Is it possible to defrost dough in the microwave?

At first glance, there is nothing complicated about defrosting dough, but if you study the issue further, it will become clear that not everything is as simple as it seems at first glance. The dough must be thawed so as not to spoil its taste.

If you do not follow the rules, the beneficial properties of the dough will disappear and the structure will be damaged. Without following the technology, you will end up with a dough that is too watery and covered with a thick crust. Baked goods made from improperly thawed dough will not rise, and you will definitely not be pleased with the taste.

How to defrost dough?

The fastest and easiest way is the microwave. Can you defrost dough in the microwave? Of course you can, but it is important to do it correctly. Almost every modern microwave oven has a defrost mode, and we use it. The main thing is to make sure that the dough does not overheat. To do this, you need to turn it over every 1-2 minutes.

If you have an old microwave without a defrost mode, just set the power to 100 W.

The microwave can be replaced with an oven. Place the dough on a baking sheet and place in an oven preheated to 70 degrees for about 2 minutes. Here it is important not to overcook and remove the dough in time, otherwise it will be spoiled.

If you don’t risk defrosting the dough in the microwave or oven, you are afraid that it will spoil, there are more gentle methods.

Place the dough in a plastic bag, tie it tightly, and immerse it in warm water. After about 2 hours it will be ready to bake.
If it is winter outside and the radiators are warm, place the unpacked dough on the radiator. After an hour or two it will be completely defrosted.
Are you in a hurry? Defrost the dough at room temperature, covering it with a towel. This is the best option, but will take around 3-5 hours.
Water bath. Place a pan of water on the fire and place a container of frozen dough on top. Make sure that when defrosting the dough does not stick to the surface on which it lies.

Which way is better? It all depends on the type of test. Also, do not forget about preparation: you need to keep it in the refrigerator for half an hour before defrosting. This will preserve nutrients.

How to properly freeze homemade dough?

Store-bought dough will never compare in taste and texture to a homemade product, so many housewives continue to produce dough on their own. Considering the hassle and length of the process, they try to do everything with a reserve so that the component is enough for several approaches.

The characteristics of such a test will not deteriorate only if it is frozen correctly:

The mass must be divided into portions so that you do not have to cut the frozen composition later. Homemade or store-bought products cannot be re-frozen.
Be sure to pack the product in cling film or foil, protecting it from moisture.
For the first week, the workpiece should be stored at a very low temperature, after which it can be slightly increased.
Practice shows that dough is best preserved if it is made using flour that contains about 30% gluten.

You should not store homemade dough for longer than 4 months. It will last longer, but its taste will deteriorate a little.

Defrosting yeast and puff pastry

Yeast and puff pastry are considered the most capricious; they need to be defrosted especially carefully. You must know all the nuances to defrost such dough correctly without spoiling the baked goods.

Yeast dough

When defrosting yeast dough, the slightest mistake can lead to the dough not rising during baking. To avoid this, pay attention to the following features of defrosting yeast dough:

When defrosting in water, the dough must be wrapped in several plastic bags. The water temperature must be maintained and not allowed to cool.
Place the dough in a container and place it next to a lit burner.
We strongly do not recommend defrosting yeast dough in the microwave. There is a theory that microwave radiation kills the beneficial properties of yeast. But if this doesn’t bother you, you need to defrost the yeast dough as quickly as possible; do not set the timer for more than 2 minutes.

You can no longer refreeze yeast dough after defrosting!

Puff pastry

Puff pastry is no less demanding than yeast dough for high-quality defrosting. But there are some nuances here. For example, if yeast dough can be carefully defrosted in the microwave, then puff pastry cannot be defrosted under any circumstances. It's best to just leave it in a warm room for a few hours. Below are some more helpful tips for defrosting puff pastry.

Cover it with a towel. This will help prevent a hard crust from forming.
If the dough is roll-shaped, it is possible to remove the top, already thawed layers and start working with them. Just do it carefully, otherwise you will damage the structure.
When defrosting on the radiator, wrap the dough in a towel.

You can store puff pastry in the refrigerator after defrosting for no more than two days. Use quick defrosting methods only in extreme cases when it is really necessary. Defrosting the dough using quick methods is only worth it if it is pizza dough or something similar. In other cases, it is better to do with natural defrosting at room temperature.

Nuances

To avoid mistakes, adhere to the following rules when defrosting the dough:

Increase the temperature of the semi-finished product gradually. First, transfer it from the freezer to the refrigerator shelf for a few minutes, then keep it at room temperature, and only then reheat it. Temperature shock will negatively affect the taste and elasticity of the product.
Yeast-free flour products can be thawed in a slow cooker at 40 degrees for 30-40 minutes.
When heated, it can increase in volume and become ready for further preparation of baked goods or confectionery products. At this time, do not ventilate the room or allow drafts, as this will cause the product to return to its original form.
For frozen thin layers of dough, do not use quick defrosting methods. They will begin to stick together and lose their plastic shape. You can prepare it for cooking only in the refrigerator, keeping it for at least 8 hours.
The semi-finished product cannot be re-frozen. After this, it will lose some of its useful substances and will rise worse.

Charlotte with apples and plums

Almost every family knows the recipe for this pie. The classic version was first prepared in…

Dough is an integral product for making pies, rolls, cakes, baskets, pizza bases and other types of confectionery products. Defrost it correctly so that it remains tasty, airy and pliable, taking into account all the nuances that relate to preparing for the preparation of this type of semi-finished product.

Features of choosing a test when purchasing

The packaging must be sealed.
The packaging must indicate the method of freezing.
Look on the packaging for the number of layers. The more there are, the tastier the baked goods will be. For yeast dough, this figure should ideally be 35 layers, for yeast-free dough - 225.
Please note the expiration dates.
Study the composition, make sure the product is natural.
Price. The cheapest frozen dough cannot boast of quality and good taste. Choose dough in the middle price segment.
Do not buy dough that has foreign inclusions. You should also avoid buying a product that sticks to the inside of the packaging.

How to buy high-quality frozen dough?

The process of preparing the dough takes some time and causes a lot of trouble. For this reason, housewives are increasingly buying a ready-made product of the desired type. In order not to encounter difficulties during use, you should choose the following components correctly:

The dough can only be purchased in sealed packaging. Violation of the integrity of the container will lead to spoilage of the product even if it is very quickly delivered from the store to the home freezer.
The label should indicate how the product is frozen. If it is not indicated, the product was produced in artisanal conditions and its quality is very questionable.
Pay attention to the number of layers, this indicator will give you an idea of how tasty the final product will be. A yeast-free dough should have at least 225, and a yeast dough should have at least 35.

Tip: Despite the fact that industrially frozen dough can be stored for months, it is better to purchase fresh dough. Over time, the texture of the component will change, sometimes unnecessary notes will be added to the clean smell.

Frozen products should not contain preservatives. The fewer ingredients in the composition, the better.
A lot can be said by the appearance of the dough, so you should choose products that are packaged in transparent bags. The lump of product should not stick to the packaging, appear wet or have inclusions of a different color from the base.

High-quality products are accompanied by defrosting instructions. Its absence should be alarming, because... by this, the manufacturer, as it were, relieves itself of all responsibility for the condition of the component after heat treatment.

Tips for choosing a frozen product

Despite the similarity of cooking recipes, the dough on the shelves of grocery stores differs from each other in its quality. Manufacturers use different technologies and products of different quality.

The entry of air can lead to chapping or loss of beneficial properties; the yeast mass in an open package is unlikely to rise during cooking.

The product packaging must indicate the date of manufacture, shelf life and freezing method. In the absence of such information, you cannot count on purchasing a high-quality useful product. Fresh makes better baked goods. During long-term storage, the product changes its texture and acquires an additional specific odor.

The product will be more delicious if the dough has as many layers as possible. Data on the number of layers must also be indicated on the product packaging. The yeast product contains 35 leaves, the yeast-free product contains more than 200.

It is recommended to familiarize yourself with the composition of the product. It can be found on the product label. A good product does not contain many ingredients or preservatives.

The cost of the product cannot be cheap, since the ingredients included in the composition cannot be cheaper than the final product, i.e. the dough itself. Low prices can be achieved by reducing the quality of the products used.

The packaging material must be as transparent as possible, without any inscriptions or large-scale drawings covering the product.

A high-quality product inside the package moves freely, is uniform in composition, dry and does not stick.

On the product label you can find the technology for defrosting this product. Its absence indicates the negligence of the manufacturer, who did not think about his customers, and therefore does not take responsibility for possible changes when the goods are defrosted.

Correct freezing technology

Modern freezers have sufficient power to ensure deep freezing of yeast dough and long-term storage. At the kneading stage, two nuances need to be taken into account.

Firstly, you need to use fresh yeast, quick-acting yeast is not suitable, and add 5-7% more yeast than is prescribed in the recipe.
Secondly, preference should be given to “strong” flour with a gluten content of 30-32%.

How to freeze yeast dough:

The dough is thoroughly kneaded. Give 5-10 minutes to “rest”.
The kneaded dough is divided into large parts if you plan to bake pies or bread from it in the future. Or into small ones, for example, for buns, which are immediately formed into “balls”.
Next, choose a storage format. In the first option, the divided dough is placed in containers or baking dishes, greased with vegetable oil, and covered with cling film or foil on top. In the second, they are rolled in flour, put into bags, squeezed out the air, and tied. The formed small products are laid out on a board sprinkled with flour and covered with film. The rolled out pizza dough is placed between two layers of siliconized parchment, placed in a large bag, and the edges are folded.
The packaged dough is briefly cooled in the refrigerator to slow down the fermentation process, then transferred to the freezer. By this time, the lowest possible temperature should be set at which the dough should be kept for at least a week. Then stored at an average temperature of -15 °C.

Top articles: Everything you need to know about the shelf life of wine

Excess dough that has already risen but is not used for baking can also be frozen. Its quality after defrosting will be slightly worse than that of a specially prepared one, especially if quick yeast and flour not rich in gluten were used. However, at least you can bake a pizza or a short pie from it.

Is it possible to re-freeze yeast-free and yeast dough?

The technology rules do not provide for re-freezing the product. It is believed that the quality of confectionery products in this case decreases.

Sometimes housewives re-freeze dumplings, but do not advise freezing yeast dough. Most of the fungi die, and the dough does not rise well.

It is better to use all the dough from the freezer at once, and if necessary, freeze the finished products. You can bake pies, buns or preparations (pizza bases, crusts, baskets). Later they are heated in the microwave or oven.

Slow defrosting dough

The best option for defrosting any food, including dough, is defrosting in the refrigerator. This process is as long as possible. However, it allows you to preserve all the properties of the dough, and the taste and appearance of the finished baked goods cannot be distinguished from products baked from fresh dough. In order to defrost the dough in the refrigerator, you must first remove it from the freezer to the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, since that is where the temperature is highest. If you leave the dough overnight, you can get defrosted dough in the morning.

ATTENTION! In refrigerators where the freezer is located at the bottom, it will be warmest on the top shelf rather than the bottom shelf. This should be taken into account when choosing a place for defrosting in the refrigerator.

The next most useful method is defrosting at room temperature. Depending on the volume of the dough, it will take approximately 5 hours. When defrosting naturally, you need to make sure that the dough does not dry out in the kitchen; it needs to be covered with cling film or a towel. You can also lightly flour it, brush it with oil or sprinkle a little water.

Another option for slow defrosting is to immerse the dough in warm water. First, it must be placed in a plastic bag and placed in water so that the edges of the package do not fall into the water. It is important not to allow water to come into contact with the dough during defrosting, as this may adversely affect its properties.

Effective defrosting methods

There are several basic technologies that will help defrost the dough without damaging the structure. Particular attention is paid to the puff composition; it cannot be defrosted using thermal appliances.

Method No. 1. Natural conditions

This type of dough processing is also called slow, because the procedure takes place under natural conditions.

Open the package of dough and place it on a flat plate or cutting board. Leave for 4 hours at room temperature. During this period, the dough will thaw, as a result of which it can be used for cooking.

Turn the mixture over every hour to ensure even defrosting. If the dough is rolled, after 2 hours it can be unrolled.

If you have time, move the mixture from the freezer to the fruit and vegetable storage drawer (bottom of the refrigerator). In this way, the dough will defrost in 10-12 hours, it all depends on the serving size.

Method No. 2. Oven

Preheat the oven to 90 degrees. For 10 minutes, make sure that there are no fluctuations in the set mode.

Take a baking sheet, line it with 2 layers of parchment paper, sprinkle it with flour. Remove the dough from the packaging (!), then place it on a baking sheet.

Send the mixture into the cabinet cavity, stick to the middle shelf. The duration of defrosting is about 3 minutes, no longer. Throughout the entire period, you need to monitor the process so that the dough does not bake on top.

Method No. 3. Heating radiators

If it is not possible to use an oven, use heating appliances. You can use either a standard radiator or an oil heater. The method is suitable for defrosting dough in the cold season.

Place the product on a flat dish and place it on top of the heating device. Watch the process carefully, turn the dough every half hour.

It is important to prevent the formation of a crust, which usually appears during the chapping process. To do this, place a piece of cling film on the dough. The duration of defrosting depends on the room temperature. As practice shows, the dough becomes soft in 1.5-2 hours.

Method number 4. Microwave

In most cases, after defrosting in the microwave, the dough loses some of its taste. To prevent this, carry out a small preparatory phase.

Remove the mixture from the freezer and leave it on the middle or bottom shelf of the refrigerator for 45 minutes. During this period, the composition will soften, as a result of which defrosting will take place without compromising quality.

After preparation, begin the procedure. Remove the product from the packaging and place it in a microwave-safe glass container. Cover with a lid, leaving a small opening.

Set the power to about 90W or use the “Defrost” mode. It is difficult to say for sure how quickly the dough will defrost. It all depends on the individual characteristics of the device.

To begin with, set it for 10-15 minutes, after this period you can evaluate the result. Every 30 seconds, pause the microwave and turn the dough over.

This move will allow the composition to defrost evenly. Otherwise, a crust will appear on the surface or the dough will begin to bake locally.

Method No. 5. Water

Many housewives prefer to defrost the dough, as they say, the old fashioned way. For this, cold or room temperature water is used.

Prepare thick plastic bags without holes. You will need about 5-6 pieces. It is important that the liquid does not penetrate into the cavity, otherwise the dough will become unusable.

Wrap the product in plastic and tie tightly. Pour cold water into a bowl and lower the dough into the cavity. Remove it after 20 minutes.

Now fill the container with slightly warm water and put the dough inside again. Take it out after 35-50 minutes. During this period the product will defrost. To increase the effectiveness of the procedure, change the cooled water with warm water every 5-7 minutes.

Delicious recipe! Jellied pike heads

Is it possible to use expired yeast?

Sometimes expired yeast is added when making alcoholic beverages: beer, wine, champagne. If the expiration date set by the manufacturer has expired, the properties of the product weaken.

You can’t add them to the dough, but you shouldn’t throw them away either.

The product is often used in cosmetology. There are many recipes for face masks containing yeast. This mask smoothes out facial wrinkles, refreshes the complexion and tightens the skin.

How to store alcoholic yeast: beer and wine?

Alcohol fungi are used during moonshine brewing. This type of microorganism is resistant to alcohol. Ordinary mushrooms die if the mash concentration exceeds 18%.

The product is made from:

hops,
of bread,
beer,
baker's yeast.

Compressed yeast contains moisture, so when storing it it is important that the water does not evaporate. The expiration date depends on the manufacturer.

If the product has been in the refrigerator for a long time, its suitability can be checked by cutting off the top layer and mixing with warm water, 1 tsp. sugar and 1 tbsp. l. flour. If the composition has foamed, then the remaining part can be used.

Important! Wine yeast is used in the preparation of wine and champagne. To store them, it is better to choose a dark place with an air temperature no higher than +15. Sourdough can retain its properties for two years.

Storage, defrosting, baking

Having found out whether yeast dough can be frozen, you need to learn how to properly place it in the freezer. Even in the cold, it will not shrink in the first minutes, but will rise and grow in volume. This feature must be taken into account when filling the freezer: place the portions more closely, otherwise they will have time to “grow” and take up all the free space in the freezer.

The maximum shelf life of frozen dough is no more than four months. But the sooner you use it, the better the taste and appearance of the finished product.

Re-freezing is not recommended - the properties of yeast dough are not preserved more than once.

Before freezing yeast dough in plastic bags (they can be used as an alternative to foil), sprinkle the container with flour to prevent the contents from sticking and release the air from the bag.

You need to defrost yeast dough carefully and gradually: first move it from the freezer to the refrigerator, and then keep it at room temperature. The finished dough should increase in volume. Having noticed this, knead it again and form buns.

Frozen dough is suitable for making any baked goods: pies, pies, pizza, buns, cookies, loaves, if you like. You just have to fuss a little once, and then very, very quickly (literally in 15 minutes, not counting the time spent on baking) prepare fragrant products several times.

The easiest and most reliable way to defrost dough is to place it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. The dough will thaw completely within 10 hours without losing its shape and properties. But what to do if time is short, and guests will be on the doorstep in a couple of hours?

How to quickly defrost puff pastry

To quickly defrost dough, experienced housewives use methods that are called “emergency” - they try to use them only when absolutely necessary. Housewives who do not have much experience should not use accelerated defrosting methods. With any mistake, the dough turns into a semi-liquid lump, covered on the outside with a dry crust. The dough is placed in a plastic bag and wrapped in a towel. When wrapped, it should be placed on a warm radiator. This method of defrosting should be used only in extreme cases. If there is no particular rush, it is better to do this: release the frozen layer of dough from the packaging and place it on a board near the stove or radiator, that is, a heat source. At a temperature slightly above room temperature, no more than two hours is enough for the dough to be ready for further work with it. Do not defrost puff pastry in the microwave. This operation requires some skill - not everyone gets a good result, but if you make a little mistake, you can end up with a ready-made puff pastry. The best way to defrost puff pastry is slow. With it, the dough will retain all its beneficial qualities, and the baked goods will turn out fluffy and tasty.

Despite the abundance of grocery store and confectionery shelves with a variety of baked goods, many housewives still prefer to prepare their own baked goods. Some people like to work with the dough and prepare it themselves. Others prefer to buy ready-made dough. One way or another, the dough is often over-prepared, and the leftovers are frozen. Or buy ready-made dough frozen.

Therefore, you need to know how to defrost it correctly. You can defrost the dough in the microwave or use longer methods. Each of them has its own characteristics.

Conditions for defrosting Filo dough

This type of product consists of thin layers and cannot be quickly defrosted.

In order to preserve the structure of the semi-finished product and its taste, it is necessary to remove the product from the freezer, remove it from the packaging and place it on the middle shelf in the refrigerator.

If you thaw a semi-finished product in the kitchen, the thin sheets will stick together and become completely unsuitable for baking. This is the main disadvantage of Filo compared to other types of ready-made baking dough. While the product is thawing in the refrigerator, the housewife can start preparing the filling for homemade pies.