Ina Garten's Game-Changing Tip For Freezing Bread
Ina Garten is adored by her fans for many reasons: her positive energy, her beautiful Hamptons home, her self-taught skill set, her often decadently delicious recipes, and her equating cooking with love – to name a few. She's also meticulous in the kitchen. According to a New York Times article, her recipes are tested "between 10 and 12 times before publication." During the pandemic, Garten showed us a more casual side to her personality, gaining additional followers and the trust of a slew of people, stuck at home with little meal inspiration.
This work and commitment have made the Barefoot Contessa a very reliable source. So when she tells us she has another approach to freezing bread, we listen.
People with a freezer and without daily bakery access likely know that freezing bread can be a great solution to the problem of storing and preserving good bread. But just how exactly to freeze it for maximum flavor isn't so obvious. Freezing slices often results in icy residue and uninspiring toast. But freezing entire loaves creates storage dilemmas and more bread than you need. So what's a home cook to do?
Freeze your bread in wedges for wonderful results
Ina Garten's solution reveals her simple genius (via Eating Well): freeze sections of bread. More than a slice, less than a loaf, a good-sized wedge is enough to enjoy, but not so much that you end up with leftovers that you would then need to re-freeze. And it's less prone to icing than single slices.
Her process is simple (per Food & Wine): cut the bread into large sections, wrap it with freezer-safe plastic wrap, and place it in the freezer. Bread generally keeps for up to three months in the freezer (per Eating Well). When ready to eat, ideally, you should defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat in a low-temperature oven, or toast slices in a toaster. Food & Wine found that a test bread wedge went from freezer to table-ready after 15 minutes in a 325-degree oven. Just enough for one, and still plenty to spare for next time, without freezer burn — Garten's hack makes getting your daily bread a lot easier.