How to Freeze Bread Dough, an Ankarsrum Mixer Recipe
Have you wondered if you could use a heavy duty mixer to make a big batch of bread dough and then freeze the dough before the first rise? You can meal prep dinners to freeze and cook later, why not bread dough? And can you make it with whole wheat flour?
The answer to both these questions is yes!
You can freeze a large batch of raw bread dough before the first rise, then thaw, shape, and bake as needed. What this translates to is a fresh loaf of bread each week for a month and only one mess to clean up! Sounds appealing, doesn’t it? This method allows you to treat your freezer like a pantry!
The catch is you need a recipe specially formulated for the freezer, because freezing temperatures affect yeast activity.
I am sharing a special recipe developed for the freezer. It is one I made for several years as a busy working mom of young children. It was the only way I could get bread on the table because even though I love to bake, I did not have large blocks of time available for baking.
Whatever your circumstances, freezer bread dough makes it easier to bake wholesome, homemade bread.
This special recipe is inspired by one in an older cookbook called Stocking Up III by Carol Hupping.
In the video, I am using an Ankarsrum Assistent mixer, the Swedish super mixer that mimics hand kneading. This mixer comes with a roller and scraper duo and a dough hook. I use the roller and scraper for this recipe. The roller and scraper work like a pair of hands in the bowl and that means kneading with this mixer will take about the same amount of time as kneading by hand.
If you are a new Ankarsrum mixer owner and would like to learn how the controls on this machine work, scroll down to the bottom of this post and watch one of my other Ankarsrum breadmaking videos. You can check the timestamps in the video description to locate the right spot to watch.
You can also use a Bosch Universal or a Pro Line series KitchenAid. If you have an Artisan series KitchenAid mixer, you will need to cut the recipe in half. You can also make it by hand in a big bowl with a wooden spoon or a dough whisk, which is what I did for a long time – mixing and kneading are a good workout!
The recipe calls for whole wheat flour plus a small amount of all-purpose flour for lightness. You can use all whole wheat flour if you like – or make it with all bread flour or all-purpose flour.
Affiliate disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission for qualifying purchases.
Before you start, make sure you have all the equipment listed below.
Equipment:
Freezer
2 large cookie sheets
Plastic wrap or parchment paper
2 gallon-size Ziploc freezer bags
Heavy duty, large-capacity mixer or a large bowl and wooden spoon or dough whisk
Kitchen scale, optional
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons yeast
5 ¼ cups lukewarm water (can use part milk or potato water; water leftover from boiling potatoes to make mashed potatoes)
¼ cup honey or sweetener of choice
¼ cup melted butter or olive oil + extra for coating the dough
4 teaspoons salt
9 Cups whole wheat flour
3 cups all-purpose or bread flour
See printable recipe below for instructions. It’s easy! Make sure to prepare space in the freezer for two cookie sheets ahead of time so that you can get the dough in the freezer quick! You want to put the yeast to sleep ASAP, before it has a chance to raise the dough.
Once your dough has been deposited in the freezer, pause and enjoy the feeling of a freezer stocked with dough for a month’s baking! It is such a good feeling!
On busy days, it’s easy to shape and bake a thawed piece of frozen bread dough for a fresh loaf of homemade bread.
Once you get in the routine of mixing up a batch of freezer bread dough once a month, you will find it is really very simple and you can do it without too much effort or mess. You will notice that the first two loaves rise more than the last two. They all taste good, and I hope you find this recipe to be as big a time-saver for you as it has been for me.
PrintWhole Wheat Freezer Bread Dough
Have you wondered if you could meal prep bread dough? A fresh loaf of bread each week for a month and only one mess to clean up! Doesn’t that sound appealing? That’s exactly what we are going to do! We are taking the principals of meal prepping and making a big batch of freezer bread dough that we can thaw, shape, and bake into a fresh loaf of bread every week for a month.
- Prep Time: 45 min
- Cook Time: 35 min
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: baking
- Method: mixer
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
3 tablespoons yeast
5 1/4 cups lukewarm water (can use part milk or potato water)
1/4 cup honey or sweetener of choice
1/4 cup melted butter or olive oil + extra for coating the dough
4 teaspoons salt
9 Cups whole wheat flour
3 cups all-purpose or bread flour
Equipment:
Freezer
2 large cookie sheets
Plastic wrap and/or parchment paper
2 gallon-size Ziploc freezer bags
Kitchen scale, optional
Instructions
1. Prepare space in your freezer for two cookie sheets. Line cookie sheets with silicone mats or plastic wrap and set aside. Have plastic wrap and/or parchment paper available. Label gallon-size freezer bags ahead of time. This bread dough lasts in the freezer for four weeks, so count 4 weeks ahead on the calendar and put a best by date on the bags. This is the date you will want to bake the bread dough by because that is when the yeast is still active.
2. Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water with honey in Ankarsrum mixing bowl with roller and scraper. Add fat and salt. Turn the mixer on low speed, 1-2:00, and add the white flour. away from the bowl and forms a mass. Make sure the flour is completely incorporated.
3. Cover the dough and let it rest 5-10 minutes to soften the bran particles in the whole wheat flour.
4. Set the mixer on low speed again, about 2:00, and let it knead for 12 minutes. The dough should feel smooth and resilient. Bread dough made with whole grain flour will retain a certain amount of stickiness, like the sticky side of a Post It note. This is okay and does not need to be eliminated.
5. Give the dough a few turns by hand on a lightly greased counter and shape it into a smooth ball.
6. If you have a scale, weigh the dough. Divide the weight by 4 to make even-sized loaves, or just eyeball it. Use a bench knife or chef’s knife to cut the dough in 4 pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth ball, tucking edges under and preserving a smooth skin on top. Rub a little soft butter or oil on the surface.
7. Place 2 balls of dough on each of 2 prepared cookie sheets and press firmly to flatten into disks about an inch thick. Work quickly! Cover the cookie sheet completely with plastic wrap or parchment paper. Freeze until firm, about 4 hours (overnight is fine), then wrap individually and place in labeled freezer bags. Again, work quickly so that the dough doesn’t have a chance to thaw. Get it back in the freezer asap. If you’re using parchment paper instead of plastic wrap, you will want to make sure to get the bread wrapped and placed inside freezer bags within a day, to keep the dough from drying out.
Now, just pause and enjoy the feeling of a freezer stocked with dough for a month’s baking! It is such a good feeling!
To Bake: start the night before.
1. Take a disk of frozen dough out of the freezer. Unwrap it and reserve the wrappings. Place the dough on a large, greased plate. Cover with the wrappings and thaw in the fridge overnight.
2. The next day, oil a work surface and grease an 8×4-inch (20×11 cm) loaf pan. Place the thawed dough on the plate, smooth side up, and flatten evenly with the palms of your hands. Fold in thirds like a letter, then use your palms to pat the dough into a 7×9-inch (18×23 cm) rectangle. Roll the dough up like a log from one of the narrow ends and place in prepared loaf pan.
3. Cover the pan with the wrappings again and let rise about an hour. It will not reach the top of the pan. Meanwhile, set the oven to 350°F (175°C) to preheat. The touch test will help you determine if your bread is ready to bake. Simply touch the dough. It should barely show your fingerprint.
4. Bake 35-40 minutes, until the loaf is well-browned and done. To test for doneness, carefully tip the loaf out of the pan and inspect the bottom. The crust should be evenly browned and sound hollow when thumped with a finger. A food thermometer will read 190-195 F (87-90 C).
5. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
Notes
Notes: Once you get in the routine of mixing up a batch of freezer bread dough once a month, you will find it is really very simple and you can do it without too much effort or mess. You will notice that the first two loaves rise more than the last two. They all taste good, and I hope you find this recipe to be as big a time-saver as it has been for me.
Keywords: #freezer #breaddough #mealprep #chocolateboxcottage
Shopping for a Heavy Duty Stand Mixer for bread making? See my helpful comparison of three popular mixers here: KitchenAid vs. Bosch vs. Ankarsrum, the Best Mixer for Bread.
Bake an extra-large batch of Old Fashioned Buttermilk Bread, seven loaves, with the Ankarsrum Asstistent mixer!
Bake swoon-worthy Matrimonial Rolls with the Ankarsrum Assistent Mixer! Bake one batch or up to 4 batches at a time.
