Saving bread doughs?

Question

I need to know if there is a way to prepare a bagel or bread dough and store it for a day or overnight until i am ready to use it. Is this possible or does the dough need to be used as soon as the recipe says that it is ready to be used?

Answer 1

You actually have two options here. You can mix up the dough and refrigerate it, covered lightly in plastic, overnight to rise. You can also shape the dough after the first rise, and then refrigerate it, covered, overnight, to do the second rise. You can also freeze it after the first rise and shaping- then take out what you want and let it thaw in either the fridge or on the countertop, finish rising and then bake as directed. If you put dough in the fridge to rise, it usually takes a good 8 hours or more to rise double. Multigrain and wheat bread doughs usually have a little better taste if allowed a long cool rise in the fridge, as it gives the bran a chance to absorb the liquid better and the fermentation of the yeast add even more flavor. If you like, you can even hold back a little bit of the dough, keep it in the fridge in a baggie, and use it the following week to give a better flavor to the bread. Just be sure to use it within a week or so. Add it in with the rest of the new dough, and procede to rise and shape like usual. The artisian bakers do this all the time to add flavor and character to their breads.
I bake for my family every week. I make up all the dough at one session, then chill or freeze depending on when in the week I am going to want it. Rolls for dinner go from the freezer to the fridge to thaw during the day. Then that night, they can bake while dinner cooks. Your bagels will also freeze well after baking, and if you cut them first and then freeze- they will thaw nicely in the toaster or under the broiler, or in the microwave in a damp paper towel if you don't want it toasted.

Answer 2

Saving Bread Dough

Answer 3

That's called 'friendship bread'. Years ago there was a recipe for 'Amish Friendship Bread'. It wasn't made from dough but batter. It was a quick bread, not a yeast bread. And I have to wonder if it was really Amish. But it was really good! Usually there is a recipe for making the starter, which is like a sourdough starter. You keep yeast alive for a long time, feeding it more and more dough every few days, and it gets a really strong smell and taste. You add a little of this to bread to get sourdough bread. But then you can give away pieces of it to others, who can keep it alive in the fridge. I bet Google would have some recipes for this.

Answer 4

My grandmother used to make a lot of bread. She used to just cover the dough (in a bowl) with a couple of moist towels and store in a cool dark place. The dough will continue to rise. As long as it is covered it should be good overnight.

Answer 5

You can freeze it even after it has risen. When it's completely defrosted at room temp., start the rising process again. It works just fine.