Yes, you can freeze bread dough from bread machines. The best way to do this is to put the dough into freezer bags, and then place the bag inside another resealable plastic freezer bag.
This process should be repeated until all the dough has been frozen.
Freezing Yeast Bread Dough from the Bread maker
To freeze yeast bread dough, first, mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.
Then divide the mixture into two equal parts. Put one part in a freezer bag and put the other part in a container with a lid.
The frozen dough should be stored in the freezer for up to three months.
When ready to use, thaw the frozen dough loaf bread overnight in the refrigerator.
As long as your bread machine uses regular flour, it will work just fine when using frozen bread dough.
However, if you are making any type of sandwich loaf, you may want to add some extra water during mixing so that the finished product comes out more like traditional bread than a dense cake.
You might also consider adding an egg yolk instead of oil to help keep the crust soft.
Using Frozen Bread Dough
Once your bread dough has been thawed in the refrigerator for 24 hours or so, it’s time to use it!
You’ll need to let the dough rise before baking.
To make sure that the loaf rises evenly, divide it into two equal parts.
Then, after letting one part of the dough rest while the other bakes, combine them together at the end.
If you’re not going to bake both loaves right away, divide them into batches of bread dough then wrap each half separately in plastic wrap and store them in the fridge for several days.
What Happens To The Dough While In The Freezer?
The freezing process does have its drawbacks. It causes the gluten content within the dough to become less elastic, which means that the final baked product won’t hold its shape well.
If you plan on storing your fresh dough bread in the freezer for longer periods of time, I would recommend defrosting the dough by placing it in warm water for about 10 minutes.
How Long Can I Freeze My Baked Goods?
It depends on what kind of food you’ve made.
For example:
Bread – 1-2 weeks
Cake – 2-3 months
Pie Crusts – 6 months
How To Defrost Bread Dough?
Defrosted bread dough needs to be handled carefully because it tends to stick to everything around it.
Here’s how to handle it properly:
1) Remove the bread dough from the freezer and allow it to come back to room temperature.
2) Place the dough onto a clean surface such as wax paper or parchment paper. Do NOT roll the dough out yet.
3) Cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Let sit for 30 minutes.
4) Unwrap the dough and gently fold it over itself once or twice. Don’t worry too much about getting every last bit of air out of the dough; you don’t want to create holes in the dough. Just try to get rid of most of the excess moisture.
5) Roll the dough out between sheets of lightly floured wax paper or parchment paper.
6) Once rolled out, cut the dough into desired shapes.
7) Wrap the shaped pieces tightly in plastic wrap or place them in a resealable plastic bag.
8) Store the wrapped items in the freezer until needed.
What Changes Should I Make In The Dough To Help It Survive The Freeze?
There is no way to prevent the dough from becoming hard due to the fact that it freezes. But there are ways to minimize this effect.
First off, do not leave the homemade bread dough sitting out in direct sunlight. This can cause the dough to dry out quickly.
Also, avoid leaving the dough exposed to high temperatures. These conditions could potentially damage the structure of the dough.
Instead, cover the dough with something.
Finally, remember that even though the dough was originally refrigerated, it still contains yeast cells.
So, although they die down somewhat when left alone overnight, they continue to produce carbon dioxide gas.
As a result, the dough continues to expand slightly throughout storage.
Hence, if you need to keep the dough frozen for an extended period of time, then you should add some additional ingredients to help preserve the texture of the dough.
One option is to use baking powder instead of dry yeast. Another possibility is adding sugar to the dough before freezing.
Sugar helps slow down the rate at which the yeast produces CO2 gas during storage. However, make sure that any added sugars aren’t so sweet that they overpower the flavor of the finished loaf.
While you may have trouble thawing bread dough after being stored in the freezer for several days, you shouldn’t have problems keeping baked goods fresh for up to six months.