Uncover methods to appropriately freeze your dough and baked gadgets for quick, anytime treats that may fulfill every craving and occasion.
DOUGH VS. BATTER: CAN YOU FREEZE BOTH?
Most baked gadgets that start with a dough (cookies, bread rolls, biscuits, pie crust) are good to be saved throughout the freezer of their raw, unbaked state. Nonetheless, most baked gadgets that start with a free batter (desserts, muffins, brownies, blondies) are best baked sooner than frozen. Freezing the batter will change the consistency of the final word baked good.
PIES AND TARTS
FREEZE PIE AND TART DOUGH
PREP: Kind pie or tart dough proper right into a disk. Alternatively, press rolled-out dough into pie plate or tart pan, crimping as desired.
PACKAGE: Wrap pie or tart dough disk tightly in plastic wrap, and retailer in an airtight container or resealable bag. For dough already pressed into pie plate or tart pan, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and retailer in an airtight container.
FREEZE: Dough can protect throughout the freezer for as a lot as 3 months.
DEFROST: Let wrapped pie or tart dough disk thaw at room temperature until pliable. Dough pressed into pie or tart dish could possibly be immediately stuffed or baked.
FREEZE FILLED & BAKED PIES AND TARTS
PREP: Freeze fruit or nut pies and tarts solely. The consistency of creamy or custardy pies and tarts (usually made with dairy and eggs) will change if frozen. Bake after which let cool totally. Although most up-to-date fruit freezes correctly, the water content material materials can change drastically in the middle of the freezing course of, leading to a runny pie or tart filling. We don’t advocate freezing unbaked fruit filling.
PACKAGE: Wrap pie or tart, nonetheless in dish, totally in plastic wrap. Seal in a resealable bag.
FREEZE: Baked pies and tarts will protect for as a lot as 3 months.
DEFROST: Let thaw, wrapped, in a single day throughout the fridge. Reheat gently throughout the oven, if desired.
CAKES
FREEZE UNFROSTED BAKED CAKE LAYERS
PREP: Guarantee that baked cake layers, Bundts, and completely different unfrosted desserts are totally cool. For optimum freshness, protect Bundt desserts, pound desserts, and completely different one-layer desserts full.
PACKAGE: For cake layers, wrap each tightly in plastic wrap after which place into resealable baggage. For Bundt desserts, tube desserts, and completely different one-layer desserts, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and seal in a resealable bag.
FREEZE: Baked desserts can protect throughout the freezer for as a lot as 3 months.
DEFROST: To frost, take away cake layers from wrapping and frost whereas nonetheless frozen. Let frosted and unfrosted desserts come to room temperature, about 3 hours or let thaw throughout the fridge in a single day.
FREEZE FROSTING
PREP: Persist with freezing buttercream and cream cheese frosting; their extreme fat content material materials will help them grow to be firmly robust throughout the freezer.
PACKAGE: Scoop frosting into an airtight container or resealable bag.
FREEZE: Frosting will protect for as a lot as 3 months.
DEFROST: Let thaw, in container, throughout the fridge in a single day. As quickly as pliable, stir frosting with an off-set spatula until simple and creamy. If frosting isn’t returning to the proper consistency, attempt remixing alongside together with your stand mixer on medium, a few minutes, until it regains its creamy consistency.
FREEZE FROSTED, BAKED CAKES
PREP: It’s best to freeze desserts frosted with buttercream or cream cheese frosting on account of the extreme fat content material materials helps them freeze increased. After making use of crumb coat and frosting, place frosted cake, uncovered, in freezer for 2 to a few hours, or until frosting is completely company.
PACKAGE: Wrap cake tightly in plastic wrap, a lot of cases over, preserving out all air, and retailer in an airtight container or resealable bag.
FREEZE: Frozen frosted desserts will protect for as a lot as 3 months.
DEFROST: Let thaw, wrapped, in a single day throughout the fridge, or let thaw at room temperature for a few hours. Slice and serve.
COOKIES & BARS
FREEZE COOKIE DOUGH
PREP: Drop/Shaped Cookies: Space cookie dough balls or shaped cookie dough out on a baking sheet. Freeze until set, about quarter-hour. Slice-and-Bake: Roll dough into tight logs with a diameter equaling the dimensions of cookie you want.
PACKAGE: Drop/Shaped Cookies: Seal frozen cookie dough balls or shaped cookie dough in an airtight container or resealable bag.
Slice-and-Bake: Wrap dough logs in plastic wrap after which wrap as soon as extra in foil.
FREEZE: Dough can protect throughout the freezer for as a lot as 3 months.
DEFROST: Drop/Shaped Cookies: Space frozen cookie dough out on a baking sheet, and bake as directed, together with 2 to a few minutes to the bake time. Slice-and-Bake: Let thaw barely, or until sliceable. Then slice and bake as directed.
FREEZE BAKED COOKIES
PREP: After baking, let cool totally. Do not freeze stuffed or frosted sandwich cookies.
PACKAGE: Wrap each cookie individually in plastic wrap, and retailer in a resealable bag.
FREEZE: Cookies can protect throughout the freezer for as a lot as 3 months.
DEFROST: Let thaw, wrapped, at room temperature, about 1 hour; unwrap and serve.
FREEZE BAKED BARS
PREP: After baking, let cool totally, nevertheless do not slice into specific individual gadgets.
PACKAGE: Double wrap in plastic wrap, and retailer in a resealable bag.
FREEZE: Baked bars can protect throughout the freezer for as a lot as 3 months.
DEFROST: Let thaw, wrapped, at room temperature, a few hours; unwrap and slice.
BREAD
FREEZE BREAD DOUGH
PREP: First, make sure the recipe you’re following makes use of energetic dry yeast moderately than rapid yeast, or it’s not going to freeze successfully. As a rule of thumb, allow the bread to bear the fi rst rise (the rise that comes sooner than shaping), punch down dough, kind, and place into prepared greased pan. Cowl bread with a well-greased piece of plastic wrap, and freeze until dough is completely robust, about 10 hours.
PACKAGE: Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and retailer in an airtight container or resealable bag.
FREEZE: Dough will protect frozen for about 1 month.
DEFROST: On account of the dough went by means of only one rise, you’ll should proof it. Take away dough the day sooner than you plan to bake it, and let thaw, wrapped, in a single day throughout the fridge. After thawing, place bread once more proper right into a prepared greased pan, and let rise until doubled in measurement (your proofi ng). Proceed with recipe’s bake time and temperature.
FREEZE BAKED BREAD
PREP: Let all baked bread cool totally after baking. For best outcomes, freeze quick bread and yeast bread (like banana bread and Dutch oven bread) full. Explicit individual slices will work, nevertheless they’ve a shorter freezer shelf life.
PACKAGE: Wrap full quick bread and yeast bread in plastic wrap, and retailer in an airtight container or resealable bag. For specific individual quick breads, like muffi ns or scones, wrap individually in plastic wrap, and retailer in an airtight container or resealable bag.
FREEZE: Complete quick breads and yeast breads will protect for as a lot as 3 months. Sliced elements and rolls will ultimate for as a lot as 2 months.
DEFROST: Let full quick breads and yeast breads thaw, wrapped, at room temperature for 2 to a few hours. Let specific individual slices thaw, wrapped, throughout the fridge in a single day.
THE FROZEN PANTRY
Freeze these baking staples now, and thank your self later
Grated Modern Ginger: Freeze freshly grated ginger in an ice cube tray. As quickly as robust, you can pop the cubes proper right into a resealable bag and have them available for as a lot as 3 months.
Buttermilk: Measure out tablespoons of buttermilk into an ice cube tray, and freeze for as a lot as 3 months.
Toasted Nuts: Fatty nuts have a notoriously fast shelf life. Delay that time by pre toasting, cooling, and placing your nuts in a resealable bag. They’ll protect for as a lot as 2 months. Untoasted nuts can protect for as a lot as 6 months.
Almond Meal: Like its full counterpart, almond meal can go rancid quickly. Retailer your almond meal in a resealable bag throughout the freezer for as a lot as 3 months.
Complete-Grain Flour: Containing further of the germ and bran of the wheat kernel, whole-grain fl our has further oils and nutritional vitamins than all-purpose flour and, thus, spoils faster. Retailer your whole-grain flour in a resealable bag for as a lot as 3 months throughout the freezer.
Ripe Bananas: Toss your unpeeled ripe bananas proper right into a resealable bag, and freeze for as a lot as 3 months for banana bread on demand.