Uncover methods to accurately freeze your dough and baked objects for quick, anytime treats that may fulfill every craving and occasion.
DOUGH VS. BATTER: CAN YOU FREEZE BOTH?
Most baked objects 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 objects that start with a unfastened batter (muffins, muffins, brownies, blondies) are best baked sooner than frozen. Freezing the batter will change the consistency of the last word baked good.
PIES AND TARTS
FREEZE PIE AND TART DOUGH
PREP: Type 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 keep 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 can be straight 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 completely. Although most up to date fruit freezes correctly, the water content material materials can change drastically all through the freezing course of, leading to a runny pie or tart filling. We don’t counsel freezing unbaked fruit filling.
PACKAGE: Wrap pie or tart, nonetheless in dish, completely in plastic wrap. Seal in a resealable bag.
FREEZE: Baked pies and tarts will keep 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 baked cake layers, Bundts, and totally different unfrosted muffins are completely cool. For optimum freshness, keep Bundt muffins, pound muffins, and totally different one-layer muffins full.
PACKAGE: For cake layers, wrap each tightly in plastic wrap after which place into resealable baggage. For Bundt muffins, tube muffins, and totally different one-layer muffins, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and seal in a resealable bag.
FREEZE: Baked muffins can keep 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 muffins come to room temperature, about 3 hours or let thaw throughout the fridge in a single day.
FREEZE FROSTING
PREP: Observe 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 keep 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 clear and creamy. If frosting isn’t returning to the right consistency, try remixing collectively 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 muffins frosted with buttercream or cream cheese frosting because of the extreme fat content material materials helps them freeze greater. After making use of crumb coat and frosting, place frosted cake, uncovered, in freezer for 2 to 3 hours, or until frosting is completely company.
PACKAGE: Wrap cake tightly in plastic wrap, plenty of events over, holding out all air, and retailer in an airtight container or resealable bag.
FREEZE: Frozen frosted muffins will keep 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 plenty of hours. Slice and serve.
COOKIES & BARS
FREEZE COOKIE DOUGH
PREP: Drop/Fashioned 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/Fashioned 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 keep throughout the freezer for as a lot as 3 months.
DEFROST: Drop/Fashioned Cookies: Space frozen cookie dough out on a baking sheet, and bake as directed, together with 2 to 3 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 completely. 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 keep 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 completely, nevertheless do not slice into specific individual objects.
PACKAGE: Double wrap in plastic wrap, and retailer in a resealable bag.
FREEZE: Baked bars can keep throughout the freezer for as a lot as 3 months.
DEFROST: Let thaw, wrapped, at room temperature, plenty of hours; unwrap and slice.
BREAD
FREEZE BREAD DOUGH
PREP: First, make it possible for the recipe you’re following makes use of vigorous dry yeast barely than rapid yeast, or it will not freeze properly. As a rule of thumb, allow the bread to endure the fi rst rise (the rise that comes sooner than shaping), punch down dough, type, 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 keep frozen for about 1 month.
DEFROST: On account of the dough went via 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 dimension (your proofi ng). Proceed with recipe’s bake time and temperature.
FREEZE BAKED BREAD
PREP: Let all baked bread cool completely after baking. For best outcomes, freeze quick bread and yeast bread (like banana bread and Dutch oven bread) full. Specific 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: Total quick breads and yeast breads will keep for as a lot as 3 months. Sliced components and rolls will last for as a lot as 2 months.
DEFROST: Let full quick breads and yeast breads thaw, wrapped, at room temperature for 2 to 3 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 Latest Ginger: Freeze freshly grated ginger in an ice cube tray. As quickly as robust, you probably can pop the cubes proper right into a resealable bag and have them accessible 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 transient shelf life. Extend that time by pre toasting, cooling, and placing your nuts in a resealable bag. They’ll keep for as a lot as 2 months. Untoasted nuts can keep for as a lot as 6 months.
Almond Meal: Like its full counterpart, almond meal can go rancid shortly. Retailer your almond meal in a resealable bag throughout the freezer for as a lot as 3 months.
Total-Grain Flour: Containing additional of the germ and bran of the wheat kernel, whole-grain fl our has additional 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.