Here's the scoop. I am going to go camping. I want to take freshly baked pecan rolls to eat after we set up. However, the only time I have to make these is two days before we leave. Can I freeze them and bake them the morning of while we get ready to head out? If so, when in the process would I do this?

Thnks for any help,
Karl

By Ltom (Ltom) on Wednesday, August 16, 2000 - 12:57 pm: Edit

Hi Karl--at my workplace we make Chelsea buns in this manner (out of brioche dough): Once the dough is rolled out, filling slathered on & formed into a log, it is wrapped in clingwrap & frozen before it can proof. To bake, we slice the rolls, the morning of, when the log is still frozen (our freezer doesn't seem that cold)--or semi-frozen, place Chelsea butter, pecans & roll in well-sprayed muffin cups, cover with plastic and allow to proof. This way, we have fresh baked buns every morning without having to make them up everyday. I haven't tried this at home but think it would make special breakfasts that much easier. I hope you have enough rolls to eat hot out of the oven as well as after set up. Good camping, Lu

By raine on Wednesday, August 16, 2000 - 02:43 pm: Edit

You can also slice them before they are frozen, too. Which ever is easier for you.

By kaosfury on Thursday, August 17, 2000 - 09:07 am: Edit

Thanks, I'll let you know next wednesday how things went. Until then, I need to get going!

Ciao,
Karl

By W.DeBord on Tuesday, August 22, 2000 - 08:44 am: Edit

Can you use a regular sweet bread dough or does the brioche freeze better? I have no experience freezing items before baking them...this seems so foreign! You don't defrost before slicing and sticking them in a proof box?

Has anyone here tried the cinnamon roll recipe from pastry chef central? It is a very soft sweet dough and freshly baked it was terrific! It's a bigger batch then I can use at once so I baked all of it then froze the finished product (correctly wrapped). The quality was really bad after freezing (the dough was hard) and I don't really understand how that could have changed from being so tender prior to freezing. Any ideas why the dough would be so different with freezing?

By raine on Tuesday, August 22, 2000 - 11:06 am: Edit

We use precut sweet bread dough. It is pulled from the freezer the day before and refridgerated overnight, from there it is then proofed. It can go straight to the proof box if needed. I haven't noticed any difference of quality in the frozen dough.

By MarkG on Tuesday, August 22, 2000 - 01:19 pm: Edit

I make a danish dough, roll butter in, fold it, etc., cut into amounts needed per day and freeze. Night before, I remove what I need and put in fridge. Roll out the next morning, fill, shape and then proof before baking.

Mark

By Ltom (Ltom) on Wednesday, August 23, 2000 - 02:11 am: Edit

Probably a sweet dough is fine, the brioche dough we make is richer and fairly easy to put together.
The quantity we make each morning is small--6 buns, so we just cover the pan and stick it in a warm draftfree spot (on top of the salamander)to defrost & proof. The dough is a very soft one so cutting it while frozen keeps the round shape better. At school, we were never taught anything about these methods--it seems to be something that is done in the shop only (like refrigerating muffin batter for up to a week).

Also, since starting out in pastry & now filling in for baking, I've been doing bake-off: traying frozen croissants & danishes (some from supplier & some I've shaped from supplier dough & keep frozen. They defrost & proof at room temp because for the past three weeks I've been without a proofer. I also make an apple walnut bread which I freeze extra dough, take out the day I need it, let it thaw & proof a bit, shape, proof & bake. Even the brioche dough we use for the chelsea buns is frozen as soon as it is made as in MarkG's explanation. It is worthwhile experimenting with if you need a variety of things in large or small quantity with minimal staffing. Yeast doughs seem pretty tough, freezing before baking takes less room and we are not keeping them frozen for long periods of time.

I haven't tried the recipes from Pastry Chef Central but find it a very informative site. Does anyone have any other favourite sites? I noticed a lot of questions in the Epicurious forums that need some answers, maybe from some well-informed professionals.

By Kaosfury (Kaosfury) on Wednesday, August 23, 2000 - 01:26 pm: Edit

Well, we used a sweet dough and pre-sliced it. Also, since these had a carmel sauce on the bottom of the pan that they were baked in, we put the sauce together and in the pan. Basically, we did everything except the last rise before we froze them. Then we popped them in the refidgerator the night before, let them have their last rise before baking, and baked them. They turned out fabulously. Definately a hit at the campsite.

Thanks so much LTom.

Karl

By Bakerboy (Bakerboy) on Saturday, August 26, 2000 - 06:42 pm: Edit

Hello there everyone. I have a recipe for Peach Gingerbread I got off the back of a paper that was on a wilton cake pan. It calls for "Light Molasses". I can not find this anywhere.

By Bakerboy (Bakerboy) on Saturday, September 02, 2000 - 03:29 am: Edit

So no one out there knows what "Light Molasses" is?? Where can I find it????

By raine on Saturday, September 02, 2000 - 05:16 pm: Edit

Light molasses is also called mild molasses. It is available everywhere. I think that the recipes intentions are to stear you away from dark or blackstrap molasses which has had more of the sugar extracted from it, and has a bitter taste.

By Bakerboy (Bakerboy) on Saturday, September 02, 2000 - 06:38 pm: Edit

Thanks a lot Raine. Finally, I have been looking for that prduct forever. No one ever gave me an answer. THANKS !!

By raine on Saturday, September 02, 2000 - 10:53 pm: Edit

Your welcome