While most baked goods can be frozen and still maintain their quality, not all freezing is equal. Baked products react differently to the freezing process depending on their shape, size, format, ingredients and more.

Filled goods such as meat empanadas, ravioli or fruit pies, for example, are more difficult to freeze due to their outer dough, said Peter White, president of IJ White Systems. 

“We call this the ‘igloo effect’ where the outer dough acts as an insulator and freezes faster than the interior filling,” he said. “In some cases, the outer dough, which freezes first, will ‘fracture’ as the inner filling goes through freezing and expands.”

Sugary fillings can be especially hard to freeze, as can products with particulates, he added.  

Conversely, smaller, flatter baked goods freeze more easily than larger ones, as do products with less moisture, said Nicola Menardo, president of TP Food Group North America.

“Cakes, muffins, cupcakes and scones freeze exceptionally well,” he said. “However, loaves with higher moisture levels need longer baking times compared to buns or hot dog rolls.”

Menardo added that the amount of free water in the product affects freeze time as well. 

“Products with high water activity will freeze more easily compared to those with low water activity,” he said.

Because some products are more delicate than others, special care must be taken to ensure quality isn’t diminished when freezing, noted John Bauer, freezer product line manager, JBT.

“For instance, products like pies, cakes and some breads commonly require a cooling step between the oven and the freezer,” he said. “Certain toppings or lighter products may be affected by faster air velocities, so special attention needs to be paid to the air flow path.”

For products with high-sugar fillings that are more difficult to freeze, such as jelly donuts, a colder target outfeed temperature is recommended, said Jordan Smith, senior applications engineer, JBT.

“Most frozen food producers target 0°F at the outfeed, but a jelly donut might be better off with an outfeed temperature closer to -10°F,” she said.

It’s important product temperature quickly transitions from 50°F to 20°F when freezing, Menardo said, as staling occurs more rapidly within this range compared to lower or higher temperatures. 

“Ideally, the temperature should be maintained between -10 and -15°F or lower, and never exceed 0°F when freezing bakery items,” he said. “read, rolls and donuts experience a quick decline in quality at temperatures above 0°F. Specifically, bread and rolls are especially vulnerable within the 20°F to 50°F range.”

Understanding a product’s thermal heat transfer is essential to designing a freezer or cooler that doesn’t damage final product quality, White said. 

“There are a number of variables that can be controlled to maintain a specific processing environment, for instance, to reduce potential moisture loss,” he said. “This can be achieved by having flexibility in air flow, air temperature, condensation control and retention time in the system. Depending on the product, a well-designed system will have the capability to adjust these process variables.”

This article is an excerpt from the November 2024 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on Cooling & Freezing, click here.