How to quickly defrost a dough: 5 ways

The dough is considered to be an indispensable ingredient, on the basis of which pies, pizza, dumplings and various desserts are prepared. Not every housewife has the desire and time to conduct an independent batch of dough, so they use a purchased frozen product. To subsequently use the composition, you must defrost it correctly. Consider effective ways to help carry out the procedure without affecting the structure. We give practical recommendations, highlight important features.

How to choose a frozen product

1. The purchased composition is subjected to express freezing, as a result of which the dough is stored longer. It is important to remember forever that you must not freeze the product twice. There are several main types of dough, each of them uses its own version of freezing.
2. Depending on the purpose, the following varieties are distinguished: puff, yeast-free, yeast, sand, gingerbread, etc. Before buying, carefully evaluate the product for compliance with storage conditions.
3. It is worth remembering forever that a high-quality dough based on natural ingredients cannot have a low price policy. As a rule, leading manufacturers ask for 80-140 rubles per 0.5 kg. composition.
4. Inspect the dough for the presence, or rather absence, of foreign debris. The composition should move freely within the packaging, and also not stick to the film. The correct dough has a matte surface, the product is twisted into a roll.
5. Examine the label. On the back you should find information about the manufacturer, supplier, production date and packaging. Particular attention is paid to the duration of storage, it should not be sky-high.
6. The film in which the dough is placed must be hermetically sealed. The presence of holes or soldered places indicates that the composition was previously opened. It is also important to know how the dough was frozen.
7. Of particular importance is the number of layers. The larger it is, the softer, richer and more nutritious the resulting baked goods will turn out. As a rule, yeast dough has 30–40 layers, while for yeast-free composition the indicator varies within 220–230 layers.
8. Read the “Composition” column on the back of the package. Make sure that the test does not contain harmful ingredients that are unknown to you. Make sure that there are no cracks or crusts on the surface of the product.

How to freeze the dough yourself

1. Many housewives understand that the quality of the test will be higher if it is frozen at home. After the procedure, the product is sent to the freezer, such a move will help preserve its useful properties.
2. Not everyone knows that not only “raw materials” are subject to freezing, but also finished products based on it. These include buns, pies, dumplings and even bread. In this case, the shelf life will be 1.5-2 months.
3. To freeze cooked dough properly, roll a “sausage” out of it, then chop into pieces. Wrap the items in a tight plastic bag. Make sure that moisture does not enter the packaging.
4. Send the composition to the freezer. Make sure that the cavity has a minimum temperature setting. Such a move will provide a quick setting. After two weeks, the temperature can be added 2 degrees.
5. To increase the shelf life to 3 months, place the prepared pieces of dough correctly. Place the yeast dough at a distance of 2 cm from each other, as it will begin to increase in size after freezing.
6. It is important to remember that any frozen dough should be stored in the refrigerator for no longer than 4 months.After the specified period, the composition loses its properties, becomes less sticky and shrivels. It is impossible to carry out repeated freezing after partial use, send the remains to garbage.
7. You can freeze in foil. To do this, sprinkle chopped pieces with flour, knead a little. When the surface becomes completely dull, wrap the product with foil. Avoid moisture and air.

Effective defrosting methods

There are several basic technologies that will help defrost dough without affecting the structure. Particular attention is paid to the layered composition, it can not be thawed using thermal appliances.

Method number 1. Natural conditions
This option for processing the dough is also called slow, because the procedure takes place under natural conditions.

Open the package with the dough, transfer it to a flat dish or cutting board. Leave for 4 hours at room temperature. During this period, the dough thaws, as a result of which it can be used for cooking.

Turn the composition over every hour so that the defrost runs evenly. If the dough is twisted into a roll, after 2 hours it can be rolled out.

If you have time, move the composition from the freezer to the box for storing fruits and vegetables (bottom of the refrigerator). In this way, the dough will unfreeze in 10-12 hours, it all depends on the serving size.

Method number 2. Oven
Preheat the oven to a temperature of 90 degrees. Within 10 minutes, make sure that there are no fluctuations in the set mode.

Take a baking sheet, line parchment paper in 2 layers, sprinkle it with flour. Remove the dough from the packaging (!), And then put it on a baking sheet.

Send the composition into the cavity of the cabinet, adhere to the middle shelf. The duration of defrosting is about 3 minutes, not longer. Throughout the entire period you need to follow the process so that the dough does not bake on top.

Method number 3. Heating radiators
If it is not possible to use the oven, resort to the help of heating appliances. You can use both a regular radiator and an oil heater. The method is suitable for defrosting dough in the cold season.

Place the product on a flat dish, place it on top of the heater. Carefully monitor the process, turn the dough every half hour.

It is important to prevent the formation of a crust, which usually appears during the weathering process. To do this, put a piece of cling film on the dough. The duration of defrosting depends on the room temperature. As practice shows, the dough becomes soft in 1.5-2 hours.

Method number 4. Microwave
In most cases, after defrosting in the microwave, the dough loses some of its taste. To prevent this, do a small preparatory phase.

Remove the composition from the freezer, leave it on the middle or lower shelf of the refrigerator for 45 minutes. During this period, the composition will soften, as a result of which the defrost will take place without compromising quality.

After preparation, start the procedure. Remove the product from its packaging, transfer to a glass container for microwave. Cover with a small hole.

Set the power to about 90W or use the "Defrost" mode. It is difficult to say for sure how quickly the dough unfreezes. It all depends on the individual characteristics of the device.

To get started, set 10-15 minutes, after this period you can evaluate the result. Every 30 seconds, pause the microwave, turn the dough.

Such a move will allow the composition to unfreeze evenly. Otherwise, a crust will appear on the surface or the dough will begin to bake locally.

Method number 5. Water
Many housewives prefer to defrost the dough, as they say, the old fashioned way. For this, cold or room temperature water is used.

Make tight, hole-free plastic bags. You will need about 5-6 pieces.It is important that the liquid does not penetrate the cavity, otherwise the dough will become unusable.

Wrap the product in polyethylene, tightly knot. Pour cold water into a bowl, dip the dough into the cavity. Remove it after 20 minutes.

Now fill the container with slightly warm water, put the dough inside again. Remove it after 35-50 minutes. During this period, the product will unfreeze. To increase the effectiveness of the procedure, replace the cooled water with warm water every 5-7 minutes.

How to defrost puff pastry

Puff pastry is rightfully considered the most moody, so defrosting must be approached wisely.

1. It is important to remember forever that the product must not be defrosted in a microwave or oven. For urgent defrosting, heating appliances are used (stock heating or an oil fireplace).
2. The best and most correct way is defrosting in a natural way. To do this, just leave the product at room temperature for 3-4 hours. Do not forget to cover the dough with cling film (can be replaced with gauze).
3. If you are in a hurry, use defrosting in water. However, do not place the dough in a warm liquid. Water should be at room temperature. Otherwise, the dough will lose its puff structure.
4. If we are talking about puff yeast dough, there is another way. Wrap frozen food in cling film and gauze. Turn on the gas burner, send the dough into a glass bowl and place it at a distance of 30-40 cm from the appliance.

There are not many ways to defrost dough at home. The fastest option is considered to be using a microwave or oven, but the above methods are not suitable for puff pastry. You can leave the product at room temperature or place it in water. Choose the method you like, proceed to its implementation.

Video: how to roll puff pastry