By There are many types of bread, and the ingredients of each bread are different. Some breads are suitable for making using freezing or refrigeration methods, while others cannot adapt to this low-temperature method due to different ingredients. Suitable ingredients for bread made using freezing or refrigeration methods: dough with sugar content above 16%, oil content above 4%, and yeast content above 3%. Examples include sweet bread and Danish pastry.
Frozen Dough Operation Guidelines
1. For unfermented dough using low-temperature methods, if the dough is mixed well without basic fermentation, it can be stored in a refrigerator at 0～5℃ for slow basic fermentation. When needed, it can be taken out and thawed at any time for dividing and shaping. Because the thawing speed of refrigerated dough is faster, the dough's usage flexibility is more flexible, and the work scope is also increased. Even if the refrigerated dough after 12 hours cannot be used up, it can be placed in a freezer at -20℃ to inhibit its fermentation and taken out for use when needed. If the dough is still left in the refrigerator to continue fermentation, the sourness in the dough will become too strong over time, affecting the quality, so this should be avoided.
2. For already fermented dough, if the basic fermentation is complete, it must be stored in a freezer at -20℃, so that the yeast in the dough is in a dormant state and stops fermentation. If the dough that has completed basic fermentation is placed in a refrigerator at 0～5℃, it is easy to cause over-fermentation. Therefore, the dough that has completed basic fermentation must be preserved using the freezing method, for up to 48 hours. It can be taken out and thawed at any time for dividing and shaping.
The temperature of freezing is lower than that of refrigeration, so the thawing speed of the dough is slower, but after thawing, the fermentation speed becomes faster. The freezing and refrigeration methods of the dough each have their advantages. Regardless of the method used, large dough must first be divided into small dough of about 5 kg each, and then spread flat on a baking tray. This can speed up the freezing process. Plastic paper should be placed on the top and bottom of the baking tray to prevent moisture and facilitate operation.
3. Shaped dough. The shaped dough can be put into the freezer or refrigerator in whole or in part as needed. The freezing and refrigeration of the dough are only differences in temperature. The main purpose of freezing the dough is to stop the fermentation of the yeast in the dough, allowing it to be preserved for a longer time. Generally, it can be stored in a refrigerator at -3℃～1℃ for about 12 hours without deterioration; otherwise, the dough will over-ferment and become sour.
4. General production principles. Generally speaking, the longer the dough is frozen or refrigerated, the greater the damage to the yeast in the dough. Therefore, the amount of yeast used for dough that has been frozen and refrigerated should be slightly more than that used in normal methods. Other procedures are the same as normal bread making.
5. General production situation. After the frozen or refrigerated dough is taken out from the freezer, a little water should be sprayed on the surface, and then placed at room temperature or in a fermentation cabinet without heating to allow it to thaw naturally. Usually, refrigerated dough takes about 20 minutes to thaw, while frozen dough takes about 40 minutes to completely thaw. We can judge the thawing situation of the dough from the water droplets sprayed on the surface of the dough. Generally, the surface of the completely thawed dough will no longer have water droplets, the surface of the dough will be shiny, and there will be signs of gradual expansion. At this time, the temperature of the fermentation cabinet can be increased to maintain it at 35～38℃ to allow the dough to undergo final fermentation. If there are many water droplets on the surface of the dough, or it appears moist, and there is no sign of expansion of the dough itself, it means that the inside of the dough has not yet completely thawed. Wait a little longer until the dough is completely thawed before heating the fermentation cabinet. Otherwise, the dough will be affected by the rising temperature, causing uneven temperature inside and outside the dough, resulting in a significant impact on the quality of the baked bread.
