Why does frozen bread not go soggy as it thaws?
In: Other
When bread freezes, water forms ice crystals inside. Thawing causes these ice crystals to become water vapor, which evaporates, preventing the bread from becoming soggy as moisture transitions directly from solid to gas.
The amount of water in the bread is the same as before it was frozen.
You need additional water to soggy it.
When you freeze food, the water inside the cells expands and ruptures the cell walls. When you defrost it, the ice turns back into water, and the cell walls don’t get repaired – so you get that soggy mush as the water escapes the cells.
Most bread, however, is fairly low in water content. Especially if it’s allowed to go a bit stale before freezing. Therefore, less damage is done to the cells during the freezing process, and the bread won’t go soggy as a result.
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