Bread from the oven
The first few years I lived in LA, I would drive half an hour every day just to buy good fresh bread. Now, with the closest grocery store almost four miles away and even less time to go shopping, I do the next best thing: buy parbaked baguettes, cut them in thirds or halves and freeze them. When I want fresh bread (let's see… 2-3 times a day), I defrost a piece in the microwave oven, then cook it in the oven and, voila, quasi fresh bread.
What you need
— parbaked bread (as the name implies = partially baked)
— freezer wrap (we use Glad Press 'n Seal, but any kind that seals properly will do)
— space in the freezer (oh, like you've never done anything stupid…)
Directions
- Cut your baguette or bread loaf in portions that make sense for you. I find that a combination of baguette thirds and halves works best for our family of two.
- Wrap the individual pieces in freezer plastic and seal as well as you can to prevent condensation.
- Store the wrapped bread in the freezer
- Before you throw away the paper bag that the bread came with, write down the suggested cooking temperature and time. Different kinds have different requirements.
When you want fresh bread
- Preheat the oven at 400-425F (approx. 200-220C) and wait at least ten minutes after it has reached the desired temperature before using it.
- Put a piece of the frozen bread in the microwave oven at defrost settings for about a minute. The first time you do this, check the bread after 30 seconds to make sure it's not overheating. You want to defrost it, not cook it.
- Put in the oven for 7-8 minutes or according to the instructions for the particular bread you are using.
Notes
- The best way to defrost food is to take it out of the freezer well ahead of time and let it defrost on its own. The directions above are meant for those who don't have the luxury of planning their meals hours ahead. I write my food entries for people like me, who want a certain level of quality without going broke, losing sleep or getting stressed. Make sense?
- You could freeze a whole baguette, but that's a less flexible system and it's also harder to fit in the freezer.
- I've used this technique even with non parbaked bread and it worked reasonably well. If you want to try it, follow the same steps as for parbaked bread (including freezing), but remember to cook it only for a couple of minutes or you'll have a piece of rock instead of fresh bread. Unless you need a weapon, of course.
- Experiment with different kinds of bread to find what works best for you.
Related tip
Let the bread cool down a little before cutting. It'll be easier to cut wthat way.