Can someone help me learn how to freezing quick bread mixes and bread dough???????

[bethie_alane]

Hi guys. Haven't been around in awhile but I hope that someone will write back!!!!

It's just me and my man living together and making baked goods from scratch together is fun but frustrating cuz sometimes they go stale since there is only 2 of us eating them.

I have bought Betty Crocker bread mixes at the store, but I have found from scratch recipes so I make them that way now. There isn't any dough to let rise you just mix a bunch of stuff together and pour it in the bread pan. Here is my question: Can you freeze the batter??????????????????? We are gonna try to find a smaller bread pan so we can make literally half a loaf at a time. Is freezing 1/2 of this type of batter able to be done????

What if I'm gonna make foccacia??? (An italian round loaf bread with herbs if anyone is wondering) I have a recipe that makes 2 9inch round loaves. (Due to the ingredients and working with active yeast, it would be difficult to halve the recipe) This recipe calls for letting the dough rise and punching it down and letting it rise again ,etc..... At what stage, if possible, can this type of dough be frozen and used later?????????????????????
I remember ages ago working at Papa John's and I know we used frozen pizza dough that just had to be thawed out and then tossed up in the air and rolled. But perhaps making pizza dough and freezing it is less complicatd than foccacia.

Anyway, someone please answer my questions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks in advance!

Bethie

[cata5]

hi Bethie!

Why don't you just make the quick breads in smaller pans and freeze the baked bread? Banana or zuchinni breads freeze well. You can buy smaller loaf pans and bake several at once.

I don't know about freezing yeast breads.

BTW, did you get in on the kitchen sale at [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now] ? They still have a few things...maybe bread pans?

[ILUV2SHOP]

Bethie I would think you could freeze it just fine......I know they have the frozen rolls and bread dough that you have to let set out and rise before baking so I really dont know what the difference would be. I would think it would work the same just lay it on a cookie sheet or something until frozen and then bag it

[bethie_alane]

Originally posted by ILUV2SHOP
Bethie I would think you could freeze it just fine......I know they have the frozen rolls and bread dough that you have to let set out and rise before baking so I really dont know what the difference would be. I would think it would work the same just lay it on a cookie sheet or something until frozen and then bag it

do you know of any reading materials online that discusses this?

if i make the foccacia bread it makes two 9" pans and by the time we finished the first the other would be stale.....

what i need to know, is do i freeze after the dough has risen or freeze before the dough has risen??????


with the quick bread recipes that don't require any yeast or rising time, i guess i'll just have to experiment and see what happens when i freeze 1/2 batter loaf. i suppose it would have to defrost completely in the fridge and that would take a couple days and i wonder if that would affect the product after baking?????

[cgenierun]

You would let it rise the first time, punch it down, shape it, then freeze it. That way, when you're ready to bake it, you let it thaw and rise in one step, then all you have to do is pop it in the oven. Frozen dough works great this way.

[bethie_alane]

Originally posted by cgenierun
You would let it rise the first time, punch it down, shape it, then freeze it. That way, when you're ready to bake it, you let it thaw and rise in one step, then all you have to do is pop it in the oven. Frozen dough works great this way.

thank you for this helpful info....am writing it down on sticky note

question, i am making a braided loaf....

i think you let it rise, punch it down, let it rise again, then shape it and bake it......

what would i do in this case? wouldn't it be very difficult to divide the dough into 3 parts to braid together before the 2nd rise???????????????????????????????????
please reply!!! someone, anyone!

[ILUV2SHOP]

Bethie,
It should work with either letting it rise once or twice.
I usually let mine rise once then punch it down then shape it and then it rises before baking.....
but I know used to sometimes I would let it rise twice before shaping.......I am sure either way should work fine.
GOOD LUCK!!!!
LET US KNOW HOW THINGS WORK FOR YOU!!!!

[bethie_alane]

Originally posted by ILUV2SHOP
Bethie,
It should work with either letting it rise once or twice.
I usually let mine rise once then punch it down then shape it and then it rises before baking.....
but I know used to sometimes I would let it rise twice before shaping.......I am sure either way should work fine.
GOOD LUCK!!!!
LET US KNOW HOW THINGS WORK FOR YOU!!!!

thanks, luckily the braided loaf recipe in my 'baking' recipe book only yield 1 loaf that book is THE bomb and it was bargin for $5.99 at borders (still there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and each recipe has a glorious picture, recipe book for muffins, different types of breads, tarts, cakes, etc..... aweseome!

anyway, will try your technique thursday nite, am making lasagna roll-ups for us and the recipe for italian bread makes 2 loaves. so i will make dough as directed, punch down once after first rising, and shape both loaves. then pop one in the freezer and let the other sit out to rise again while oven pre-heats.

question: how do you properly wrap bread to freeze it? should i spray some plastic wrap with cooking spray and wrap it in that??? or do i spray aluminum foil?????

thanks again to everyone!

[ILUV2SHOP]

if it would work you might freeze it on a cookie sheet then put it in a ziplock or something like that. Just my opinion.
at least freeze it enough at first that it wont stick to the wrappers