Freezing dough?

[Deberosa]

Is this possible to freeze bread dough to thaw out and cook later?

I am thinking of maybe having ready made frozen pizza dough or frozen rolls that are ready to thaw and bake?

What's the process for that? Freeze right after kneeding or letting it rise then freeze? Or is it even possible?

Seems it would be nice to be able to pull some small portions of dough out of the freezer for dinner on occasion..

[MYellowRose]

Deb I'm sure it can be done, hence the frozen dough found in grocery stores, but I'll admit I haven't the slightest idea how to go about it.

[Maverick]

Yes, it is possible to freeze bread dough and I used to do it quite a bit when I made bread by hand rather than use my machine.

After the first rise and after you've punched it and kneaded it, shape into a loaf and wrap really tight in plastic wrap. *Then pop it into the freezer. *I will warn you, it will begin to rise until it gets cold enough that it doesn't... it really puffs against the plastic wrap. *When yo're ready to bake it, oil your pan and place the unwrapped frozen loaf in the pan. *I'd let it sit out for about 20-30 minutes and then bake as usual. *It finishes thawing and rising while it bakes.

I've never done pizza dough but I've read the best way to do that is to make your dough, shape it on the pan and parbake for about 10-15 minutes, cool and freeze. *When ready to use, simply top and bake.

[Shamrock1121]

Check page 81 in "Bread Machines for Dummies". *It addresses both frozen bread and pizza dough. *

Helpful hint: *use honey, instead of sugar, in bread dough you plan to freeze. *It helps maintain the moisture better than sugar.

A higher percentage of yeast is commonly used for *dough destined for the freezer because some of the yeast dies when frozen. *Commercial frozen dough has a really high percentage of yeast in it. *

As another option as mentioned above: *I par-bake 8-inch pizza crusts. *When they are cool I wrap them in plastic wrap and put them in a Zip-Lock bag and stack them in the freezer. *They thaw in minutes and are ready-to-bake once you add the toppings.

The problem with freezing bread dough is that it has a very short storage life - 6-weeks to 2 months, so I wouldn't do a lot of frozen loaves. *Baked breads actually have a longer freezer storage time - 3-6 months, but frozen takes up a lot less space.

You also have to watch the rise of a frozen loaf carefully so that you don't over-proof it. *It doesn't rise to the clock, but to the ambient temperature, so watch it like a hawk. *I think it's more of a pain somewhere lower than the neck to do a frozen loaf than it is a new loaf - but that's a personal thing.

Quick-freeze the formed unbaked loaf in the pan you plan to bake it in. *Pop it out when completely frozen and double-wrap it really tightly in plastic wrap or place in a vacuum-sealed FoodSaver bag. *It's essential to have a tight wrapping on the frozen dough or the moisture will quickly migrate out of the loaf.

Since man shall not live by sliced bread alone... *I bake lots of sandwich/hamburger buns and wrap them in pop-up sheets of foil I get in a box at Sam's Club. *I take these out of the freezer and let them thaw at room temperature. *I like to butter and grill them to warm them up or give them a spin (still in the foil) in the convection/microwave oven for 5 minutes or so at 350°F. *I do the same thing with Sticky Pecan Rolls (which I bake in muffin tins). *

I never microwave bread because it and refrigeration are the worst two things a person can do to breads. *

-Karen

[Deberosa]

Check page 81 in "Bread Machines for Dummies". *It addresses both frozen bread and pizza dough. *

Helpful hint: *use honey, instead of sugar, in bread dough you plan to freeze. *It helps maintain the moisture better than sugar.

A higher percentage of yeast is commonly used for *dough destined for the freezer because some of the yeast dies when frozen. *Commercial frozen dough has a really high percentage of yeast in it. *

As another option as mentioned above: *I par-bake 8-inch pizza crusts. *When they are cool I wrap them in plastic wrap and put them in a Zip-Lock bag and stack them in the freezer. *They thaw in minutes and are ready-to-bake once you add the toppings.

The problem with freezing bread dough is that it has a very short storage life - 6-weeks to 2 months, so I wouldn't do a lot of frozen loaves. *Baked breads actually have a longer freezer storage time - 3-6 months, but frozen takes up a lot less space.

You also have to watch the rise of a frozen loaf carefully so that you don't over-proof it. *It doesn't rise to the clock, but to the ambient temperature, so watch it like a hawk. *I think it's more of a pain somewhere lower than the neck to do a frozen loaf than it is a new loaf - but that's a personal thing.

Quick-freeze the formed unbaked loaf in the pan you plan to bake it in. *Pop it out when completely frozen and double-wrap it really tightly in plastic wrap or place in a vacuum-sealed FoodSaver bag. *It's essential to have a tight wrapping on the frozen dough or the moisture will quickly migrate out of the loaf.

Since man shall not live by sliced bread alone... *I bake lots of sandwich/hamburger buns and wrap them in pop-up sheets of foil I get in a box at Sam's Club. *I take these out of the freezer and let them thaw at room temperature. *I like to butter and grill them to warm them up or give them a spin (still in the foil) in the convection/microwave oven for 5 minutes or so at 350°F. *I do the same thing with Sticky Pecan Rolls (which I bake in muffin tins). *

I never microwave bread because it and refrigeration are the worst two things a person can do to breads. *

-Karen
Heh, if it had been a snake it would have bit me. ;-) I actually had that book open as I posted this - DUH. ;-)

I was thinking of making batches of rolls and storing some for later - so sounds like the best way to do that is to bake them first instead of freezing the dough. Hadn't thought of baking the pizza first either - that's a great idea. Sort of have my own little store of fast food is my goal for when I come in late from the outside work.

Thanks as always!

[blutfort]

I do this all the time and have no problems with it. I usually go through it in about 3 months, but I've had prefrozen loaves that have been over a year old rise and bake just fine. The biggest problem with the older loaves is avoiding freezer burn on the edges. When this happens I just use a serrated knife to saw off that part of the loaf. I did this long before I started using a vac-sealer. I just tossed them in left over bread bags. The same way you get them in the frozen food asile.
As far as using a vacuum sealer, the vaccum isn't as important as completely wrapping the loaf. My vacuum sealer works great if I put just a loaf in a bag and pull the vacuum. But If I put multiple loaves or rolls in then there is a problem in the voids between the loaves. The vacuum actually pulls more moisture out of the bread than just being tossed in the freezer.
The best luck I've had is to freeze the shaped dough, coat it in oil, then wrap it in cellophane. Then store in the freezer. You get a really crispy/flaky crust but the inside is great.
I'd recommend against using extra yeast. I tried that and had problems with lots of big air bubbles. Use normal yeast and allow for longer rise times.

[WileyCoyote]

I always seem to have a little dough left over (my pans are small), so I roll it into balls after the last punch-down and freeze the balls of dough on a well-greased pan, sliding them into Ziploc freezer bags after a couple of hours. Then when I need them, I take them out in the late AM to thaw and rise; when I take them out I butter my hands and butter the pan then the dough balls all over. I put them in a baking pan with sides, cheek to cheek. By the time I am starting supper (early afternoon), they are usually big and poufy and ready to bake. You can roll even smaller balls and put them together in groups of three for cloverleaf rolls! This way I always have rolls in the freezer for surprise guests or in case I forgot to take a pre-baked frozen loaf out of the freezer... ::)

I make my bread in big batches and freeze all but one baked loaf. This way if I have several good 'baking days' I can fill the freezer with bread; so when I'm too busy to bake or the weather doesn't suit (too hot, whatever) I can just reach into the freezer.

I have a bread machine but baking in it is for dessert or 'fancy' breads, not everyday breads. I prefer to pound my loaf myself. ;) ;D It's sloppier and messier and takes a lot longer but is a lot more gratifying!

[theresehirko]

I make challah bread dough once a month, bake two loaves right away and freeze the braided loaves after the first rise. When Thursday comes around, I take two loaves out of the freezer, let them defrost right in the pan and then bake after they finish rising. I have never had a problem. Give it a try with your favorite recipe. What's the worst that can happen?