Like me, you’re a lover of pizza. You love the idea of having ready pizza dough on hand that you can pop into the oven at any time you fancy. But frozen pizzas can get very pricey and you’d rather have homemade pizza with your choice of toppings. The only problem is that you haven’t got the time to make fresh pizza when you need it.
Which brings us to the question – Can you freeze pizza dough? Yes, you most definitely can! And the best part is – a batch of frozen pizza dough is good for up to 3 months after the initial date of freezing. The hardest part (well actually the longest part) of the process is the thawing of the frozen dough. Freezing pizza dough is the perfect way to have your favorite meal on hand with no hassle.
Why Freezing Pizza Dough is a Good Idea?
Well apart from the obvious fact of being a time and energy saving strategy, having prepared dough on hand provides convenience for those who are kitchen-savvy and would rather not spend a fortune ordering take-out pizza. Also, if you have a pizza night coming up, freezing dough is a perfect idea to ensure that you are adequately prepared.
On the other hand, you might just have made a huge batch and wish to keep some for use at a later date. Or you may just be the quintessential pizza lover that relishes the thought of having pan-ready dough at your fingertips. Whatever your reason, I’ll share the best tips for preserving your dough!
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How to Freeze Pizza Dough: A Step-By-Step Guide
The process is pretty simple and takes less than 10 minutes to complete. Of course you’ll need your homemade pizza dough to begin with. You will also need some olive oil or a sufficient substitute and Ziploc bags. If you can’t find any Ziploc bags then plastic wrap can be used as a suitable alternative.
Steps:
- Allow the freshly prepared dough to rise as usual. (Note: You can freeze the pizza dough at any point in the process, but for best results this should be done after the dough rises.)
- Once your pizza dough has risen, proceed to form the dough into individual balls. One ball of dough should be enough to make an entire pizza. Depending on how big you want your pizza to be, the ball of dough should be roughly the size of a grapefruit.
- Use a bit of olive oil to coat each ball of dough. Ensure that the balls are thoroughly coated as this will prevent sogginess and guarantee perfect dough after thawing.
- Place each ball of prepared dough into a separate Ziploc bag or wrap completely with plastic. Be sure to eliminate air from the bags for an air tight seal.
- Place the secured bags into the freezer until needed for use.
Thawing Frozen Pizza Dough
For the best results, this part of the process should be carried out overnight. To thaw the pizza dough, simply remove the bags of dough from the freezer as needed and place them in the refrigerator to defrost for at least 12 hours. Thirty minutes prior to stretching the dough for your final product, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to sit at room temperature.
Once this is complete, it’s business as usual – add your favorite toppings and enjoy!
FAQ
Below are some of the frequently asked questions related to storing pizza dough in the freezer.
Can you freeze pizza dough rolled out?
