How Can You Freeze Ciabatta Bread?

Got more ciabatta bread than you can eat? You might be wondering how can you freeze ciabatta bread.  You might wonder how it’ll turn out once defrosted. How long will it keep for?

Well, I can tell you that in my experience ciabatta bread freezes easily and defrosts quickly!

My tip for freezing ciabatta is to slice it down the length of the loaf/roll, as this is most likely how you’ll be using it in the future – and it’s easier to slice it now, before freezing, rather than later.  It also means you’ve got a handy half a ciabatta ready to grab and use as a pizza base for making pizza baguettes.

Freeze Ciabatta, here’s how I do it:

1. Slice the bread down its length – if it’s a full-sized loaf you might also like to cut that in half, so the parts are a manageable size. Cut it the size/shape you’re most likely to be re-using it.
2. Put the pieces into a freezer bag, or the bag you brought the bread home in. Seal the bag.
3. Throw into the freezer and forget it.

Defrost Frozen Ciabatta, choose one of the following:

• Remove a piece from the freezer, cover it and leave it to defrost naturally.
• Place the ciabatta slice into the microwave and microwave on full power for 30 seconds, turn it over and microwave again for 30 seconds.

It’s that simple.  No preparation, no special instructions – and it tastes exactly the same (to me) post-freezing as it does when it’s fresh.

All you need to do is think about how you’ll reuse it in the future – I slice them lengthways as I’m most likely to just toast one half, to serve with soup, or will use half a ciabatta as a base for a quick DIY pizza – and here’s one I made about 10 days after I’d frozen my ciabatta: Ciabatta Pizza with Cheese, Onions & Tomatoes.