There are two essential appliances to keep leftover food or food that will be cooked and eaten in the next few days or even a few months. The fridge and freezer are these two elements that are so important in every home’s kitchen: refrigerating a large part of the purchase is essential to enjoy the taste of the products. In this sense, there are some doubts about which foods can be frozen. Pizza dough is one of them, as many people do not know for sure if it can be kept in the fridge and freezer, how to do it and for how long. Can you freeze pizza dough or not? If you ask yourself, we clarify that it is possible and we explain the different methods with which you can do it correctly. Keep reading and take notes!
Can you freeze pizza dough?
Making a homemade pizza dough has a broader meaning than simply making it: it allows you to have a very entertaining time if you make it in the company. Maybe you do not calculate the quantities exactly and it comes out more or, simply, you want to have plenty to use on other occasions. If so, do not worry, there are ways to preserve it to consume it in later days. The fridge and freezer will help you store homemade pizza dough and keep it in good condition.
Store homemade pizza dough in the fridge
If you have dinner the next day and think you won’t have time to make the pizza for work or any other reason, you can make the dough and keep it in the fridge. It is a perfect option to eat homemade pizza from one day to the next or hours later to make the dough.
If you do not know how long a pizza dough lasts in the fridge, do not worry: it will stay for hours without problems, but do not forget that it should not be consumed later than a day after making it.
How to freeze pizza dough?
You can also freeze cooked or fresh pizza to keep the homemade dough in good condition and to last longer, so this option will allow you to consume it later than in the fridge. Therefore, it is a good idea to choose to make a large amount of dough to save several pieces and use them to make homemade pizzas or similar recipes, such as focaccia. Regarding freezing the pizza prepared with all the ingredients and already cooked or raw, it is also possible, but it will be necessary to take into account the state and duration in the freezer of the rest of the ingredients and not just the dough.
A healthier and very interesting diet option is cauliflower pizza dough. It has fewer calories and will allow you to satisfy the desire to eat pizza. In addition, you can also freeze cauliflower pizza dough: After baking, wrap it with a freeze-wrap film and store it in the freezer. If you cannot store it well placed easily and it becomes deformed but you want to store it already stretched, we recommend you place it already wrapped in a film on a plate and store it in the freezer. When it is frozen, you can remove the plate.
Freeze pizza dough without stretching
Did you know that you can freeze pizza dough without stretching? It is one of the methods through which you can keep it in good condition and for a long time. Here, we explain step by step how to do it:
- Let the dough ferment and, after doubling its volume, knead it little by little. This way you will get degassed, that is, remove the gas generated by the dough during fermentation.
- Cut the dough into several portions and form balls with them.
- Wrap the portions in plastic wrap, to which you have previously put a little olive oil scattered on the side that will be in contact with the dough.
- Put the portions in the freezer.
- This is a very useful method for small freezers since the dough is divided into balls that can be stored in any hole.
Freeze the stretched pizza base
Another method by which you can freeze pizza bases is by stretching them. To achieve this, follow these steps to freeze the stretched pizza base:
- Let the dough ferment and double the volume.
- Knead to degas and separate it into different portions of the size that will be most practical for you.
- Stretch each portion with the help of a rolling pin.
- Separate the portions with sheets of baking paper greased with olive oil.
- Wrap the portions together with plastic wrap.
- Store them in the freezer.
Unlike the unstretched method, you will need a large freezer or with enough space to fit the dough portions like this, since they take up more space. Make sure to put them in a smooth area, with no other food underneath, so that they stay as flat as possible, without risk of deformation during freezing.
Freeze rolled pizza doughs
The third method of freezing pizza doughs is by rolling them up. It is an intermediate procedure compared to the previous two because it saves space in the freezer and defrosting time. To learn how to freeze rolled or fresh , rolled pizza dough, follow these steps:
- Grease a sheet of baking paper with olive oil.
- Roll out the prepared pizza dough on top of the sheet.
- Roll the dough like those that are fresh for industrial pizzas, getting the paper between the dough so that it is separated, without deforming and, at the same time, taking up less space.
How long can you freeze pizza dough?
To take full advantage of the quality of homemade pizza dough, you can freeze it for 3-4 weeks. It is the ideal time to consume it without losing the flavor and texture, but you can also eat it later.
Unlike industrial pizzas, which are kept longer in the freezer, homemade pizzas hold well in this range. They can also be kept for longer weeks, but the flavor suffers. Obviously, the quality of frozen homemade pizza dough will be superior to that of previously frozen industrial pizzas.
Tips for Freezing Pizza Dough
Go making pizzas and similar recipes for a few weeks, to finish we give you the following tips to freeze and thaw the dough pizza:
- To defrost the rolled pizza dough, simply remove it from the freezer and put it on the kitchen counter for 30 minutes. After this time, you can stretch it without fear of it breaking.
- Divide the dough according to the pizzas you want to make in the coming weeks, and each slice will be a pizza.
So that the edges of the dough are crisp after cooking, pre-bake the dough before freezing it, that is, partially cook the portions in the oven for 10 minutes and then, when they cool again, freeze them. In this way, the day you want to eat them you just have to finish cooking them and the edges will be better.
