Baking & Snack - May 2004 - 120

FREEZING, FROZEN DOUGH

FREEZING AND THAWING CHARACTERISTICS
FREEZING SPECIFICATIONS
Product

Packaging

Freezing
time (hours)

Temperature
ºF (ºC)

-40ºF (-40ºC)

Baked cakes

Full sealed package,
small headspace

Bread and rolls
One pound

None
Single-wrapped
Double-wrapped

2¾
3¼
3½

-20ºF(-29ºC)
-20ºF(-29ºC)
-20ºF(-29ºC)

Two pound

None
Single-wrapped
Double-wrapped

3
3½
4

-20ºF(-29ºC)
-20ºF(-29ºC)
-20ºF(-29ºC)

Dinner rolls,
rich formula

Plastic bag and
foil pan

-20ºF(-29ºC)

Cinnamon rolls,
rich formula

Plastic bag and
foil pan

1½

-20ºF(-29ºC)

Fruit pies,
one pound

Foil pan, overlay
and box

4½

-40ºF(-40ºC)

Danish pastry,
rich formula

Foil pan, sealed
and overwrapped box

-40ºF(-40ºC)

Ready-to-bake
products

Foil pan, overlay
and box

-40ºF(-40ºC)

Frozen bread
dough, one pound,
rich formula

Plastic bag

-20ºF(-29ºC)

Ready-to-bake,
cakes, rich formula

Foil pan and
overlay
shallow pan

2½

-20ºF(-29ºC)

Yeast-raised dough,
one pound
rich formula

Foil-lined, fiberwound can

2½

-20ºF(-29ºC)

All products may be frozen by either blast or contact plate methods.
Recommended air flow is 600 cu ft per minute.

THAWING
Product
Bread dough
One pound
Bread, baked
One pound
Two pounds
Dinner rolls
Cinnamon rolls
Danish pastry

Packaging

Time* (hours)

Poly bag

4½

Double-wrapped
Double-wrapped
Plastic bag
Plastic bag
Plastic bag

3½
3¾
1¼
1½
1½

Ideal thawing range:............................................................................................100ºF to 150º F (38ºC to 66ºC)
Ideal relative humidity range:..........................................................................................................50% to 60%
Ideal air velocity: .....................................................................................................200 to 500 cu ft per minute
Ideal time:.............................................................................Depends on size, type and package of the product
*To raise product temperature from 0ºF to 70ºF (-18ºC to 21ºC) with defroster temperature of 100ºF to 120ºF (38ºC
to 49ºC) and air flow of 150 to 200 cu ft per minute.
120 / BAKERS PRODUCTION MANUAL / May 2004

FORMULA
MODIFICATION FOR
FROZEN DOUGHS
INGREDIENTS, FORMULATION
Frozen doughs can be a great efficiency-booster in a
bakery. To use current scratch bake-off formulas for
freezing, certain adjustments are required.
FLOUR
* Use a hard wheat patent flour, minimum
12% protein.
* If fortifying with vital wheat gluten, 2 lb gluten per
100 lb flour increases effective protein by 1%.
YEAST
* Best choice is regular baker's compressed yeast
(30% solids).
* Instant dry yeast (95% soilds) does not work well.
* A semi-dry yeast (75% solids), crumbled and
frozen, is currently marketed in Europe.
* Increase yeast levels by 35% to 65%.
EMULSIFIERS
* Increase dough strengtheners: SSL at 0.5%
(flour basis); DATEM at up to 1%.
* Make no change in monoglycerides.
OXIDANTS
* Increase oxidation about 50%.
* Use more slower-acting oxidant such as
asorbic acid.
OTHER INGREDIENTS
* Shortening: use 0.5% to 1% vegetable oil in lean
French-type bread; use 5% shortening in white
pan bread.
* Do not use mix time reducers.
* Decrease water absorption by 2% to 3%.
PROCESSING
YEAST DORMANCY
* Add yeast directly to mixer (not as slurry).
* Delay yeast and salt addition.
* Make sure final dough temperature is no more
than 68ºF (20ºC).
DOUGH COOLING
* Flour: keep bulk silos cool, and use in-line
cryogenic cooling of flour if needed.
* Chilled water or ice must be available.
* Use mixer with a refrigerating jacket.
* During extremely hot weather, use cryogenic
cooling of dry ingredients in the mixer bowl.
DELAYED INGREDIENT ADDITION
* Add yeast about half way through regular
mixing time.
* Hold out salt until three-quarter mark of regular
mixing time.
MAKEUP
* Air condition the makeup room to keep the
dough cool.
* Keep intermediate fermentation to a minimum.
* Run small dough batch sizes to minimize
makeup time.
FREEZER
* Core temperature of dough piece should be no
lower than 19ºF to 23ºF (-5ºC to -7ºC) at end of
inital freezing step.
* Maintain storage freezer temperature of 0ºF to
5ºF (-15ºC to -18ºC).
* Storage freezer refrigeration capacity should be
large enough to prevent wide swings in freezer
temperature during the work day.

Baking & Snack - May 2004

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Baking & Snack - May 2004