Easy Recipes Using Frozen Bread Dough (2024)

FAQs

Should frozen bread dough be thawed before baking? ›

Working with Frozen Bread Dough

That being said, you need to allow the bread dough to thaw and proof before placing it in the oven. The first step is to defrost the dough by placing it in a lightly greased pan and leave it in a cooler overnight to allow it to completely thaw. This is called retarding the dough.

Warmth and moisture hasten the thawing process. You can use the microwave method, but be very careful not to overheat the yeast in the dough. The bread dough thaws best in the microwave. Microwave 5 minutes on the defrost setting for one loaf of frozen bread dough.

Plan a night ahead for the second rise—since it's handsoff, it's still easier than spending a whole day making bread dough. To use a frozen loaf of dough, remove it from the freezer the night before you want to bake it. Keep the loaf wrapped in the plastic and let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

This is because frozen dough will need to rise/proof again before baking it. There's also the issue of the yeast. There is a chance that freezing the dough will kill about 30%-50% of the yeast in the dough.

Frozen dough can benefit bakers in various settings, including supermarkets, hotels, cafes and craft bakeries. In order to create frozen dough, the prepared dough undergoes a blast freezing process. This dough is then stored at a temperature of -18°C until ready for use.

Refrigerator thaw (8-16 hours): Prepare dough as directed in step 1, then thaw in refrigerator for at least 8 hours. Dough may need to continue to rise at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours if not 1 inch above the top of the pan.

Wrap the dough around and place seam-side-down on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Cover with a dish towel or greased plastic wrap. Let rise for about 1 1/2 hours. Brush with milk, and bake at 350ºF for about 20 minutes, or until lightly golden.

The Refrigerator Thaw Method

Place frozen dough on your pan. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap to keep from sticking to dough while rising. Place your pan in the refrigerator overnight or all day long. When you're ready to begin baking, take the pan out of the refrigerator.

Step:1 - PREP - Pre-heat oven to 65°C (170°F) and then TURN OVEN OFF. Place frozen dough in a lightly greased loaf pan. Place in oven along with saucepan containing 2L of boiling water. Step:2 - Let the bread dough rise for about 2 hours until it is above its pan.

What is the best frozen bread dough? ›

If "flaky" is the non-negotiable feature you want in a roll, look no further than Rhodes Bake-N-Serv dinner roll dough. Though they do require a bit more patience than the other rolls (the dough isn't par-baked so they need 3 to 5 hours to thaw and rise), I promise it's worth it.

According to MaryJane, yeast dough will never rise as well post-freeze as it would if you baked it the day you made it. This is because some of the yeast will inevitably die in the cold of the freezer.

Defrosting dough in a water bath (30 minutes)

Place your frozen dough, inside either containers or sealed plastic bags, into a warm water bath until it reaches room temperature.

If you don't have that much time, setting the dough out on a counter and allowing it to defrost at room temperature for two hours should also be plenty of time. No matter how you're defrosting your pizza dough, it's extremely important to make sure that it's always covered, either with plastic wrap or with a tea towel.

Bread that's frozen for longer periods may get freezer burn or lose some taste and texture (4, 5). To thaw your bread, simply remove it from the freezer and let it thaw on the counter for 1 to 3 hours. You can also store your frozen bread in the refrigerator overnight to thaw it slowly.

Dough can be thawed in one of two ways. Overnight in a fridge or cool room. You can tray the product up in the way you intend to bake it, cover it with a plastic sheet or cling film (this prevents the dough drying out) and leave for up to 20 hours.