Café Zupas Blog

How to Preserve Fresh Baguettes

June 29th, 2010 - by

Who doesn’t love a fresh baguette, right?  But the day after?  Not so much.  Once bread begins to stale, eating it just isn’t the same experience.  But thankfully, there is a little trick you can do to preserve your fresh baguettes.  Read on for the simple “how-to”, which is particularly helpful if you like to buy a lot of bread in one shopping trip (like me, who doesn’t love carting 3 kids at the grocery store!):

1. Wrap your fresh baguette in plastic wrap or in it’s original paper before placing in the freezer.

2. 45 minutes prior to consumption preheat your oven to 325 or 350 degrees (ovens seems to vary so if your tends to overbake, go for 325).

3. Once the oven is preheated, sprinkle water over the exterior of the baguette before placing it directly on the center rack of your oven.

4. Keep the frozen baguette in the oven for about 15-20 minutes (or until done–every oven is different). Your baguette will be warm and crusty on the outside, and soft on the inside..not frozen! Slice/tear and eat :)

The famous Poilane bakery in Paris also has a few tips when it comes to storing bread. These tips are useful if you have time to defrost your bread on the counter and don’t require the aid of an oven:

You can freeze our breads. Place them in freezer-proof bags. Freeze halves and quarters of our sourdough loaves. The larger the piece, the better. Try to remove as much air as possible from the bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature. Slice the bread as you eat it to keep the loaf as fresh as possible.

If you’re local, the best baguette in the state is from Crumb Brothers. Although based in Logan, you can find their bread at the Downtown Farmer’s Market, Liberty Heights Fresh and Whole Foods.

In San Francisco, we always liked the baguettes from Acme or Boulangerie Bay Bread (who coincidentally sources it’s flour from a mill in Northern Utah).

2 Responses to “How to Preserve Fresh Baguettes”

  1. Nancey Johnson says:

    I used to prepare frozen baguettes for breakfast as an au pair in Brussels. (I’ll have to try sprinkling it with water next time, though.) The bread was surprisingly fresh-tasting, sometimes moreso than when we bought it. It’s great with ham, cheese, and jam. Now I’m hungry.

  2. Darnell Jackson says:

    Thank you for your tasty menu items. My wife and I enjoy dining at your restaurant. I have even tried my hand at dipping strawberries in chocolate for a romantic evening at home.

    Since you are into healthy ingredients for menu items I have a suggestion. It may only be possible in the late fall/early winter when they are in season. The last few years I have enjoyed pomegrantes more. The 2 ways I enjoy them the most is to sprinkle them on cold cereal for breakfast and to garnish a tossed salad with them. I would really like that option at your restaurant.

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