I was SO happy to find this recipe! Those loaves of frozen bread have gotten so expensive and this dough freezes beautifully and tastes great. Make it one day then just thaw, rise and bake on a busier one!
Frozen bread dough
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2 pkgs (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast (or 4 1/2 tsp. bulk yeast)
2 cups warm water (110-115 degrees)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp. salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 1/2 - 7 cups all-purpose flour
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar, salt, eggs, oil and 3 cups of flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Divide in half and shape into two loaves (can shape into smaller loaves, just decrease thawing/rising and baking time). Place loaves on a wax-paper lined baking sheet, set in freezer for several hours to freeze. When frozen, put loaves into a zip lock freezer bag for storage.
When ready to prepare bread, set frozen loaf in a greased loaf pan in a warm place for 4-5 hours or until doubled in bulk. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to cool on wire racks. Each loaf yields approximately 16 slices.
Note: I have only shaped this dough into loaves but it is a moist tender loaf so I am sure you could also shape it into rolls or any other shape you'd like to freeze. Just decrease the thawing/rising and baking time as needed.
