Can You Freeze Beignet Dough?

Anyone who has tried a French Quarter beignet will tell you that they’re wholesome, soft, and pretty hard to beat! If you fancy experimenting with beignet dough at home, you’re probably wondering how best to store it?

How to Freeze Beignet Dough

As is the case with most doughs used in home baking, beignet dough does well in the freezer. Once you have followed your recipe down to a tee, you can wrap your dough up and place it in the freezer until you’re ready to bake these delicious slices of heaven!

Here are the steps you need to follow to freeze beignet dough without ruining it: 

1. Prepare Dough
   We’ll assume you have a beignet dough recipe to be proud of (if not, this recipe is delicious). But when you get to the stage where you would ordinarily prep your dough for the oven, you’re ready to follow our lead. 
2. Wrap Tightly
   We would suggest portioning your dough at this stage, as it makes your life so much easier when you come to defrost it. When you have your individual beignets portioned, wrap them tightly in cling film.
   
   While it’s entirely up to you, we’d recommend double-wrapping them to offer additional protection from freezer burn. 
3. Bag Up
   You’re now ready to place your wrapped beignet dough into freezer-safe bags or airtight containers. Again, this is additional protection against freezer burn, which is your dough’s nemesis! 
4. Label and Freeze
   Finally, write today’s date and the use-by date on the front of the bag before placing it in the freezer. Remember, you can freeze beignet dough for around three months.

3 Tips for Freezing Beignet Dough

Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing beignet dough to have the best results:

Prevent Freezer Burn
The biggest threat to beignet dough is freezer burn, which occurs when your dough isn’t properly wrapped. As such, double-wrapping your dough with cling film and then sealing it in a freezer-safe bag should do the trick. Just don’t skrimp when it comes to wrapping, as you don’t want your dough to spoil!

Freeze Beignets
While it’s probably better to freeze beignet dough before you bake it, you can freeze beignets if you prefer. The freezing process is similar, you will need to allow them sufficient time to cool once they have been baked. If you don’t you will end up with soggy-bottomed beignets!

Don’t Rush to Defrost Dough
When it’s time to defrost your beignet dough, we’d advise you not to rush it. Microwaving or leaving your dough out at room temperature can cause it to spoil, so it’s best to allow it to thaw in the fridge.

How Long Can You Freeze Beignet Dough?

You can freeze beignet dough for around three months. Although it might be tempting to keep it for longer than this, doing so can cause your dough to spoil due to the ice crystals that form during the freezing process. 

If you’re worried about wasting your beignet dough (and who wouldn’t be?!), then we’d suggest making smaller batches and reducing your ingredients list slightly.

After all, beignets are so delicious, it would be a shame to spoil them with dough that has been sitting in the freezer for too long.

You Can Freeze Beignet Dough for up to 3 Months

How Do You Defrost Beignet Dough?

To defrost beignet dough, remove it from the freezer and place it in the fridge. Because it takes several hours for your dough to soften, we’d suggest doing this the night before you plan to bake. 

As mentioned, don’t be tempted to rush the thawing process, as it can cause your dough to spoil. Defrosting your beignet dough in the freezer is the best and safest way to go about it.

Can You Refreeze Beignet Dough?

While there’s nothing inherently wrong with refreezing beignet dough, we don’t think it’s the smartest move.

This is because the ice crystals that form during the freezing process can impact the consistency of your dough, which will ultimately affect the texture of your beignets once baked. 

To be on the safe side, we’d advise you to freeze beignet dough once, and split your dough into smaller portions that can be defrosted as and when you need them.

Does Beignet Dough Freeze Well?

Yes, beignet dough freezes really well. The biggest threat to the quality of your dough is freezer burn, so providing you wrap them tightly and bag them up, you shouldn’t experience any issues when you come to bake these delicious sweet treats.

Related FAQs

If you’ve still got questions about freezing beignet dough or beignets in general, then these may help: