Rich Whole Wheat Batter Bread Recipe | Vegan in the Freezer (2024)

FAQs

Can you freeze 100% whole wheat bread? ›

Yes, in fact, freezing bread is the best way to extend its life, whether you have a whole loaf, part of a loaf, or sliced bread.

The healthiest bread flour is 100% whole grain flour. Whole grain flour could be rye, barley, spelt, oat, or wheat flour - the key is that the flour is made from 100% whole grains. Whole grain breads provide essential nutrients that are lacking in bread made from white flour.

Gluten is important for giving the dough – and final loaves – structure. Without it, loaves tend to end up flat and dense. One trick is to add some white all-purpose flour along with the whole wheat flour. Even just a little white flour has enough gluten to give the dough better structure.

Bread products retain their quality when stored in the freezer for 3 months.

Whole Intact Grains: The shelf life of whole intact grains, like wheat berries or brown rice, is a bit longer than flours. If stored properly in airtight containers, intact grains will keep for up to 6 months on a cool, dry pantry shelf or up to a year in the freezer.

While bread flour is more than adequate for everyday breads, some professional bakers use high-gluten flour with a 14% protein content to provide extra strength to dense, chewy doughs like bagels and pizza dough. High-gluten bread flour gives milk bread it's taut structure and compact (but tender) crumb.

King Arthur Flour contains no bleach, no bromate, and no artificial preservatives of any kind. What you get—instead of those chemical bleaching agents—is flour from superior grains grown by farmers we trust.

Whole wheat flour may require a bit more kneading than white flour.

How do you make bread lighter and fluffier? ›

All it takes is a small amount of dough enhancer per loaf to create a much lighter and fluffier result. Using a dough enhancer like Vital Wheat Gluten works to improve the texture and elasticity of the dough and elongate the strands of gluten. Doing so allows more room for the gas in the dough to develop and rise.

Because wholegrain bread is made with flour from whole grains, it contains plenty of healthy compounds, like fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Fiber serves as food for the bacteria in your gut and can help keep you fuller for longer. Wholegrain breads are also a source of polyphenols.

Try switching to whole-wheat or whole-grain varieties. These types of bread are also high in fiber, which can help lower your cholesterol. You might also try low-carbohydrate varieties of bread, but make sure that you check out the fat and fiber content on the food nutrition label before you make your choice.

The bottom line

Bread has a short shelf life, lasting just 3–7 days at room temperature. Proper sealing and storage, as well as using the refrigerator or freezer when needed, can help prevent mold and increase shelf life. If you see mold, you should throw away the whole loaf, as mold can produce harmful mycotoxins.

Toasting the fresh bread lowered lowered the GI, but freezing the bread without toasting lowered the GI by 31% and freezing and then toasting lowered the GI most of all by 39%.

You should plan to let it sit for two hours before you cut into or prep it for freezing. This is because as bread cools, it releases moisture and if you were wrap it up and put that hot loaf into a freezer safe bag, the moisture will become trapped, making the bread soggy before it even hits the colder elements.

You can freeze bread at any time. Simply place it in its original packaging or wrap it tightly in a freezer bag before freezing. This keeps it from drying out. You can freeze on the day you buy or any time up until the best before date.