Freezing Pizza dough

[BuckSnort]

I get my dough from a pizza place down in town and was just wondering if it can be frozen? I asked the people that worked there and they didnt know...

[Bill-Chicago]

Don't know why not, since I buy pizza dough all the time from the freezer section of the store.

It will even rise again after thawing.

[Professor Salt]

Yes, as long as you freeze it while the fermentation hasn't topped out. Once it's fully proofed, you're out of luck.

I freeze my dough all the time. It would be a good idea to oil the dough ball, and put it into a plastic baggie that you take all the air out of. The point there is to avoid drying out the skin of the dough ball from the moment you freeze it to the moment you bake it.

[leanza]

I agree with Suji. I have noticed, though, that the dough balls loose a little something after freezing. Probably not even noticeable to the person eating the pie.

[Wrench_H]

I buy mine from a local pizza place and I usually buy 10 of them and freeze all the extras. I use them for really thin pizzas on the grill, and calzones. I have noticed that the calzones don't get quite as airy after frozen, but there is no noticeable diffence in the thin crust pizzas.

[aquablue22]

Yep, I buy pizza dough in the freezer section at the store all the time, when they are out i buy it from local pizza shop and freeze it before it ferments.

[BuckSnort]

Thanks fella's !

[jgh1204]

What do you pay at the pizza place?

[BuckSnort]

A dollar and change for a medium...

[Mitch]

I freeze dough balls all the time. I get them from a pizza joint for $1 and it makes 2 12" pies.

[MilitantSquatter]

Originally Posted by Professor Salt

Yes, as long as you freeze it while the fermentation hasn't topped out. Once it's fully proofed, you're out of luck.

based on this, do you recommend freezing as soon as they are rolled into balls (before cold or warm rise) or allow rise to take place for some period but not complete ?

Thanks

[Professor Salt]

Originally Posted by MilitantSquatter

based on this, do you recommend freezing as soon as they are rolled into balls (before cold or warm rise) or allow rise to take place for some period but not complete ?

Thanks

Great question, and option #2 is right. I want the fermentation to get a little bit of a head start before I freeze it. Depending on how much yeast is in your formula, I'd say form your dough ball, oil & bag it, then let it proof in the coolth of the fridge for an hour. Then freeze.

One note about the shaping the ball - if you want to end up with a round pizza, you have to start with a tightly formed, round dough ball that will expand out evenly in all directions during proofing. If you don't care about a round pie, don't worry about it.

When I thaw - I'll pull it out of the freezer the night before if I'm planning ahead, and let it proof in the fridge. The cool temp will slow down fermentation, and that's a good thing. Slow, cool fermentation develops better flavor and the dough won't smell boozy, but wheaty.

If I want to use the frozen dough right away, I'll pull the bagged dough out of the freezer and let it rest on an aluminum cookie pan. The pan is a heat sink - it will draw warmth into the cool dough and thaw it faster. Allow it to rise for a couple of hours - until the dough ball is puffed up enough to use.

[Wampus]

Originally Posted by Professor Salt

Great question, and option #2 is right. I want the fermentation to get a little bit of a head start before I freeze it. Depending on how much yeast is in your formula, I'd say form your dough ball, oil & bag it, then let it proof in the coolth of the fridge for an hour. Then freeze.

One note about the shaping the ball - if you want to end up with a round pizza, you have to start with a tightly formed, round dough ball that will expand out evenly in all directions during proofing. If you don't care about a round pie, don't worry about it.

When I thaw - I'll pull it out of the freezer the night before if I'm planning ahead, and let it proof in the fridge. The cool temp will slow down fermentation, and that's a good thing. Slow, cool fermentation develops better flavor and the dough won't smell boozy, but wheaty.

If I want to use the frozen dough right away, I'll pull the bagged dough out of the freezer and let it rest on an aluminum cookie pan. The pan is a heat sink - it will draw warmth into the cool dough and thaw it faster. Allow it to rise for a couple of hours - until the dough ball is puffed up enough to use.

Agree completely. I do it this way as well.

I started making my own pizza dough about a year ago. It's just a few simple ingredients. When I make up a batch (a batch of mine will make 6 pies), I will usually make up 2 batches at once. We cook all 6 pizzas when we do cook pizzas, so after they both rise a bit, I'll divide one up into 6 balls and freeze them. I've never had a problem with them rising a bit more after placed from the freezer to the fridge the morning of pizza night.

[leanza]

I'm going to depart here from the idea that you cool your dough ball for about an hour then freeze it. Once you lower the temp to the freeze point the little fellars go into a slumber. Only one hour of fermentation is not sufficent in my mind. I would cool ferment overnight then freeze.

[Professor Salt]

Like I said, it really depends on how much yeast you have in there to begin with. If it's a fast rising formula with lots of yeast & lots of sugar in the recipe, then an hour's refrigerated rise prior to freezing is enough of a head start.

Even if you have a very low yeast formula, it still works out. You just need to proof it longer after the thaw.