9 Items Your Local Bakery Might Be Freezing

During major pie holidays, like Thanksgiving and Pi Day, bakeries must be well-prepared. You can bet they’re stocking up on frozen pies to handle the rush. Fruit pies often feature a delicate crust and a simple fruit filling. To freeze them, bakeries will assemble the pie as though it’s about to be baked—fitting the crust, adding a cold fruit filling to prevent the crust’s fat from melting, and topping it with a second crust if needed. The whole pie is then frozen. When the time comes, it’s just brushed with egg wash and baked straight from the freezer, no need to thaw.

You can follow this same method if you want to prepare pies for a large family Thanksgiving or a Pi Day celebration. Alternatively, you could ask a bakery if they sell frozen pies. They’re likely to provide baking instructions so you can enjoy them “baked in-house” at home.

Creating an entire cake, from mixing the batter to decorating with buttercream flowers, is a lengthy process. Cakes, brownies, and other bar treats take considerable time and space both in the oven and after baking. Instead of baking these items daily, many bakeries opt to bake large batches at intervals, far exceeding the daily need, then cool, wrap, and freeze them. Other bakeries might source these pre-baked and frozen from industrial kitchens. Cakes and brownies freeze and thaw exceptionally well, and they are easier to cut when chilled compared to being at room temperature.

Freezing cake layers is a great way to streamline the process. If you’re planning a multi-layered cake, bake the layers a week or so ahead, let them cool fully, and wrap them securely in plastic wrap. Freeze them on a flat surface. When it’s time to assemble, remove the layers from the freezer and let them partially thaw on the counter for 30 minutes. Properly wrapped frozen cake layers can last for about three months, but it's best to use them within a couple of weeks to maintain moisture.

Laminated, yeast-based pastries such as croissants, danishes, and kouign amann (and other flaky pastries) can be frozen while raw, right after shaping and before the second rise. Freezing halts fermentation, but the yeast remains active. Bakeries often stack trays of raw pastries like almond croissants or filled raspberry and cheese danishes, seal them in large plastic bags, and freeze them. The evening before baking, the pastries are placed on a tray in the fridge, spaced out for proper rising. A few hours before baking, they are brought to room temperature to proof until puffy and ready for the oven.

You can also freeze pastries at home using the same method. Complete the lamination, cut, and shape the dough. If you’re using fillings like fruit, chocolate, or cheese, confirm they freeze well (these fillings do) and proceed. Place the pastries on a tray in the freezer for a couple of hours until firm, then transfer them to a freezer bag or container. The night before you bake, move the required amount to the fridge. Three hours before baking, bring the thawed pastries to room temperature, allow them to proof, egg wash them, and bake as usual.

Most frostings are primarily made from ingredients like butter, sugar, eggs, or chocolate, all of which freeze and thaw perfectly fine. Yes, indeed! Bakeries also prepare their frostings, icings, and glazes in batches, ready for immediate use, and they freeze any excess. The high sugar content in these treats helps them stay stable on the shelf, which is why bakeries with enough space and resources often stock up by freezing them.

You can freeze cake frostings at home for future cake decorating sessions, or simply store leftovers for later use. Make your buttercream, icing, or glaze as you normally would, then transfer it into a freezer bag or container. The night before you plan to use it, place it on a tea towel on your counter. It will defrost overnight, and any moisture will be absorbed by the towel. Frostings and icings can stay frozen for about two to four months.

You probably saw this coming. After freezing the layers and frosting, why not freeze the fully decorated cakes? This is most commonly done with ‘house cakes,’ those that follow a standard design and are part of the regular menu rotation. Special order cakes, where you select your own filling and flavor combinations, are typically put together just a day or two before the pick-up date. Does freezing impact the flavor or quality? Not at all. The layers, frosting, and fillings freeze wonderfully and retain excellent flavor once thawed.

I don't freeze fully frosted cakes at home because special occasions with cakes don't really sneak up on me. However, this is great news for leftover cake. Next time you host a party and everyone is too full from the charcuterie, you'll know you can freeze that untouched seven-layer chocolate torte. My tip? Slice it into individual servings and freeze them, so you can grab a single piece when a dessert craving strikes.

This is the most subtle of all bakery freezing techniques. Particularly common in grocery store bakeries, much of the “freshly baked” bread has been pre-baked at a bread commissary, frozen, and shipped. Par-baking, or partially baking, involves cooking the bread just until the expansion occurs and the structure sets, but before any browning begins. While bread is a popular item to par-bake, other items can be pre-cooked as well. Par-baking allows the bread to be fully cooked, frozen solid to prevent mold growth, and shipped without damage. When ready to sell, the bread is “refreshed” by quickly baking it in the store’s oven, giving it a crisp crust without over-browning. This allows the store to label it as “freshly baked” or “baked in-house” and still meet expectations.

I don’t often use this technique at home because, once I bake bread, I tend to eat it right away. However, it’s a great method for preparing dinner rolls ahead of time for big events like birthdays or Thanksgiving. Bake the bread as usual, but set a timer for about 15 minutes less than the total bake time. Check the bread frequently after this point. It should be fully risen but still pale. Once it shows a hint of color on top, press the center. If it’s firm, remove the bread from the oven. If it deflates, lower the temperature by 50°F and continue baking for another five to ten minutes. Let the bread cool completely before wrapping it in a plastic bag and freezing it. When you’re ready for “freshly baked” rolls, simply place the frozen bread in a 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Much like their savory bread counterparts, scones, muffins, biscuits, doughnuts, and other sweet breakfast breads can be easily frozen and thawed. After baking or frying large batches, even with icing added, they can be wrapped and frozen. Thawing them is a breeze. Unlike par-baked yeasted breads that need a quick crisp in the oven, these sweet items are fully baked before freezing, meaning they just need to come to room temperature before they’re ready to serve. Sometimes, you might even notice a partially thawed muffin at the self-serve case during the morning rush – when you pick it up, it might feel strangely cold.

Freezing your morning treats is a great solution for hectic mornings when you can’t make a hot breakfast. Simply take a muffin out of the freezer when you wake up, and let it thaw while you get ready. Grab it on your way out for a quick and easy breakfast to-go.

Cheesecake, the undisputed queen of frozen desserts, is often frozen to extend its shelf life, and because it’s never served hot out of the oven. After baking and cooling in the fridge, cheesecakes firm up perfectly. Once frozen, they are removed from the pan, wrapped securely, and placed in the freezer where they can stay for up to a month. Local bakeries simply thaw them in the fridge for a few hours before they’re ready to sell (though frozen cheesecake is delicious on its own too).

When freezing fresh or leftover cheesecake at home, be sure to wrap it tightly in plastic to prevent moisture loss. Thaw whole cheesecakes in the fridge overnight so they’re easy to slice when you're ready to serve. For leftover cheesecake, slice it into individual portions before freezing, so you can easily grab a slice to thaw on the countertop whenever you get a craving.

Most cookie doughs made with butter are ideal for freezing. Bakeries often prepare large batches of dough, scooping out portioned balls onto a sheet pan. A few of these might be baked fresh, while the majority remain tightly packed on the tray. The entire tray is then placed into a large plastic bag and transferred to the freezer. Since cookies bake in about 15 minutes (even from solid frozen dough), bakeries can pull out as many as needed from the freezer and bake them on demand, restocking quickly if there's a sudden rush for cookies.

Not all cookies are butter-based, though. Some are made with delicate whipped eggs, or have a raw dough that doesn’t freeze well, like madeleines or tuiles. These types of cookies also get frozen, but after baking. When needed, they’re taken from the freezer and thawed to perfection within minutes.

You can freeze butter-based cookie dough at home, either pre-portioned or in a slab. If you prefer to make cookies on a whim, pre-portion your drop cookies (like chocolate chip or oatmeal) by scooping the dough into individual balls and placing them on a sheet tray. The balls can touch slightly, allowing you to fit the entire batch on one tray. Freeze the tray for about an hour until the dough is solid. Once frozen, transfer the dough balls into a zip-top freezer bag for storage. For cut-out cookies (such as gingerbread or shaped sugar cookies), divide the dough in half and roll each half into a flat disc about half an inch thick to speed up thawing. Double wrap these slabs and store them flat in the freezer. Well-wrapped, frozen dough can last anywhere from eight months to a year.

If you have leftover baked cookies that you can’t seem to finish, or just want to prepare for those inevitable cookie cravings, let the cookies cool completely. Place the entire tray in the fridge for about an hour until the cookies are firm. Afterward, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag. When you're ready for a treat, pull out a cookie and let it thaw briefly on the counter, or eat it frozen for an extra chilled indulgence.