I love homemade bread. Everything about it from the smell that fills the house to the way a pat of butter melts over the warm soft center. And especially how much cheaper it is to bake it at home over buying it at the grocery store. However, sometimes we all get a little lazy. When I decide last minute to switch up the menu to something that involves french bread as a side I don't always give myself enough time to throw the ingredients in the bread machine to have it ready in time for dinner. So I like to have a couple loaves in the freezer when this situation arises! But if I'm planning to just throw the bread into the freezer - I don't want to buy a fresh baked fluffy loaf at full price... that's just silly! Almost every time I'm at Wal-mart, over on the discount bakery rack, there are a few loaves of french bread for 50% off! For the longest time 50% off meant $.84 per loaf but over the last couple months they've only been $.50!! Sahh-weeeet!
So here's what I like to do. For our family we eat about 1/3 a loaf with a meal (when using it for something like garlic bread) so I divide the loaf into 3 sections. I do not use a freezer bag as personal preference - I have found that wrapping the loaf with one layer of cling wrap and then wrapping again in aluminum foil does the trick!
Now what do I use the bread for once it is frozen and then thawed? The bulk of the time I use it to make some form of garlic bread. Other times I'll use it for things like french bread pizza or as a boat for bbq chicken topped with cheese. I will confess that I have never thawed it to use for something like sandwiches. I've only ever used it for toasting or baking so I'm not sure how freezing will affect the fluffiness of the loaf. Hopefully I've inspired you to shop the discount bakery rack!
Stay frugal my forest friends!
No comments:
Post a Comment