I prepare pizza dough in advance. I just cover the dough with Glad Wrap and place it in a freezer bag, date it and freeze it. I have found that it holds well for several months.

I thaw it at room temperature before using and have even given it a microwave zap if I am pressed for time. 

I say why to take the hassle twice. Bake several smaller loafs when you have the time. You can either take it out of the oven 10 minutes earlier than you would do normally, let cool, freeze, and finish baking when you need the fresh bread....or...simply finish baking, let cool, wrap in aluminum foil, and warm it up covered with the foil in a 350 degree oven (approx 10 minutes).

Interestingly if you warm it up in the aluminum foil the crust becomes nice and chrispy, and not wet and soggy as I would have expected. So for me this is the way to go.

Have fun baking

As I reported in the other thread, I have not had particularly good luck freezing dough because the yeast does not want to revive.  It's not a problem with pizza dough because it doesn't really have to rise again, but it is for loaves.  I might try the brown-and-serve loaf idea.

Commercial loaves are made under conditions that we don't have in our kitchens.  Mike Avery gave a good explanation that foreshadowed my lack of success.  Perhaps he'll chime in here.

Rosalie

I think the bake-at-home stuff you buy in grocery stores is not raw dough, but partly baked loaves.  

"I am not a cook. But I am sorta cooky."

I freeze unbaked bread dough all the time. The only thing you have to remember is to thaw the dough in the refrigerator over night and then allow sufficient time to fully rise the way you would normally let a bread rise.

When I freeze a pan bread such as white or wheat: line your pans with plastic wrap allowing sufficient extra wrap to cover the dough.  I shape the dough then wrap as tightly as possible, so the dough does not have room to expand, then place the whole thing in the freezer.

A freeform bread I just wrap after shaping and place on a pan in the freezer.  I freeze rolls on a cookie sheet until they are solid then transfer to a plastic baggie.

Properly wrapped, plastic wrap and either heavy duty foil or heavy plastic bags, I have kept dough in the freezer for up to 3 months with no quality loss.

Freezing the dough unbaked allows me extra room in the freezer and also the flexibility of being able to have fresh baked breads, cakes and rolls when I either have no time or do not want the mess. You can also use them as gifts to people who whould love to have fresh baked goodies but do not bake breads themselves. I just give them baking directions.

Elaine                                                                   

What I didn't mention before is that when you put the dough in the refrigerator overnight to defrost, unwrap the bread completely, place in or on the greased pan and cover lightly with plastic wrap that has been greased. In the morning, remove pan of bread and allow to rise as you normally would except allow extra time. What I would normally let rise for an hour will take about 2 1/2 hours to fully proof.

When I give breads or cakes as a gift, I use foil pans. I line the foil pan with plastic wrap and place the dough in it so it will have the right shape.  I freeze the pan and all but remove the pan when the dough is frozen.

I found that giving these frozen gifts to be really appreciated. Most people do not make their own breads and such. They either don't know how or just don't have the time. To be able to defrost this when they want and have the instructions to bake it themselves is always appreciated, more than a fully baked item.

When I ran a supermarket bakery, we always purchased the frozen bread dough, roll dough and cake dough. We would pan the dough overnight, cover them and allow to defrost in the cooler. In the AM, the morning baker would slash/shape/brush each item as needed and put the racks of dough in the proofer. The proofer there had moist heat.

Elaine