Alright, let’s talk about this frozen sweet bread dough, you know, the kind you buy at the store. I ain’t got time to be makin’ bread from scratch all the time, ain’t nobody got time for that, especially not this old lady.
What can you do with frozen sweet bread dough? Well, let me tell ya, you can do a whole heap of things with it. More than you can shake a stick at, that’s for sure. You can make savory stuffed loaves. You know, stuff it with cheese, some sausage, whatever you got lyin’ around.
- You can make pull-apart bread. Kids love that stuff. Just pull it apart and eat it, simple as that.
- And of course, you can make sweet things with it. That’s what it’s for, ain’t it? Cinnamon rolls, sticky buns, all that good stuff.
Now, the first thing you gotta do is thaw that dough out. Don’t go tryin’ to bake it frozen solid, it ain’t gonna work. You’ll just end up with a mess, and nobody wants that. The best way to thaw it, the way I do it, is to stick it in the fridge overnight. That way it thaws out nice and slow, and it don’t get all weird.
But if you’re in a hurry, and let’s be honest, sometimes I am, you can use the microwave. Just stick it on a plate, put it in the microwave on that defrost setting, and let it go for a few minutes. But keep an eye on it, you don’t want to cook it. You just want to thaw it out.
Once it’s thawed, you got to let it rise. That’s important, see. If you don’t let it rise, it’ll be all hard and dense, like a brick. You don’t want that. You want it light and fluffy. So, put it in a pan, cover it up with some plastic wrap, and let it sit for a few hours. Let it do its thing.
Now, how long you let it rise depends on the type of dough you got, and how warm your kitchen is. If it’s warm, it’ll rise faster. If it’s cold, it’ll take longer. Just keep an eye on it. When it’s doubled in size, it’s ready to go. Usually takes about 4 to 7 hours, but don’t hold me to it, sometimes it takes longer, sometimes it’s quicker. It’s like raising kids, they do what they want when they want.
Okay, so you got your risen dough. Now what? Well, now you can make whatever you want. Like I said, you can make cinnamon rolls. Just roll it out, spread some butter and cinnamon and sugar on it, roll it up, slice it up, and bake it. Easy peasy.
Or you can make sticky buns. That’s a little more work, but it’s worth it. You gotta make a caramel sauce, pour it in the bottom of a pan, put the dough on top, and bake it. Then you flip it over, and you got sticky buns. So good, makes your teeth hurt but it’s worth it.
And don’t forget about monkey bread, that’s another good one. Or those cheese danishes, the ones that look like snails? My grandkids love those. You can even make dinner rolls, plain and simple, good with some butter and jam. The possibilities are endless. It’s all up to you.
Freezing the dough after shaping it is something you can do too. Say you made too much, or you want to make some ahead of time. Just shape it, put it in the freezer, and then when you want to bake it, thaw it out and let it rise. It works just fine. Remember to freeze it after the final shaping but before the final proof.
So, there you have it. That’s all there is to it. Frozen sweet bread dough is a lifesaver, I tell ya. It’s easy to use, and you can make so many different things with it. So, go ahead and try it. You won’t be sorry. And if it doesn’t work out the first time, don’t worry about it. Just try again. Even this old lady messes up sometimes.
And that’s the truth.
Tags: [Frozen Dough, Sweet Bread, Baking, Thawing Dough, Bread Recipes, Easy Baking, Make Ahead, Baking Tips]
