I often keep a bowl of bread dough in the fridge. I got the idea from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. He calls it Magic Dough because you can make so many things with it. If I think I might make a loaf sometime soon, I make a larger batch, otherwise, I just keep the bowl topped up. After a week or so, it will develop a wonderful sour dough tang.
These are just some of the things I have made using Magic Dough. I’m sure there will be others!
Magic Dough
A loaf
This is how I made a free form loaf using the Magic Dough in the fridge
Rolls
This post shows hot to make cheapy bread rolls using value flour. Or use the Magic Dough in the fridge and jump straight to the shaping and proving stage
Pitta Bread
These pitta bread are super simple to make, and if you use ordinary value flour, which I do, you get 4 large pitta for just 6p. If you use pitta often, it would be worth making quite a few and keeping them in the freezer, ready to use. They taste so much nicer than shop bought, and you can make them any size you like, which is very handy if you have littlies with small appetites, are on a diet, have hollow legged teenagers to feed, or any other reason yu might want non-standard size ones. Small children seem to like anything small, so it may encourage them to tuck in if they have miniature pitta
Pizza
Pizza becomes a much quicker dinner if you don’t have to make the dough first.
Bread Sticks
I haven’t made any bread sticks, but you could easily use this dough to make some. Here’s a recipe showing how to shape and cook the dough.
Raisin Pan Bread
I’ve just had this for breakfast. I put a spoon of dough on the worktop, added enough flour to make it look like bread dough, then kneaded in a handful of raisins. I use raisins most of the time rather than sultanas as raisins count as a purple portion and not many things do. Then I melted a little butter in a frying pan and gently cooked the patty for a few minutes on each side. Once plated, I sprinkled over a tiny bit of sugar, about half a teaspoon. The plate is a side plate and the patty the size of a small saucer.
It had the pleasant tang from the sourdough, and was chewier, in a good way, than pancakes made with similar ingredients. As well as breakfast or an anytime snack, this would make a good filler for hungry teenagers. The fruit could be anything you have in.
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Instant Sun Dried Tomato Focaccia
Using the same method as above, knead in a few chopped sun dried tomatoes and fry in olive oil for the best focaccia flavour, drizzling over a tiny bit more right at the end, or any other fat you have if you’re not bothered about the olive oil flavour.
Crumpets and Pikelets
I had a wonderful play trying these out. Once I’d mastered the recipe, I plumped for pikelets and made some smashing flavoured versions, both savoury and sweet.
Nan Bread
Nan breads go with everything, like any bready thing. The recipe link is to an unleavened version, which I use often, or I have equally successfully used Magic Dough. Do try the curried lentils in the link too, they are super good, and very cheap
Flat Breads
Flat breads are very easy to make once you have the dough made, older kids could manage it if they are ok with frying pans. Flat breads, like the pitta, can be made in miniature sizes and children seem to enjoy making them, I tend to give them a biscuit cutter to cut out of dough that I or they have rolled out.
Nan Bread
Nan breads go with everything, like any bready thing. The recipe link is to an unleavened version, which I use often, or I have equally successfully used Magic Dough. Do try the curried lentils in the link too, they are super good, and very cheap
Flat Breads
Flat breads are very easy to make once you have the dough made, older kids could manage it if they are ok with frying pans. Flat breads, like the pitta, can be made in miniature sizes and children seem to enjoy making them, I tend to give them a biscuit cutter to cut out of dough that I or they have rolled out.
Ingredients
- 125 g flour
- 125 g bread flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp yeast the instant kind
- 1 tblsp oil
- 160 ml cold water
Instructions
- Put everything in a bowl and add 160ml water.
- Mix everything together and pop it in the fridge overnight.
- Or if you want to use some or all of it straight away, give it all a good knead for about 10 minutes, or if you have a food mixer, use the dough hook for 10 minutes, or you can use a food processor, process for 5 minutes. Cover the bowl and leave it in a warm place to prove for an hour or two, until doubled in size. Flavour develops in this time, so leave it as long as you can.
- I leave the dough in the fridge, and every two or three days, I feed the yeast, adding a mug of flour and a splash of water. Take out want you want to use. Any dough left at the end, or flour on the worktop, ie you made too much for the flatbreads you wanted, mix it back into the bowl of dough. Keep the mixture loose, it’s better for the yeast, so you may need to add a little water as well.
I’ve used both. If I’m using the batch for rolls, flatbreads or anything except a loaf, I’ll tend to use the cheaper value flour. If I’m using it for bread, I’ll tend more to bread flour.
Either way, a couple of top ups of value flour for a loaf mix is not going to hurt
Hi Lesley. I have made a batch today and it’s in the fridge. Do you top it up with bread flour or plain flour when you feed it? I have both here.
It depends what you’re making with it. There is no need to knead for anything. For rolls or a loaf, I would mix in enough flour to make a dough of the right consistency and knead just enough to distribute the flour evenly. The purpose of kneading is to develop the gluten. The dough will develop gluten on its own without any help just by having been left alone.
Then leave to rise in the usual way if what you are making needs it. I’ve found the most time is spent waiting for the dough to rise when its fridge cold
Hullo. When you use the dough after it has been in the fridge- do you knead and then leave to rise and then proof as usual? Thank you. This looks so interesting and I’m keen to try it. Thanks.
No, no expiry. Just keep topping it up every few days.
When I did a bread course, the baker who was teaching it had a sourdough mix that was over 30 years old!
Hi Lesley
Is there an expiry date with the magic dough? I note you say it turns to sour dough after 10 days, but wondered if I can just keep topping it up after then, or would you suggest to make a fresh batch?
Thank you!
Emma
When Mike and I went on the bread making course, the tutor refused to give cooking times, he said we should get used to when dough had been kneaded enough (not that I do actually do that part anymore), when it was proved enough, and when it had been baked enough. It’s great to have dough all ready and ready to go for impromptu flat breads, pizza etc
So helpful to have all the ideas for using the Magic Dough together. I always follow a recipe when I make bread, but I am going to have a go at being more “freehand” and go with feel and keep a batch of this in the fridge ready.