Here Are the 7 Baked Goods You Can Make and Freeze Now for All Your Holiday Meals
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I know a lot of you wait until the holidays are in full swing before you start your big baking projects, and to be sure, there is something wonderful about diving into all the sugary goodness when the lights are twinkling and the festivities are beginning to swing. But saving all of your holiday baking to do from scratch and with houseguests can get overwhelming. So, now is the time to remember that freshly baked does not have to mean freshly prepared.
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Many of your favorite holiday baking projects can be prepped ahead and baked straight from frozen! All those fabulous smells and toasty textures, but much less stress. You can be making, forming, and freezing now, and leave the baking and decorating for later. Here are the 7 baked goods I am currently stashing in my freezer for delicious treats all season long!
Biscuits, Scones, and Yeasted Morning Treats
Breakfasts for holiday houseguests and brunches for friends and family are made for homemade baked goodies. But no one needs to be waking up early to prepare these from scratch. Make and form your dough, freeze uncooked, then either thaw overnight in the fridge for yeasted goodies like cinnamon rolls or bake straight from frozen for biscuits or scones. If baking from frozen, just add more time to your usual recipe. You can freeze biscuits and scones in a single layer on a sheet pan and then stash in a zip top bag so that you just bake off the number you need; cinnamon rolls or other yeasted pastries can be frozen in cake pans or disposable foil pans.
Great recipes to freeze ahead:
Pastry Discs and Whole Pies
If this is pie season for you, make a ton of frozen dough discs for rolling and forming later, and whole pies that can be frozen raw and then baked from frozen. Dough discs should be thawed in the fridge overnight before rolling. I make some flaky pie crust discs as well as sweetened crusts so that I am prepared for everything from a classic pecan pie to an elegant lemon tart.
Fruit pies, pumpkin or sweet potato pies can all be frozen on a sheet pan, uncovered, in their raw state, and then wrapped in plastic and foil and stored for up to two months. Bake uncovered straight from frozen, adding anywhere from 10-15 minutes to your bake time.
Great recipes to freeze ahead:
Dinner Rolls
From delicate brioche style buns to hearty crusty rolls, bread dough can be formed and then frozen before the second rise! Freeze your formed rolls in a single layer on a sheet pan, uncovered, then store in a zip top bag. Thaw and let rise in the fridge overnight before baking.
Great recipes to freeze ahead:
Cookie Dough
Cookies freeze well, but then you miss that fresh baked smell. I prefer to make big batches of dough and then freeze to bake as needed. You can scoop drop-style cookies onto a parchment-lined sheet pan and freeze uncovered, then store in a zip top bag. Bake straight from frozen, adding some time to your baking. For slice and bake cookies, I form the logs, freeze whole, then thaw overnight in the fridge to slice and bake fresh. For rolled cookies, I form the dough into discs and freeze, then thaw overnight in the fridge before rolling out.
Great recipes to freeze ahead:
