Are you a bread freezer?

Confessions from the Little Kitchen:  Anytime I went over to someone's house growing up and found bread in the freezer, I thought they were a little bizarre.   Call me crazy, but it really weirded me out.  Until now, I have thought that was kind of a pack rat thing to do and the only thing freezing bread was good for was to save it to feed the birds at the park.  And I would probably think I was absolutely crazy and never admit this to anyone, but I found out Mr. Hungry felt the same way. Ha!
However, I have totally changed my mind. Thanks to my sister-in-law (ya know, the one I call the "magical chef") I not only think it is not weird, but I consider it another essential for cutting costs in the kitchen and not wasting food when you only cook for one or two. 
This revelation all came about when my very pregnant sister in law was telling me she was craving grilled cheeses and how that was oh so convenient because she always had bread and cheese on hand.  I was lamenting to her how (although not pregnant) I often crave fresh grilled cheese, but we just rarely have a fresh loaf of bread sitting around.  I mean, some loafs can be up to $5 or $6 a loaf and if you don't eat a sandwich everyday, it usually is a huge waste.  When I was explaining this to her, she told me how she keeps bread in the freezer!  I thought hmmm... okay, I love absolutely everything she does in the kitchen so maybe there is something to this bread in the freezer.  She says she does it with every kind of bread and will sometimes keep a loaf up to a month or two.  This was enough convincing for me to experiment!
So I picked up my favorite bread, Orowheat's Health Nut, and threw it in the freezer since we were on our way out of town.  I tested the frozen bread three ways that I would use a loaf of fresh bread to see if this was really such a good idea.

First, I turned it into bread crumbs for a chicken dish I was making.  Absolutely no difference here! This was my first experiment taking it out of the fridge and it literally was almost room temperature in less than ten minutes.  Passed the test!

Second, the most important test... the grilled cheese.  I took the bread out of the freezer and put it in the toaster for about a minute and then continued with my usual method of making the grilled cheese in a nonstick skillet.  I could not tell the difference at all! Passed the most important test!

Lastly, I tried it for breakfast with some jelly.  Simply took straight out of the freezer and put in the toaster.  Again, no difference!

So I am officially a bread freezer. The only way I did not test it was to let it thaw and eat like regular fresh bread.  We just don't really eat bread like that at our house (always better toasted!), but if this is a staple in your house, let me know if the frozen bread works.

So what about you? Do you freeze bread?  Do you think it is weird? Are you willing to try it?

How To: Freeze Basil Pesto

A common complaint from those who are only cooking for one or two at a time is that it is cheaper to eat out once you by all of the fresh ingredients.  This does not have to be the case if you know just a few tricks.  Fresh basil pesto is a favorite of mine and with this trick, you can have it on hand pretty much all the time.  The pesto can be taken out of the freezer and thaws within about 10 or 15 minutes so it is always ready.  For extra convenience, I scoop one tablespoon portions into an ice cube tray to serve.  That way, you can only take out exactly what you need at a time.  You could also scoop tablespoon size portions onto wax paper and freeze them that way as well if you do not have an ice cube tray. 

Step by Step

1.  Using a tablespoon, scoop leftover pesto into ice cube trays.  

2.  Cover and freeze overnight.

3.  Either leave in ice cube trays, or pop out pesto cubes and place in freezer bag; return to freezer.

4.  When ready to use, let exact amount of pesto thaw on the counter for 10 to 15 minutes.

No Ice Cube Tray Option:

1.  Cover a baking sheet with wax paper (or parchment paper)

2.  Using a tablespoon, scoop leftover pesto onto wax paper being careful not to let each one touch.

3.  Freeze overnight.

4.  Remove pesto discs and add to a freezer bag; return to freezer.

5.  Thaw same as above.