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Learn how freeze sourdough dough so you can have delicious, fresh bread on demand. This recipe and process work with any sourdough, including beginner’s no-knead sourdough bread and sandwich sourdough bread. Only 5 minutes of hands-on time!
Overview: How To Freeze Sourdough Dough
- Ready In: 8 hours, 5 minutes (only 5 minutes of hands-on time)
- Serves: 1 loaf (easy to scale up)
- Main Ingredients: Prepared sourdough bread dough
- Tools Needed: Parchment paper, bowls, plastic wrap, freezer bags
- Why You’ll Love It: Freezing sourdough dough makes baking more flexible by batch-prepping the dough and baking at your convenience. It’s ideal for busy home bakers who want homemade bread but who can’t (or don’t want to) make dough from scratch every week. The process is simple and takes only 5 minutes of hands-on time!
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Baking sourdough every week is not always realistic, but freezing sourdough dough makes fresh bread possible anytime.
This method works for any sourdough bread, such as beginner’s easy no-knead sourdough bread, fresh-milled sourdough bread, sourdough brioche rolls, half fresh-milled sourdough, or your other favorite recipes.
(Ps. You can also freeze sourdough starter and freeze sourdough bread!)
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Save Time: Freezing sourdough dough lets you break the process into manageable steps. My sourdough for busy moms post has more useful time-saving sourdough tips!
Reduce Food Waste: Rather than baking more bread than you can eat, prep the dough and bake only as needed.
Simplify Baking: Having dough on hand can simplify your baking routine.
Meal Prep Friendly: You can weave freezing dough into your regular meal prep routine without having to bake that day.
Key Ingredients
Dough: All you need is a prepped batch of your favorite sourdough bread dough.
Get the full list of ingredients and measurements on the printable recipe card below.
How To Freeze Sourdough Dough
Step 1: Follow the instructions for your favorite sourdough recipe and allow it to bulk ferment.
Step 2: For a Boule: Line a bowl or basket with parchment paper or plastic wrap and heavily flour it.
For Sandwich Bread or Rolls: Line your baking dish with parchment paper.
Then, following the recipe instructions for shaping. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer. Freeze until the dough is completely solid, about 8 hours.
Once the dough is completely frozen, transfer it from the bowl to a freezer-safe plastic bag or airtight container.
Step 3: For a Boule: When you are ready to bake, remove the dough from the freezer and place it back into a floured, parchment-lined bowl
For Sandwich Bread and Rolls: Place the frozen dough into a greased baking dish.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap, a damp towel, or beeswax wrap.
Allow the dough to completely thaw and undergo a second rise at room temperature or in a warm spot until doubled in size.
Step 4: Bake according to the recipe’s instructions.
Tips for Success
- I don’t recommend freezing the dough in a cloth-lined banneton or bowl. In my experience, the dough sticks to the cloth and is impossible to turn out.
- If preferred, you can also spray or rub a little oil on the parchment or plastic wrap to help prevent sticking.
- Make sure the dough is wrapped tightly and sealed in an airtight bag or container.
- Avoid overfermenting the dough during bulk fermentation. This can affect the overall quality of the bread.
- Label the bags with the type of bread and date so you don’t forget.
- When freezing dough for sandwich bread or rolls, you can store them in their baking dish without transferring to a bag, if you prefer.
Storing
- For the best quality, thaw and bake within a month.
Freezing Sourdough Dough FAQs
Yes, sourdough dough made with fresh-milled flour, such as fresh-milled sourdough pullman bread, same-day sourdough with fresh flour, and fresh-milled sourdough sandwich bread, can be frozen.
No, sourdough dough should be fully thawed and allowed to finish proofing before baking for the best rise and texture.
When frozen properly and baked soon after thawing, sourdough dough will taste very similar to fresh, with minimal loss of flavor.
The best time to freeze sourdough dough is after bulk fermentation and shaping but before the final proof.
Yes, you can place the frozen dough in the refrigerator until thawed, usually 1-2 days. You can also keep sourdough dough in the fridge for up to 3 days once thawed!
More Sourdough Posts
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How To Freeze Sourdough Dough
Ingredients
- 1 batch prepared sourdough dough
Instructions
Freezing Instructions
- Follow the instructions for your favorite sourdough recipe and allow it to bulk ferment.1 batch prepared sourdough dough
- For a Boule: Line a bowl or basket with parchment paper or plastic wrap and heavily flour it. For Sandwich Bread or Rolls: Line your baking dish with parchment paper.
- Then, following the recipe instructions for shaping. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer. Freeze until the dough is completely solid, about 8 hours.
- Once the dough is completely frozen, transfer it from the bowl to a freezer-safe plastic bag or airtight container.
Thawing & Baking Instructions
- For a Boule: Remove the dough from the freezer and place it back into a floured, parchment-lined bowl. For Sandwich Bread and Rolls: Place the frozen dough into a greased baking dish.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap, a damp towel, or beeswax wrap. Allow the dough to completely thaw and undergo a second rise at room temperature or in a warm spot until doubled in size.
- Bake according to the recipe's instructions.
Notes
- Check your recipe for accurate calorie and nutrition information.
- I don’t recommend freezing the dough in a cloth-lined banneton or bowl. In my experience, the dough sticks to the cloth and is impossible to turn out.
- If preferred, you can also spray or rub a little oil on the parchment or plastic wrap to help prevent sticking.
- Make sure the dough is wrapped tightly and sealed in an airtight bag or container.
- Avoid overfermenting the dough during bulk fermentation. This can affect the overall quality of the bread.
- Label the bags with the type of bread and date so you don’t forget.
- When freezing dough for sandwich bread or rolls, you can store them in their baking dish without transferring to a bag, if you prefer.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is auto-calculated and may not reflect your final product. Please verify independently if needed.
