How to Freeze Pizza Dough and Defrost

Making your own pizza dough is a great way to elevate your pizza but it’s a time consuming process. The good news? You can freeze homemade pizza dough to use whenever you need it. However, it’s essential that you both freeze and defrost the dough properly. Thawing frozen pizza dough the wrong way can ruin your dough. This guide will walk you through the best ways to use and thaw frozen pizza dough.

Can You Freeze Pizza Dough?

You can absolutely freeze pizza dough. It’s a great way to save excess pizza dough or to just make  dough to have available to use whenever you need it. You’ll want to make sure you follow instructions when freezing pizza dough for optimal freshness.

How to Freeze Pizza Dough

1. Make your pizza dough. Make sure it goes through the entire rising process before you freeze it.

2. Pre-portion your dough. You’ll want to freeze your pizza dough in a pre-portioned ball. His will make it easiest to defrost one ball of dough at a time.

3. Wrap each individual ball in plastic wrap. This will help give extra protection from freezer burn. 

4. Take wrapped dough balls and place them in a freezer safe bag or container.

5. Label the date you made the dough. Frozen pizza dough is best used within the month.

How Long Can You Freeze Pizza Dough?

If you wrap the pizza dough properly, it can last into the fridge for up to three months. We recommend using it within the first month for optimal freshness. If you see freezer burn on your pizza dough you should dispose of it immediately.

How to Defrost Pizza Dough

Just as you want to make sure to freeze pizza dough properly, you’ll also want to make sure to defrost it properly too. If you have the time, you can pull your pizza dough from the freezer to the fridge and defrost in the fridge for about 12 hours. If you have less time you can put the pizza dough out on the counter. It will generally defrost in 3-5 hours. If you’re looking for how to thaw pizza dough quickly, you can use the microwave method we feature in our video flipping the dough every 10 seconds along the way using the defrost setting. After that you’ll split the dough ball and reform and re-rise. The whole process will take around an hour. 

How long does it take to defrost frozen pizza dough?

How long it takes to defrost pizza dough depends on which method you use. Obviously if you have more time, it's best to let the dough defrost for as long as possible. However, one of the benefits of freezing dough is that you can still defrost it if you’re short on time and for that we’d recommend the microwave method we detail in our video.

Tips for Using Thawed Pizza Dough

• Make sure your dough gets back to room temperature: No matter what method you use before you start to stretch out your dough to top your pizza you’ll want to make sure your dough is the right temperature to be rolled and stretched.

• Don’t use it if it's freezer burned. Even if it’s only been a week, if your dough is showing signs of freezer burn it’s likely not going to taste good.

• Leave yourself enough time. Using frozen dough is certainly quicker but you’ll need at least an hour or more before your dough is ready to go.

How to use frozen pizza dough?

Frozen pizza dough can be used for more than just pizza. Get creative with:

• Calzones

• Breadsticks

• Schiacciata bread

• Pigs in a blanket

• Garlic Knots

• Flatbread

• Fruit Tarts

• Cinnamon Rolls

• Stromboli

Mistakes to Avoid When Freezing and Thawing Pizza Dough

• Not protecting the dough from freezer burn. Make sure it’s protected with plastic wrap or in an airtight container.

• Not giving it enough time to defrost. Make sure you are patient no matter the defrosting method you choose.

• Letting it get too warm. If you are setting it out on the counter or using the microwave method you’ll want to make sure your dough doesn’t get too warm and turn into a sloppy mess.
  

FAQs

Q: How to thaw frozen pizza dough?

A: There are a variety of different ways to thaw frozen pizza dough depending on how much time you have. You can thaw the dough in the fridge, on the counter or even in the microwave.

Q: How to store pizza dough in the freezer?

A: When storing pizza dough in the freezer you’ll want to protect it from freezer burn. We recommend rolling it into a ball and wrapping it with plastic wrap. Then place the ball in a freezer bag. 

Q: What’s the best frozen pizza dough recipe?

A: You don’t need a specific recipe for frozen pizza dough. You can make any pizza dough recipe and freeze it. Our simple pizza dough recipe is a great recipe to try..

Q: Can you freeze pizza dough after it rises?

A: Yes, you absolutely can freeze pizza dough after it rises and we prefer to do so. That way you can segment it into the proper dough balls before freezing and just let it come to room temperature once it’s defrosted.

About Fontana Forni Pizza Ovens 

Fontana Forni outdoor pizza ovens offer you the best of both worlds; all of our hybrid, gas and wood-fired pizza ovens feature modern materials and 100% Italian construction. Discover the benefits of our pizza ovens online or call 877-223-8056.

Ready to make your own pizza? Check out our recipes page with great options for your own pizza dough.