A cake or cupcake will have a fresher taste, and probably look better too, if it is finished after thawing rather than before freezing. But, when cakes must be frozen finished, slow defrosting produces the best looking results.

The second tip is to pay attention to proper wrapping and careful thawing (defrosting) of your baked goods and any unbaked doughs and batters.


How to Wrap for Freezing:

Make sure the item is fully cool — not the least bit warm — before wrapping. Use airtight freezer bags, press as much air as possible out of them, and consider slipping them into yet another bag or airtight plastic container. Or use vacuum-sealed bags.

How to Thaw:

Unbaked items can usually be baked right from the freezer, without thawing (more on that below). But already baked items should be thawed without unwrapping, even if it means taking a few frozen muffins or cookies from a bag in the freezer and transferring them to another bag for thawing.

Now some specific tips for freezing biscuits, scones, cupcakes, muffins and brownies …

Biscuits and Scones:


Mix and cut biscuits as usual. Place them close, but not touching, on a lined cookie sheet. Cover them with plastic wrap and freeze until hard, then transfer them to a freezer bag. Bake as many as you want, directly from the freezer; they will take up to 5 minutes longer in the oven. Turn the oven off for the last 5 minutes if they are getting too brown. (Or, you can freeze baked biscuits or scones, then thaw them at room temperature in a bag, and reheat them before serving if you like.)



Cupcakes, Muffins, and Brownies:


Bake and cool these completely. Freeze them (preferably unfrosted) in a freezer bag. Thaw them in the bag at room temperature; if you’re thawing only a few, transfer them to another bag to thaw. Muffins may be reheated to serve warm.


Some muffin batters can be frozen before baking. The next time you bake any muffin batter, test it out by freezing one portion of batter in a paper liner. Bake the test muffin directly from the freezer — a few minutes longer than called for, as necessary.


Brownie batter can also be frozen in the baking pan (a foil one works for this, sealed in a freezer bag. Thaw it in the fridge without unwrapping. Bake it as usual, but a few minutes longer. Brownies baked this way will be slightly denser and extra fudgy.

Alice has even more tips for freezing and thawing her blog:

Source: Alice Medrich

The post Important Tips for Freezing (& Thawing) appeared first on Top Morning Recommendations.

Here are the ingredients and measurements that you’ll need for this recipe:
 

3 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
and 1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour
1/2 Tsp Salt
and 1/2 Tsp Salt
3 1/2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
and 16 oz (453 g) Unsalted Butter
1 to 1 1/2 Cup Freezing Water
4 Tsp Fresh Lemon Juice

Here are the 23(!!) simple steps to follow, with some valuable notes to help you prepare your own Puff Pastry Dough to use in a wide range of recipes:
 
 

1- Combine 3 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp salt and and 3 1/2 tbsp of unsalted butter in a large bowl.

2- Pour 1 to 1 1/2 cup of cold (freezing) water into the bowl and continue blending.
Note: Cold/freezing water and keeping the dough cold during the preparations is very crucial.

3- Sprinkle flour on a flat surface and knead the dough for 7 to 10 minutes.

4- Make a ball shape out of the dough and make a one inch cross cut on top of it.

5- Transfer the dough into a well floured plastic bag, seal/zip the bag.

6- Put the dough in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
Note: Do not remove the dough out of the fridge unless it’s time to go to the step 12. Keep the dough in the refrigerator when not used or worked on.

Continue on to the next page to see the next step (and the video) …

Next Page »

The post Homemade “Puff Pastry Dough” for Delicious Breakfast Treats (Video) appeared first on Top Morning Recommendations.