How to make part bake baguettes and rolls?

Question

I'm not sure if these are available everywhere but in the UK we buy these part baked bread rolls from the supermarket and after about 10mins in the oven, you essentially have fresh baked bread and they're really good.

I use a breadmaker often at home and have tried in the past to make my own part baked rolls by shaping the dough and freezing it but on cooking the dough remains very dense and the inside does not cook properly.

Are there any methods that people have tried to successfully make their own? Would cooking them for a certain portion of time help before freezing?

Answer 1

To make your own part-baked rolls, you have to actually part-bake them, not just freeze the shaped dough. You can freeze shaped dough, but you then need to fully thaw it and let it 'wake up' again before baking.

You need to part bake at a relatively low temperature so that the dough springs and sets, but a crust does not form. About 20 minutes at 150°C/300°F should do the trick. Then allow them to cool, put them in freezer bags, and freeze. They will keep for 3 or 4 months.

When you want to bake them, you need a much hotter oven - about 220-230°C/445°F. Bake straight from frozen until golden brown, about 20 minutes.