Baking pies, bread, puff pastries is always an event. And it always takes quite a long time. The kneading process alone, even using “quick” yeast, takes a good hour and a half. And while inexperienced cooks are wondering whether it is possible to freeze yeast dough, experienced cooks have been operating on this principle for a long time.
If you really don’t have time or don’t want to spend it on traditional dough preparation, you can buy ready-made dough: frozen and packaged at a nearby supermarket. But if the culinary fire in your heart has not gone out, make it yourself - both for today’s pies and in reserve. In the freezer, the dough will “sleep” as long as necessary, retaining all its properties, and after defrosting you will get an excellent fresh dough, as if it had just been kneaded.
Is it possible to equate home and industrial freezing technologies?
Those who are accustomed to using store-bought dough can confirm that the quality is exactly the same as that prepared at home. This means that doubts about whether it is possible to freeze yeast dough at home are automatically canceled.
Powerful refrigeration units and freezers are at the disposal of every modern housewife, so there should be no problems with creating “factory-made material for pies” at home.
It is recommended to freeze not only the dough, but also semi-finished products: formed buns, pies and other products.
The capacity of modern freezers is quite enough to quickly bring the dough to a state of deep freezing and store it for a long period - from several weeks to several months.
Can it be frozen
When asked whether it is possible to freeze ready-made shortcrust pastry, experienced housewives answer that it is not only possible, but also necessary. Shortbread dough is the only type that does not lose its taste and beneficial properties after freezing.
It is recommended to freeze it before baking - this will make it easier to roll out. But not all dough can be stored in the freezer. This method is not suitable for chopped products.
For storage in the freezer, long sausages are made from the finished dough, each wrapped in cling film. Then place it in the freezer. Can be stored in a container.
Shortbread dough tolerates freezing well, so you can prepare a large batch in advance and use it as needed. The shelf life of the product in the freezer should not exceed 90 days.
How to prepare dough for freezing
After fermentation and kneading, let the dough rest a little, then divide it into pieces of the required size and put it in the freezer.
An important nuance: before freezing the yeast dough, be sure to wrap each of the lumps in cling film or foil. It is necessary to pack it in order to limit the access of moisture, since the process of crystallization of water during rapid freezing also occurs very quickly. As a result, this negatively affects the taste of the finished baked goods.
How to store yeast dough in the refrigerator after rising
If you need to pause the process of preparing baked goods or another dish “for tomorrow,” you can put the product in the cold. For storage we use the following methods:
- Saving in a container. Thoroughly knead the remaining finished dough so that excess carbon dioxide “goes away”, roll into balls, sprinkle its surface and container with flour. We put it in a container, which we cover with cling film and make small holes in it so that it can “breathe”. At the same time, we try to use deep containers with a volume of approximately 2 times the volume of the dough, since it will continue to grow.
- Storage in bags. Knead the dough well several times, form a ball and lightly coat with vegetable oil. We put them in large high-density bags, 2 times the size of the ball, remove excess air, tighten them and make small holes.
On a note! A good option for storing in the refrigerator is unleavened dough, because it does not contain sugar, which accelerates the fermentation process. To preserve the butter, we leave it until the next morning at most, otherwise we freeze it immediately.
To prepare pies/buns and other dishes from the product, take it out, knead it well on a surface sprinkled with flour, transfer it to a deep bowl/saucepan and transfer it to a warm place to rise.
Correct temperature
In the first few days (7-14) of being in the cold, the dough should freeze out - that is, completely get rid of moisture. For this purpose, the optimal temperature will be the lowest that your refrigerator is capable of. Yeast dough can be frozen at -20 ... -30 oC.
When the dough acquires a confident “stone” state, the mode can be changed slightly by moving the supplies into a chamber with a temperature of -8 ... -18 ° C.
What kind of flour?
How to properly freeze yeast dough so as not to worry about the quality of future buns? Choose a type of flour that will withstand temperature changes and will not come apart during freezing.
Important! When choosing flour, you need to pay attention to the percentage of its gluten: weak after defrosting gives the undesirable effect of vagueness, high - excessive density of the crumb and a swollen crust.
The optimal percentage of gluten at which the baked goods will be soft and high is 30-32.
To make the dough elastic, add eggs and margarine to it during kneading.
How to make shortbread dough:
- We take the butter out of the refrigerator in advance so that it has time to soften.
- We wash the eggs and break them into a bowl in which we will prepare the dough. Start whisking with a pinch of salt. You can beat it by hand, but using a mixer is faster and more efficient. The mass should become white and airy.
- Add a third of the sugar. Turn on the mixer again and beat. Then add the remaining sugar in the same way, whisking each time. Finally, beat until you get a light foam.
- Add baking powder. Change the mixer attachment to a spiral hook for mixing the dough.
- We begin to add soft butter piece by piece. Knead in between. Add sifted flour portionwise. Mix with a mixer.
- Place the rest of the flour on a clean table surface. Place the dough on the table and knead the dough with your hands. If the dough remains very sticky, you need to add a little more flour. It should become elastic and smooth.
- Knead well for about five minutes.
Pizza dough
Frozen yeast pizza dough is the most convenient option for housewives who like to pamper their family with homemade baked goods, but are not ready to tinker with the dough every time.
Prepare as much of it as possible, divide it into portions - and use it from time to time, baking not only pizza, but also croissants or rich yeast cookies.
According to the proposed recipe, you will have to bother with the dough for a whole... half an hour.
Per liter of milk: 1.5 packets of dry yeast, a pack of margarine, 3 eggs, 3 tbsp. l. sugar, a little salt, flour - as much as you need (usually 1-1.5 kg is required). Prepare the dough in the usual way: dissolve yeast in warm milk, add salt, sugar, a little flour - this is the first stage, dough.
The second stage is adding the remaining ingredients and the remaining amount of flour.
The third stage is packaging, packaging and placement in the freezer.
How to freeze yeast dough
Chilled dough must be frozen regardless of its origin, whether it is a homemade or factory-made product. Some stores sell already prepared dough - this is especially convenient for housewives who do not want to waste time. If you don’t plan to bake any baked goods in the near future, put the purchased yeast dough in the freezer.
As for the home product, the sequence of actions is somewhat different. You need to follow a few tips to get a quality result.
If you are going to store homemade yeast dough in the freezer, prepare it in a special way:
- Knead the lump well so that all the carbon dioxide comes out;
- Divide the mass into several parts;
- Roll each lump well in wheat flour;
- Place the parts into bags;
- Place the workpiece on the refrigerator shelf;
- Time yourself for a few hours;
- When the dough has cooled, transfer it to the freezer;
The shelf life of the semi-finished product reaches 90 days. Of course, you need to create optimal temperature conditions - namely -18 degrees. It is not recommended to refreeze yeast dough, as the quality of the yeast deteriorates greatly. As a result, the taste of the finished dish suffers.
Freezing yeast dough products
You can store raw or ready-made baked goods based on yeast dough in the freezer. For example, you can make pies with different fillings. To freeze, it is recommended to place them on a wooden board dusted with wheat flour. Then cover with plastic wrap to prevent the surface of the flour products from getting chapped. And put it in the freezer. After 5 hours, you need to take out the blanks to transfer them to plastic containers.
You can also use regular plastic bags. A similar sequence of steps is suitable for freezing yeast buns. The roll is pre-coated with jam, preserves or other filling. Then it will be divided into several parts. And put it in the freezer.
The advantage of this method is quick preparation. Ready-made flour products do not need to be defrosted beforehand and no additional time needs to be spent. They can be immediately placed in a frying pan or in the oven. If you decide to defrost the buns, first move the products to the refrigerator, where they will gradually warm up. And only then take it out.
Pizza dough
If you often make pizza, make a large supply of yeast dough. This advice will help save time. There will be no need to constantly prepare the dough before preparing Italian pastries. Divide the semi-finished product into several parts that you will use every time. You can also bake croissants, cookies and other flour products.
The sequence of actions is almost the same. You will only spend half an hour. For 1 liter of cow's milk, take 1.5 packs of dry yeast, 1 pack of margarine, 3 chicken eggs and 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar. Add just a pinch of salt to suit your taste. Wheat flour will need from 1 to 1.5 kilograms.
The test preparation is carried out in the usual way. First, dissolve the yeast in warmed milk. Salt the mixture. Add a little granulated sugar and flour. This stage is called dough. Then add the rest of the ingredients. Distribute the finished dough into several bags. Store in the freezer. Now before each preparation of pizza you do not have to waste time kneading the dough. Just take another portion from the freezer.
For puff pastries
The main feature of puff pastry is sequential rolling with butter. If you don’t want to waste time on several steps, you can chop the flour together with the butter. Then add some yeast. The mixture does not need to be kneaded for too long, as it will no longer be flaky.
The finished semi-finished product is excellent for preparing various baked goods - strudels, puff pastries, pies. If you're tired of puff pastries, try making other flour products.
If you are making strudels, roll out the dough as thin as possible. The finished dish will be especially tasty.
For puff pastries
The secret of puff pastry is rolling it out step by step with butter. But if several stages are too long a story for you, you can add yeast dissolved in water or milk to the flour, chopped with butter.
The peculiarity of puff pastry dough is that it cannot be kneaded and kneaded for too long - it may lose its puffiness.
Yeast puff pastry (frozen) is great for baking pies and strudels. If you are tired of regular puff pastries, but there are still a lot of preparations in the freezer - try it, it’s very tasty!
For strudel and croissants, roll out the dough thinner, and leave the pies to brown - cut the dough into pucks.
Rules and terms for storing finished dough in the refrigerator
If the housewife does not have much time to knead the dough from start to finish, preparing the product and storing it for a long period of time comes to the rescue. The dough is put in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or frozen for a longer time in the freezer.
How long can dumpling dough be stored in the refrigerator?
How long can dumpling dough be stored in the refrigerator?
Dumpling dough comes with or without eggs. If without, then you can store a couple of days in the refrigerator, and if with the addition, then, of course, it is better not to keep for a long time, but a day should still be normal (although, in general, products with eggs are recommended to be consumed no later than 3 hours, even if they were stored in the refrigerator, but given that the dough will then be thermally processed, it can be a little longer). And in the freezer, accordingly, it takes proportionally longer, depending on the set temperature.
We often cook more dough than required and then think about how to preserve it. But, probably, the best option would be to cook something from it. And according to ancient Vedic culinary rules, for example, it is advised to consume food within no more than 3.5 hours after its preparation.
I would like to note that the method of defrosting near the stove is not acceptable for puff pastry. Because it contains a large amount of oil and fat. In order not to disturb the consistency of the dough, do not defrost it this way.
How to store puff pastry in the refrigerator
To preserve homemade yeast-free puff pastry for two days without freezing, wrap it in several layers with cling film or place it in a food container.
Storage, defrosting, baking
Having found out whether yeast dough can be frozen, you need to learn how to properly place it in the freezer. Even in the cold, it will not shrink in the first minutes, but will rise and grow in volume. This feature must be taken into account when filling the freezer: place the portions more closely, otherwise they will have time to “grow” and take up all the free space in the freezer.
The maximum shelf life of frozen dough is no more than four months. But the sooner you use it, the better the taste and appearance of the finished product.
Re-freezing is not recommended - the properties of yeast dough are not preserved more than once.
Before freezing yeast dough in plastic bags (they can be used as an alternative to foil), sprinkle the container with flour to prevent the contents from sticking and release the air from the bag.
You need to defrost yeast dough carefully and gradually: first move it from the freezer to the refrigerator, and then keep it at room temperature. The finished dough should increase in volume. Having noticed this, knead it again and form buns.
Frozen dough is suitable for making any baked goods: pies, pies, pizza, buns, cookies, loaves, if you like. You just have to fuss a little once, and then very, very quickly (literally in 15 minutes, not counting the time spent on baking) prepare fragrant products several times.
Rules for freezing dough and storage temperature
Maintaining the correct temperature (from -15 to -18 °C) is the first condition. There are modern freezers that have different temperatures on each shelf.
Do not store the dough near frozen meat and fish
If the temperature is very low, this will lead to spoilage of the dough. Initially, the workpiece can be placed on the emergency freezing shelf, and after a day it can be stored in a compartment with a more gentle regime.
Do not store the dough near frozen meat and fish.
In order for the dough to withstand low temperatures well and retain its fluffiness, two factors must be taken into account - the amount of flour and yeast.
Freezing rules:
- It is better to use flour for kneading with a high protein content. Wheat gluten will help maintain the necessary consistency. If there is a deficiency of this substance, the product after defrosting will be shapeless and will practically lose its plasticity.
- Flour oversaturated with gluten will result in a dense crumb.
- If you plan to freeze the dough, then during its preparation the amount of yeast must be increased. The average norm is 7 grams, you need to add 4-5 grams more.
- Yeast must be selected with a slow action, since low temperature negatively affects the properties of the yeast.
- The time for raising the dough is one hour.
Freezing process
Preparing dough is a labor-intensive process that takes time.
You need to take a day and prepare a large amount of dough and freeze it in briquettes. If you compare the taste of baked goods made from fresh and frozen dough, it is absolutely no different.
List of products that are necessary for preparing the preparation:
- wheat flour - 1.5 kg;
- milk - 1 l;
- sugar - 4 tbsp. l;
- butter or margarine - 1 pack;
- eggs - 4 pcs.;
- dry yeast powder - 2 bags of 7 g each;
- a pinch of salt.
Recipe for making yeast dough:
- Melt the butter in a water bath and let cool slightly.
- Pour milk into a bowl and heat it, it should be warm.
- Remove the milk from the heat, add the yeast and stir well.
- Add the required amount of sugar.
- Add a small amount of flour and mix well. Place the dough in a warm place and let it rise. On average it takes 40 minutes.
- Next, pour in the beaten eggs, salt, oil and mix.
- Add flour in portions, stirring the mixture each time.
- When the dough becomes difficult to stir with a spoon, place it on a table sprinkled with flour and knead until smooth. The workpiece should be plastic and elastic.
The quality of the product depends on the correct freezing. For convenience, the dough should be divided into portions, one portion for one use. The workpiece must not be re-frozen.
The product should be kneaded thoroughly until a smooth ball is obtained. Place in one plastic bag, remove air, tie and place in a second bag. You can use food grade film or foil.
The quality of the product depends on the correct freezing
To prevent the dough from sticking to the bag, treat its inner surface with sunflower oil or generously sprinkle with flour.
Be sure to indicate the freezing date on the package. Place on a shelf with a minimum temperature and wait until the dough is completely frozen. Then transfer to another compartment for further storage.
How long does yeast dough last in the refrigerator?
The finished semi-finished product can be kept in the freezer for no more than four months.
Can be stored in the refrigerator for 24 hours at a temperature of +5...+8 °C. If the temperature drops to +2...+3 °C, the product can remain for 48 hours.
Storage longer than the specified period will lead to damage to the product, it will ferment and sour. The baked goods will acquire a sour smell and unpleasant taste.
