How do I save bread dough?

[cminmd]

I love fresh baked bread with dinner, but it is hard to make bread when you work. It is too early to start it in the morning and too late when you get home. It leaves me resorting to frig bread, tastey but expensive and I can usually only find the white breads and I like to make a partial wheat with King Arthurs Winter Wheat. Is their a way to make a big batch of bread dough and cut it into smaller protions for cooking other nights? Either freezing or refrigerating?

[mundy]

Both freezing and refrigerating work. If you want it in one or two days I'd refrigerate, for longer storage I'd freeze it.
Here's a recipe from Fleischmann Yeast that you may want to use as a starting point: http://breadworld.com/recipes/recipedetail.asp?id=255

[cminmd]

Fleischmans has a great site. I might try that freezer rolls recipe out tomorrow. I have been guilty of many a cresent roll purchase. I guess it just kills me to know I am paying 2 dollars for a tube filled with 40 cents of flour and yeast!

I guess the problem I have is when I put bread in the frig after the rise. So far, I have been doing this procedure. I cut my dough into two loaves: one to bake one to refrigerate. Then I shape one-half into a loaf, let it rise a bit and bake it. The other half of the dough goes in a lightly greased plastic bag and spend the night in the frig. When I am ready to bake the 2nd loaf I take it out, shape it and try to let it rise. Usually not much happens. I give it about an hour thinking if it hasn't risen by then it probably won't. Then I bake it and have fresh but mostly crust bread. Definitely, a mediocre addition to my meal. Am I not giving the cold yeast time to revive? Even when I try to rise and shape it, it deflates when I bag it and move it to the frig. Any suggestions?

[mrswaz]

Maybe it's the plastic bag? I'm assuming you mean a zipper type bag? Sealing up the dough in there isn't giving it any room to breathe, and while I am not certain, it seems to me like it would suffocate the yeast. I use a bowl with plenty of room for the dough to expand and breathe, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

When refrigerating dough in the fridge, it's still rising, just going through a very slow rise- and developing fantastic flavor. So when I do refrigerate, I pull it out, let it come to room temperature, and then punch it down and shape for the final rise before baking.

[Beth]

Letting bread rise in the fridge is a technique -- not something you need to buy in a box. Are you using a mix or something? Is that why you say it is expensive? It needn't be. It shouldn't cost you a penny more unless you wouldn't havethe fridge plugged in without them. ;)

Make up rolls or small loaves on the weekend, let them go through the first rise and shaping, then freeze them. Take out what you need and put in the fridge the night before to thaw and rise. You may have to adjust your timing to see how long it takes in your fridge and whether it works better to leave it at roomtemp a couple hours and put it back inthe fridge before you go to bed. I don't think it would be ready in my fridge if I pulled them out in the morning, and a larger loaf could need longer than overnight.

When you take cold dough out of the fridge or freezer, remember that the dough has to warm up all the way through and those little yeasties are going to have to wake up and get back to work. It's going to take a lot longer than if it were at room temp sitting on your counter. Dough will rise in the fridge -- it will just take loner, but it goes dormant in the freezer.

[Vancouver Lori]

You might check out this thread:
http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?t=101511 for Easy Refrigerator Yeast Rolls. I have not made them yet, but plan to some time this weekend. Sounds like a great solution.

[funniegrrl]

Some tips on refrigerating and freezing dough on Sarah Phillips Baking911 site:

Bread Baking 101 - Cool Rise (http://www.baking911.com/bread/coolrise.htm)
Bread Baking 101 - Freezing (http://www.baking911.com/howto/freeze.htm)

[cminmd]

I tried the Fleischman's Freezer Cresent Rolls this weekend, but I was a little disappointed. Instead of tasting like crescent rolls, they tasted like a dinner roll in a crescent shape. Good, but not what I was expecting. I will still make them, just form them into an easier to butter shape as they were dryer than an average crescent roll.

The recipe does give a great method for shaping the crescent rolls. It says to form your dough into a ball and roll into a 14 inch round. Then cut into 12equal pieces. This method forms the prefect triangles needed to make a very attractive cresent roll. The method I had been taught previously was to make a large rectangle, form squares, then cut each one diagonally. I find it very hard to form a square or a rectangle out of dough and they never came out evenly sized or as attractive.

Hi Beth, I mean that I would buy (Gasp! The shock and horror!) Pillsbury refrigerator breads!! How embarrasing to admit to on this board. Instead of spending about 50 cents for flour and yeast I was spending two dollars a tube. That convienance is costly!

MrsWaz- I was murdering my yeast! I feel like I should call up my old microbiology professor and appologize! Duh!

Off to try more recipes!

[charley]

Why not bake a few loaves in a session and freeze what you don't need that day? Then all you have to do is bring a loaf to room temp, stick it in the oven for about 10 minutes, and voila!

[heavy hedonist]

Along with all these excellent suggestions, (and I particularlyfavor Charley's-- homebaked bread tastes fresher after being frozen and thawed than stor-bought fresh!) here is a recipe I've used many times when I was in your situation-- as long as you have a little time in the morning, saY AN HOUR AND A HALF MAX: or turn it on it's head, and start it up in the morning (10 minutes total prep) and let is rise for it's hour when you get home, then bake.
It is very good at adapting; I've replaced a cup of the flour with WW flour, or added herbs, cheeses or soaked raisins as needed. Nice and chewy, like a quick Italian loaf. You can also add an egg in before shaping to make it richer for a weeknight company dinner.

From Marilyn Moore's THE WOODEN SPOON BREAD BOOK

Overnight Sponge Bread

To soften yeast, in a large bowl combine
2 C warm water
1 scant Tbsp (1 packet) active dry yeast

Allow to proof. Stir in
2 C unbleached flour or bread flour

Beat well. Cover and let rise on counter overnight. in the morning, stir down the sponge. Stir in

2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp oil
2 tsp salt

To make a stiff dough, gradually add
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 C unbleached or bread flour

Turn out onto floured surface and knead until smooth. Divide dough in half. shape into oblong loaves and place in well-greased 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2-inch baking pans. Cover and let rise till doubled, about an hour. Bake at 400 degrees F for 35-40 minutes. cool on wire racks.**

**Mari's notes-- I usually make this is round cake pans, for a nice rustic look. I've also shaped into a braid and baked at 375 for a bit longer. It's a hard bread to ruin-- you can even let it rise again when you have the luxury of time. We love it's texture. Good for any use, really.;)