Making dough is more of a creative process that requires time, labor and products. But what to do when the required amount of baking is already ready, but the raw mixture still remains? How should you store the dough so as not to lose its quality characteristics?
Where to store the dough
The finished product has its own requirements for storage conditions. In the kitchen, the mixture expires after 1-2 hours. There are two places where you can store the product for a long time. This is a refrigerator and a freezer. Each type of semi-finished product requires special storage conditions, time and temperature.
In a refrigerator
According to the state standard, raw dough can be kept on the refrigerator shelf from 9 to 36 hours. The exact time depends on the type of product or its components. Before you put the semi-finished product on the shelf, you should learn how to properly store the dough in the refrigerator.
- Only small amounts of raw food can be stored on the refrigerator shelf.
- The mass must be thoroughly mixed, collected into one lump, and greased with vegetable oil on top.
- The semi-finished product must be wrapped in cling film, parchment, or placed in a bag. In the case of a yeast mixture, it is very important to leave a small hole for oxygen to enter.
- The mass is placed on the shelf where the temperature is lowest.
In the freezer
You can store the raw product at low temperatures from 1 month to six months. In order for frozen dough to retain its taste, the following conditions must be met.
- The semi-finished product cannot be defrosted or re-frozen. It is better to divide the mass into parts for single use.
- It is necessary to form a dense lump or roll from the mass. A thin layer will quickly lose quality, and products made from such a product will not be tasty.
- All types of semi-finished products must be kept in airtight containers or bags. To avoid sticking, the walls of the container should be treated with refined vegetable oil.
Storage features
There are a very large number of types of dough, and each of them requires special conditions. In the refrigerator, the raw product is stored at a temperature of 3 to 7 degrees. It is preferable to keep the semi-finished product on a shelf with a zero temperature.
The freezer requires preparation for storage. The mass must be kneaded well, rolled into a lump, greased with oil or sprinkled with flour. The raw mixture is stored in bags or closed containers. Deep freezing involves a temperature of -5 to -15 degrees. It is not advisable to store any product in the freezer for longer than 6 months.
Every housewife should have a habit of sticking stickers with the production date on the packaging. This will help to accurately determine how much longer the desired product can be stored.
Ready
Sometimes it is convenient to store the dough in the form of semi-finished products.
For this purpose, you need to mold the products, put the filling, put in the oven. Bring the product to a state of semi-readiness, and cool. Wrap each pie in film, and freeze.
The shelf life of such semi-finished products is up to 3 months.
Prepared products from choux pastry are stored at a temperature of 0 to 6 degrees for about 3 days, and in the freezer - 1 month.
The biscuit is frozen, wrapped in parchment.Before use, the product is heated in the oven.
Cakes for honey cake or Napoleon are covered with foil and kept in the refrigerator for 3 days.
Yeast
The main component of this dough is yeast. This reduces its shelf life, the mass turns sour, becomes sticky, and unsuitable for use. At a temperature of 18-20 degrees, the finished product can be stored for 3 hours.
The semi-finished product is kept in the refrigerator for no more than a day. Before sending it, it must be thoroughly mixed, sprinkled with flour, and placed in a bag or container. It is necessary to take into account that the yeast mass requires oxygen and space. If a semi-finished product has spent more than a day at a temperature of 2 - 6 degrees, then the quality of products made from it will decrease.
Ready-made yeast dough can be stored in the freezer longer – from 2 to 3 months. It is important to note that it is best to store fresh product prepared with kefir. The mass must be mixed well and placed in a bag, leaving room for lifting to avoid tears.
Yeast-free
If the semi-finished product is prepared without yeast, then preserving it is much easier.
The mass should be divided into portions, wrapped in a bag or film, and then stored refrigerated for up to 48 hours, or frozen for about 30 days.
Sand
The dough, which is called shortbread, comes in two types: regular and chopped. The latter option must be used immediately after preparation.
Shortbread dough keeps well refrigerated for up to 36 hours, or frozen for up to 3 months. Products made from frozen or chilled semi-finished products have a more crumbly and crispy structure than those from a fresh product.
Puff
Preparing puff pastry requires a lot of effort and time from the housewife. There is a natural desire to prepare such a semi-finished product for future use. Its structure is provided by the presence of fats. To maintain quality characteristics, it is very important to comply with all requirements.
Chilled sheets are suitable for use for 2-3 days.
The shelf life of this product at sub-zero temperatures depends on the ingredients in the composition. If butter was used to prepare the semi-finished product, it can be stored for 30 to 50 days.
Dough containing only vegetable oil or margarine can be kept in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Particular attention should be paid to protecting the product from moisture. For better results, roll the sheet and wrap it in film.
Custard
Since this product does not have a dense structure, it is worth choosing a container with a tight lid to store it. Before placing the mixture in a bowl, it is worth transferring it into a bag. This will better retain moisture.
The container can remain in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. On the first and second days the dough will have good performance; by the third day it will not spoil, but will be stale.
Frozen choux pastry retains its quality for up to 30 days.
Fresh for dumplings, dumplings and noodles
Kneaded unleavened dough in the kitchen quickly becomes unusable. The mass should be rolled into a tight ball, sprinkled with flour, or covered with refined oil and placed in a bag or hermetically sealed container.
A product that is stored at zero temperature can be used for the first three days. On the fourth day it can no longer be cooked.
Frozen dough for dumplings or dumplings retains its quality for up to 180 days.
Dumpling dough can be used to make flatbreads, bread, or fried in a frying pan.
Gingerbread
The technology for preparing gingerbread dough requires infusing the product in the refrigerator for 24 hours. You can store the raw mass in the refrigerator for 20 - 30 days. The frozen mixture can last up to six months.
Since a lot of spices are added to the gingerbread mixture, storage containers must be airtight, otherwise other products will smell like spices.
Butter
The shelf life of the butter dough is no more than 48 hours, but it is much better to prepare the products on the first day, since the mixture may sour.
Frozen product can be stored for no more than 90 days.
Biscuit
The biscuit or charlotte preparation is suitable for use after 6-7 days in the refrigerator, and six months when frozen.
Storage conditions: hermetically sealed container.
On kefir
Batter made with kefir and soda can only be stored in the refrigerator for no longer than 48 hours. At low temperatures it delaminates.
Yeast mass on kefir is suitable for use for up to 2 days at zero temperature, and when frozen for about 3 months.
Honey
If the mixture for making honey cake or gingerbread contains eggs, then it should be kept in a closed container at zero temperature for no more than 24 hours, and at sub-zero temperatures for up to 60 days.
Honey itself is an excellent preservative, and dough for gingerbread or gingerbread, without eggs or milk in the composition, can lie on the refrigerator shelf at zero temperature for up to two weeks, and up to 6 months when frozen. At the same time, do not forget about airtight containers.
Ginger
The basic recipe for making gingerbread includes adding eggs. This means that you can’t keep this mixture in the refrigerator for more than a day. Raw ginger in a crushed state quickly goes bad.
If the composition does not include eggs or milk, or dry ginger was used instead of fresh root, then the mass is suitable for use for up to 2 weeks.
The frozen product is stored in a closed container for 2 months.
Curd
The dough, to which cottage cheese is added, is suitable for use for 3 days if it is on the refrigerator shelf.
If there is a need to store the semi-finished product longer, then the mass can be frozen. This way it can be stored from 3 to 6 months. The mixture is rolled into a tight ball, wrapped in cling film. Another storage option involves making dough blanks, freezing them separately, and then putting them in a bag.
Phyllo
Thin sheet dough can be stored in the refrigerator on the coldest shelf for up to 3 days. The frozen semi-finished product without air access is ready for consumption for up to 6 months.
Lagmannoe
The prepared noodles for lagman can be placed in a bag, block the air access, and kept at zero temperature for up to 3 days. Before use, it is enough to pour boiling water over it.
The storage conditions for raw lagman dough are no different from unleavened dough.
For pancakes
The mass for pancakes can be kept at zero degrees for no longer than 24 hours, since it contains eggs, milk, and other perishable ingredients. In this case, you should periodically open the container with the dough, stirring it to avoid stratification.
In the freezer, such a product is stored for no more than 60 days in a closed container. It is much more convenient to bake pancakes and freeze them.
For fritters
Pancakes are a dish that is prepared for breakfast. To save money, raw dough is kneaded for future use. The prepared mixture for pancakes can be safely stored on the refrigerator shelf for 2 days.
The frozen product is suitable for consumption for about two months.
For Napoleon
The best option for storing Napoleon dough is to bake the cakes, wrap them in parchment and keep them on the refrigerator shelf for 3-4 days, and in the freezer for 90 days.
For pizza
Pizza preparations can be stored at zero degrees for 2-3 days, and frozen for up to six months.
The mass is divided into portions and frozen in an airtight container.
For pies
The pie mixture keeps well when frozen. It is kneaded well, placed in an airtight container, leaving room for growth, a sticker with the date is pasted, and stored for up to 3 months.
The chilled pie mixture can be used for up to two days.
For chebureks
If the pastry dough does not contain eggs or milk, then the container with the mixture can stand on the refrigerator shelf for 2 days. With products that quickly become unusable, you cannot keep the mass for more than a day.
The frozen semi-finished product for pasties can be stored for up to 1 month in a closed container.
For waffles
The mixture from which waffles are baked has foam. It shrinks very quickly, for this reason it is not advisable to keep such a product for a long time. In a closed container, the mass is stored for up to 48 hours.
Rolled out
The dough, which has already been rolled out into a thin layer, can be sprinkled with flour and stored in the refrigerator without access to air.
To store in sub-zero temperatures, each individual tortilla should be frozen individually and dusted with flour.
For modeling (salty)
When making unusual plasticine for modeling, you take flour, salt, and water. This mass keeps well in the refrigerator for two days, or in the freezer for up to 6 months. A mandatory storage condition is sealed containers.
Useful tips
Long shelf life dough
Certain types of dough can sit on the refrigerator or freezer shelf for a very long time. This applies to unleavened, puff pastry, yeast-free, custard, honey, ginger and gingerbread products. A prerequisite for such a semi-finished product is the absence of perishable products in the composition.
When frozen, such a mixture can retain its qualities for six months.
How to defrost dough correctly
To preserve the taste and amount of nutrients, any products, including dough, should be quickly frozen and also slowly defrosted.
The best way:
- in the evening, remove a portion of the dough from the freezer and place it in the refrigerator;
- keep for several hours at room temperature;
- knead and start cooking.
Semi-finished products, such as pies, dumplings, dumplings, noodles, are immediately placed in the oven or thrown into boiling water.
You can use the microwave for quick defrosting.
The container with the frozen product is placed in a bowl filled with hot water or near the radiator.
Frozen dough can only be reheated once. If re-frozen, it will lose quality.
Thawed mass can be stored for a short period of time. Once defrosted, it should be used immediately.
When storing dough, it is very important to comply with all conditions. It is necessary to monitor the timing, temperature, and tightness of the container.Any housewife can knead or buy ready-made dough, store it on the shelf of the refrigerator or freezer, and delight the family with delicious baked goods for a long time.
