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I baked French bread recently. They were crusty outside and moist inside. Delicious! I froze a few. How should I heat them so they're as good as when they were freshly baked?

ƛƛƛ
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  • It might be worth thawing one, and then tell us if there's a specific issue that needs to be fixed. For instance, if it's ending up a bit stale, you can use the wet paper bag trick to resuscitate it. – Joe Apr 06 '17 at 11:39

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I spray mine with a little water and then put it in my toaster-oven at 400 (F) for a few minutes. Won't be as good as fresh baked, but it does improve the smell and texture.

Catalyst
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  • +1 spray with water; keep in mind you can use real oven if the baguette doesn't fit in toaster! – kevins Apr 18 '17 at 15:58
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I've never had any success baking my own, so this is from experience with shop bought but should be applicable.

To just eat cold then defrosting as usual (an hour or two at room temperature should do) gives decent results. It won't be as good as fresh but should be better than if you left it out (I always find they go stale very quickly and are generally not great even the next day).

If you want it warm or hot then I find wrapping it in tin foil and putting it in a hot oven for 10 - 15 minutes (adjust depending on whether it's still frozen or not) is quite good. It'll get a little crispier than it was when fresh but you get a little of that fresh bread effect without making toast.

adaliabooks
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    You can include a hot container of water on the oven bottom shelf to give a bit of steam and humidity as you heat it, which (might) bring the crust back to something close to how you bought it. Just have the water barely off the boil when you put it in. – Tim Post Apr 06 '17 at 11:56
  • Good tip, I'll have to try that next time. Of course I tend to just use the stale french bread for french toast as it's really good for that. – adaliabooks Apr 06 '17 at 12:14
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Very lightly coat the crust in olive oil, wrap tightly in foil and put in the oven for 10 minutes at 400.

Sharona
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slice it, apply some butter, toast it at 220 Degree celsius for about 5 minutes. I had it today in the morning just like the mentioned way and they were amazingly delicious.

Catija
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    Please note if you want to promote your own product/blog you **must disclose your affiliation**, otherwise your answer may be flagged as spam. Please read [How to not be a spammer](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/help/promotion) – DavidPostill Apr 17 '17 at 16:40