I have found a wonderful roll recipe that my family is in love with and my question is can you freeze the dough like what you find in the grocery store? If so when do you freeze? After the first rising, I would think. I would love to make up large batches and freeze so that I can pull out the amount I need instead of baking 15 rolls at a time. Not to mention I would much rather use my rolls for those overnight sweet rolls. I'm a baker, but yeast breads are a fairly new thing for me, TIA

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I found these directions on the internet

Freezing Bread or Other Yeasted Dough: Most yeast dough responds well to being frozen. The exception are those filled with fresh dairy ingredients such as cottage cheese or with fresh fruit or vegetables because these ingredients do not freeze well. They leech water when thawed.

Yeast bread dough can be frozen before shaping or after. Always freeze bread dough in a heavy-duty airtight bag. Double bag it if not. Freeze for up to one month.

FREEZE BREAD DOUGH AFTER SHAPING: I have discovered that the best way to freeze any dough is right after it is shaped. As the dough thaws, it will also rise. This is also the best method to use when using Instant Active Dry Yeast:

To prepare the shaped dough for freezing:

1. Mix and knead dough and let it rise for the first time. If using Instant Active Dry Yeast, omit first rise and go through the resting period of 10 minutes. NOTE: Make sure dough does not overrise.
2. Deflate dough (omit if using Instant Active Dry Yeast) and shape for baking. Do not let the dough rise for the second time.
3. Immediately freeze shaped dough.

Several ways to freeze shaped dough are:

Place bread dough in a pan inside of a well-sealed plastic bag. Freeze overnight and then remove from pan to be wrapped in plastic and placed inside of a well-sealed bag, only to go back to the freezer.

If freezing bread rolls or individual shapes, first freeze on a cookie sheet so they won't stick together when placed with others in a plastic bag. Freeze for about an hour or until hard. Then put frozen rolls directly in an airtight bag to go back into the freezer.

FREEZE BREAD DOUGH AFTER MIXING AND KNEADING (UNSHAPED): But, you can also freeze the dough in a thick disk right after mixing and kneading or freeze it in the shape of a bowl. And, as it thaws, it will go through its first rise:

To prepare UNshaped bread dough for freezing:

1. Mix and knead dough.
2. Freeze dough.

Several ways to freeze UNshaped dough are:

1. IMMEDIATELY shape dough into a disk shape and place in freezer bag. Place in freezer.
2. Or, place dough in a freezer-proof bowl and place in the freezer. Freeze for about an hour until he dough is hard. Then put frozen dough directly in an airtight bag to go back into the freezer.

THAWING FROZEN BREAD DOUGH (SHAPED AND UNSHAPED): Dough will thaw and rise at the same time. The dough can be put in the refrigerator to thaw and rise, but it will do so very slowly, and you may not notice very much progress by the morning -- the cold from the refrigerator retards or slows any activity.

If already shaped into final shape: Place dough in a baking pan, covered tightly with greased-side-down plastic wrap. The dough will not rise until doubled in size. It will rise less than doubled, but when it bakes, it will continue to rise fully.

If not shaped into the final form: Place dough in a greased bowl, tightly covered with greased-side-down plastic wrap. Let dough rise slightly before shaping.

Thawing times: (approximate) The ideal thawing and rising place is 75 to 85 degrees F. It can take awhile depending on the dough's thickness and the surrounding temperature.

REFRIGERATOR - loaf: 3 to 16 hours; rolls: 2 to 6 hours

ROOM TEMPERATURE - loaf: 2 to 8 hours; rolls: 1 to 3 hours

MICROWAVE OVEN - Microwave on LOW (10%) for 5 to 8 minutes. Rotate dough 1/4 turn. Let rest 10 minutes. Repeat 2 to 6 times or until dough is defrosted. Do NOT cook dough.