Can I successfully bake previously-frozen bread dough?
I prefer my bread freshly baked (who doesn't?), but my mixer prefers kneading two loaves at a time to just kneading one. I have tried to freeze the second loaf before baking it, but when I thaw it, it does not rise well before baking. I've tried thawing it entirely in the refrigerator and then letting it rise on the counter, but that did not seem to work. Does anyone have a good technique or suggestion for this?
Best Answer
Traditional dough will not freeze well. You have to par-bake it.
In the US, the “freshly baked” bread sold in most supermarkets is par-baked dough. This is risen dough, which is then baked for 70 to 80% of the usual baking time, cooled, frozen, and shipped to the supermarket, where it is baked again until golden. You could do the same.
A par-baked baugette is a bit denser than a traditional one. Freezing the dough before baking it kills most of the yeast preventing it from working during the first stages of baking.
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Quick Answer about "Can I successfully bake previously-frozen bread dough?"
Can You Cook Bread Dough From Frozen? You should put the dough on the baking sheet, and bake it according to its baking temperature. Once the dough thaws and rises for a second time, you can serve. Frozen dough can still taste just like fresh-baked bread even if it hasn't even been frozen for weeks.Can you bake frozen bread dough?
For the frozen bread dough to be able to go through a second rise, thaw it first. Then it will be ready to bake.How do you reactivate frozen bread dough?
Don't Thaw Bread on the Counter\u2014Heat It Remove the number of slices you need from the freezer and microwave them on high power until softened, 15 to 25 seconds." If you'd rather skip the microwave, you can also bake slices on a rimmed baking sheet at 325\xb0F for about 5 minutes.Can you freeze bread dough and cook it later?
Yeasted bread dough can be frozen once it is shaped after the first rise. Making bread dough in advance and freezing it for later use saves time and space in the freezer\u2014a ball of dough takes up less room than a baked loaf.How do you revive frozen dough?
Thaw, covered, on greased baking sheets in the refrigerator overnight. Cover and let it rise in a warm place until doubled (this is the second rise), which will take longer than dough that has not been frozen. Bake as directed.94: How to Freeze SMALL Rolls and the BEST way to Bring them Back! - Bake with Jack
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Answer 2
I've never done it for bread, so I can't be sure it'll work, but for pizza dough, I freeze it in smaller balls, so there's a higher surface to mass ratio when thawing it (in the fridge, takes a day for ~2" / 5cm balls.) It's worked fine, but I admit I'm not entering any competitions with it.
My understanding is that many of the "rising crust" frozen pizzas use a mix of yeast and chemical leaveners, so they can be sure it'll rise after having been frozen, so this might be a possible additive to try. You'll want a double-acting baking powder, as it'll act when heated, not just when it first gets wet.
Answer 3
All the time the dough stays under room temperature is lost time for the yeast that didn't die on freezing - you can't count on it being "instant" anymore.
Thaw it outside or even in a warmer place 35-40C if room temperature is low.
In my experience, if you have to freeze raw dough at all the best results are with already risen ready-to-bake dough.
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