Topic: naans, freezing the dough

[delhi belly]

hi,all   can anyone tell me  when making naan breads can i just freeze the dough when
ive made a batch, or do you cook the naans first then freeze. will it have any affect on the end result. :-\thanks db

[Cory Ander]

I make the naans first (whilst the tava/pizza stone/oven/grill...or tandoor, if you have one....are hot) and freeze them, but you can also freeze the dough if you prefer.

[delhi belly]

 thanks for the reply, ca,  but if i just freeze the dough after ive made a batch ,do you think it will affect the taste or the cooking process at all, will they turn out the same?
or is it better just to cook the breads after youve made the dough,  then freeze.
thanks db

[Cory Ander]

Yes, I think they will be different and there are pros and cons for each:

1.  Cooking then Freezing:

a)  Pros:

- equipment is at right temperature to cook them all (oven can take an hour or more)
- subsequently quicker to serve with a meal (e.g. 1 min blitz, on high, in microwave)

b)  Cons:

- might be less crisp if using a microwave to reheat (an oven or grill is an alternative)
- takes more space in freezer

2.  Freezing the Dough:

a)  Pros:

- takes less space in freezer
- might result in a crisper naan

b)  Cons:

- takes longer (for dough to defrost)
- dough might be less manageable on defrosting (i.e. condensation or drying out)
- have to heat equipment up to cook (can take an hour or more)
- have to shape (takes more time and is messy)

I'm sure there are more pros and cons for each.

I prefer to cook them all and freeze the naans.

No doubt fresh is best (in this case).

Also check the replies to this here:  http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1448.msg21088#msg21088

[delhi belly]

thanks ca , your help is appreciated, thanks db

[JerryM]

delhi belly,

u have split the question between yeast naans and self raising naans.

i make SR naan pretty much all the time and make and eat fresh - only takes a few mins to do (u do need to leave the dough for 1 hr for the liquid to work before cooking with).

on yeast naans u've step up a league in taste along with time to prepare - these are for special occasion and need to be eaten fresh.

[Cory Ander]

You raise (excuse the pun!) a good point Jerry.  Frozen and thawed dough may not rise as well as fresh dough.

[JerryM]

on the SR naan - a tip i follow from Haldi if pushed for time is to make the dough night before and leave in the fridge in a bowl with a plate over. i then effectively dry fry the naan in a large frying pan.

for the yeast naan i always cook on the gas bbq.

as to delhi's question - i'd go for freezing the dough not the cooked naan. based on fresh baked bread going hard much quicker than bought bread. i believe the "raise" will be the same as yeast is ok to freeze.

i not saying freezing may not help a particular individuals circumstance - i've just never tried it - because u can make SR so quickly (dough night before and ~2 mins a side in pan) and fresh is definitely v.good.

[Cory Ander]

*Sigh*  You so often perplex me with your conclusions Jerry 

Presumably by "SR" you mean dough made from self raising flour rather than plain flour with yeast?

The problem with freezing the dough is that the raising agents may be deactivated (as might be the case with simply leaving the dough too long once made).  Therefore they may not subsequently rise.  Dough does not keep that long in the freezer either (I do it with pizza dough and it can end up being unmanageable once defrosted)

There is absolutely no problem with freezing cooked naans (suitably sealed for storage) apart from the subsequent lack of surface crispness you might otherwise obtain with freshly made naans.  I know, I do it all the time!  1 minute in the microwave, on high, from frozen, is all that is needed to reheat them to virtually indistinguishable from the original...that's ONE MINUTE to make the naan from frozen Jerry!

It is clearly nonsense to say that it's "quick" to make naans from dough using self raising flour when you then go on to say that you have make it the night before, leave it for a while before you use it, faff around with shaping it and then cook it 

[JerryM]

apologies CA.

the quick refers to the the actual hands on doing time.

clearly the cook and freeze wins hands down  - 6 off naans - 6 microwave mins

for me it's 5mins tops to make dough. then faff and cook 5 mins tops ea (the pat a cake trick is very quick) giving 30 mins total.

a grand microwave saving of 24 mins. assuming u don't do anything else.

u've pretty much answered what i'm trying to say - freezing is not worth the effort.

reheating is also a big compromise on taste - the supermarket example says it all.

in short don't compromise - cook em fresh.