How to Freeze a Baguette

A baguette can be stored in your freezer for up to three months.

A fresh-baked baguette makes a tasty complement to many a meal. This long, thin loaf of French bread has a hearty flavor and crispy crust. A baguette has no fats or preservatives, so it's best eaten on the day it's baked or brought home from the bakery. However, if you lead a busy lifestyle, you may not always have the time to bake a baguette at home or dash to the store to get one. You can solve this problem easily by keeping an extra baguette or two in your freezer.

Things You'll Need

• Baguette
• Plastic wrap
• Aluminum foil
• Freezer bag
• Masking tape
• Marker

Instructions

1. Allow the baguette to cool to room temperature. Whether fresh from the oven or brought home warm from the bakery, the baguette will become soggy or moldy if it's not allowed to cool completely before freezing.

2. Slice the baguette into several smaller pieces so they will fit easily into your freezer. You can then thaw only as much of the baguette as you need for a particular meal.

3. Tear off sections of plastic wrap, making them a little bit longer than each piece of baguette. Lay each section of plastic wrap flat on your countertop.

4. Place each piece of baguette in the center of each section of plastic wrap. Roll each piece of baguette tightly in plastic wrap, securing the ends, to keep it fresh and prevent freezer burn.

5. Add a second layer of plastic wrap or aluminum foil around each piece of baguette, rolling it tightly, to ensure the baguette remains fresh while being stored in your freezer.

6. Put the double-wrapped sections of baguette into a large, heavy-duty, freezer-grade, plastic food storage bag. Press the air out of the freezer bag and close it tightly.

7. Seal each plastic freezer bag with freezer-grade masking tape. Write the date of storage in permanent marker on the masking tape as a reminder.

8. Place the food storage bag in your freezer, where you can safely store it for up to three months.

Tips & Warnings

• Thaw your baguette quickly by taking it out of the freezer bag, removing all plastic wrap and aluminum, placing it on a cookie sheet and heating it in your oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.

• As an alternate method of thawing, remove the baguette from your freezer three hours before you want to serve it, allowing it to slowly warm to room temperature.

References

• Mimi's Cyber Kitchen: French Bread
• Martha Stewart.com: Good Thing: How to Freeze Bread
• The Kitchn: Quick Tip: Buy Baguettes to Freeze
• Still Tasty: Food Storage: How Long Can You Keep Baguette Homemade