Freezing dough (sourdough) before or after overnight retard in fridge? Or not?
I've done a bit of searching in the forums, but haven't quite found an answer to this one.
Hubby prefers fresh, fresh FRESH moist bread. No matter how carefully I freeze freshly baked loaves, there is always a difference between the freshly baked ones and the previously frozen ones. Since I don't have enough time to mix and bake every couple of days, I'm wondering about freezing pre-shaped dough.
First of all, will freezing sourdough in the dough state kill the yeast? I've read some posts that say it will, and others that say they've had no problem with this.
If not, would it be best to freeze it after an overnight retard or to stick it straight in the freezer (carefully wrapped, of course)?
I tried this over the weekend, and my frozen loaf rose very slowly -- but so did the fresh one. (I froze it right after kneading and shaping.) I'm pretty sure the starter wasn't mature enough (tried to hurry the process, and that rarely if ever works!). Thought it might be best to seek some wisdom before I try again.
Any insights are much appreciated! :)
- Marguerite