Can I freeze it? Pizza dough edition
December 9, 2021 5:37 PM   Subscribe

I just whipped up a batch of this pizza dough, and for reasons, will only be using half of it this evening (yield is 2 crusts). How can I save the rest of it for another day?

Would this dough be likely to freeze/thaw well enough to use another day down the road?
Should I refrigerate and use it sooner than later?
Or is there something else I should do with it?

Thanks, kitchen people of MeFi!
posted by wats to Food & Drink (14 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
I just punch it down and freeze it. Should be fine. Then let thaw and let rise.
posted by 8603 at 5:56 PM on December 9, 2021


You can refrigerate it and use it within maybe three or four days.* Or you can freeze it. In either case, lightly oil a storage bowl with a lid and put the covered bowl in the fridge or freezer (assuming the bowl is freezer-safe.) Or you can do the same with a plastic zip-top bag.

Dough in general freezes quite well!

* I say maybe bc I’m not familiar with this specific amount of yeast and flour. If you see it’s rising a lot, you can punch it down and buy some more time, but I wouldn’t do that more than once before using it or tossing it in the freezer.
posted by veggieboy at 5:58 PM on December 9, 2021 [2 favorites]


For some reason the recipe isn’t loading for me, but I make a pizza dough recipe that yields two crusts and the dough freezes very well. I wrap it in plastic wrap and pop it in the freezer.

One time I put it in the fridge for a day or so before I got around to freezing it and it kept rising in the fridge to an undesirable degree; would not recommend.
posted by wondermouse at 6:01 PM on December 9, 2021


Another alternative: par-bake the extra crust now, then freeze it and use it another time. (Just leave it on the counter to thaw for 45 minutes to an hour, while your oven is preheating, then add ingredients and bake.)

I've had better luck using frozen par-baked "shells" than I have freezing and defrosting the dough itself. The dough just never seems to rise as well, or at least as predictably, after being frozen. Par-baked shells are also a lot more convenient.
posted by xil at 6:14 PM on December 9, 2021 [1 favorite]


You absolutely can freeze it. I always make a batch that’s enough for 4 pizzas, freeze them, and then move them to the fridge a couple days before my next pizza night.
posted by rodlymight at 6:29 PM on December 9, 2021


I'd probably try freezing it right after mixing. Works for bagels at least. Don't remember if there was any real thawing or just longer proofing before baking. (ex-bagel factory experience). Dough -> bagel forming machine -> rack or trays -> blast freezer.
posted by zengargoyle at 6:49 PM on December 9, 2021


I’ve worked in two pizza places, and we always froze our dough..
posted by The Underpants Monster at 8:32 PM on December 9, 2021


Kenji has a similar recipe and suggests to store the second dough ball in a plastic bag in the fridge for 3 days. It should taste slightly different after "aging" in the fridge.
posted by mmascolino at 9:10 PM on December 9, 2021 [1 favorite]


I freeze pizza dough all the time (even after a rise) and I can't think of any time it's noticeably impacted the pizza crust. I usually thaw in the fridge and then leave it out for a couple hours to rise again to use it. I imagine freezing before the rise would technically work a bit better but again, haven't really noticed a difference.
posted by Aleyn at 9:21 PM on December 9, 2021


Totally. If you can, it’s good to roll flat so it defrosts evenly, but if not, it’ll still work.
posted by kjs4 at 5:18 AM on December 10, 2021


I always have pizza dough in my freezer and often in my fridge. I defrost for a day in the fridge and then let it come to room temp before shaping it.
posted by OrangeVelour at 5:57 AM on December 10, 2021


The grocery store sells frozen premade pizza dough from a local supplier.

During the summer, I'll often buy a couple doughs to toss into the bag with the ice cream/frozen stuff to increase the thermal mass for the trip home.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 6:50 AM on December 10, 2021


Freezing it is no problem. But if you're thinking of making another pizza in three days, punch it down, oil it, and keep it in a large covered bowl in the fridge. We do this deliberately - make pizza dough and wait three days to use it - and dough that's gone through retarding like that will have a much more developed flavor when baked. We've found three days is the limit for our recipe - on day four it inevitably sprouts a little mold somewhere.
posted by jocelmeow at 8:47 AM on December 10, 2021 [3 favorites]


Yes freeze it after the first rise.

I regularly make a recipe for pizza with 500g flour, 380ml water autolysed 30-40 mins.

Add 2tsp salt 11/2 tsp yeast to dough use wet hands to combine.

Stretch and fold at half hour intervals 2-3 times.

Rise over several hours 6-12) Then I split the dough in half, put one in the freezer and one in the oven. Works every time.

(You can also proof pizza dough in the fridge overnight - slows things down but doesn’t kill yeast)
posted by BAKERSFIELD! at 1:28 PM on December 10, 2021


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