starch is being transformed into a resistant form your body cannot absorb. This also happens if you first freeze your bread and toast the frozen slice before you eat.
How long does a loaf of sourdough bread last in the freezer? Properly stored, it will maintain best quality for about 3 months, but will remain safe beyond that time. The freezer time shown is for best quality only – sourdough bread that has been kept constantly frozen at 0°F will keep safe indefinitely.
Tip. It's best to defrost bread in microwave ovens by covering it in large kitchen towels, like Plenty The Extra Big One, to absorb any moisture. This will prevent the bread from going soggy.
How to revive frozen sourdough starter. To reactivate the frozen starter, place a cube into a jar and allow it to thaw. Once fully thawed, feed with 100g water and 100g flour. The next day transfer 25 grams to a new jar and feed with 100 grams of water and 100 grams of flour.
Sourdough relies on a mix of wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria, rather than baker's yeast, to leaven the dough. It's richer in nutrients, less likely to spike your blood sugar, contains lower amounts of gluten, and is generally easier to digest than bread made with baker's yeast.
Some breads last better in the freezer than others. "Sourdoughs and simple breads that are only flour, salt, and water store extremely well in the freezer," says Boonthanakit.
The goal is to finish baking the bread with minimal browning. Bake until you hit an internal temperature of 90°C/194°F. That will ensure that the bread is completely baked but not browned yet. Let the bread come to room temperature, then freeze it in a ziplock bag.
At what stage can you freeze sourdough bread dough? Technically, you can freeze the dough at any stage along the way, thaw, and restart the process at a later date. For best results, freeze after the bulk rise and shaping.
While sourdough bread is usually lower in gluten, it is not gluten-free. People with a gluten intolerance may find that sourdough is easier to digest, but people with celiac disease will likely still experience symptoms if they eat sourdough bread.
This technique works for store-bought sliced bread as well. In fact, Drew Gimma, the director of operations for Bread Man Baking Co. in Houston, Texas, recommends slicing pretty much any bread before you freeze it "so you can thaw just as much as you need and not the whole loaf," he says.
If properly frozen, your bread should last up to six months in the freezer. Remove from freezer bag and thaw at room temperature. Place into a 425° F pre-heated oven for approximately 8-10 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and warm. Do not microwave.
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Introduction: My name is Duncan Muller, I am a enchanting, good, gentle, modern, tasty, nice, elegant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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