Can You Freeze Pizza Dough?

If you’ve ever made homemade pizza, then you know how difficult it is to make the right amount of dough for your pizza. You’re almost guaranteed to have leftovers, so do you just throw it away or can you freeze pizza dough?

You can easily freeze pizza dough of any size for up to 3 months without it affecting the taste or texture. Before you make and cook your next pizza simply thaw the dough out thoroughly before use.

Storing pizza dough doesn’t need to be stressful because yes, you can freeze pizza dough! But there is a way of doing it safely and there are some things you need to know about storing and thawing the dough to make sure it is safe to be consumed.

But don’t worry, you don’t need to figure that out on your own because we’ve put together everything you need to know about freezing pizza dough right here in this helpful guide!

How do you Freeze Pizza Dough?

The interesting thing about pizza dough is that you can freeze it before it has had the chance to rise, or after.

If you choose to freeze the dough before the yeast has worked its magic, then the active status of the yeast will be put on pause.

Once it’s been taken out of the freezer and defrosted, your pizza dough will pick up where it left off and rise!

So it doesn’t matter what stage you choose to freeze the dough at (pre-rise or post-rise) just make sure you remember what stage it is at, so you don’t serve pizza dough that hasn’t risen.

Make sure you always use the same method or write on the freezer bag or tub the stage it was at when you froze it so you don’t forget. Trust us, you’ll be disappointed if you don’t!

After that, just separate your dough into individual pizza-sized dough balls for freezing. It’ll make your life much easier when you come to defrost it, but it also means you won’t waste any dough because you can just take what you need out of the freezer.

It’s also a good idea to spray a little olive oil over each dough ball before freezing, otherwise, you might struggle to take the ball out of the freezer bag or container when you want to use it.

Once it has been oiled, place it in a freezer bag or suitable pizza proofing box, with its contents, date is frozen, and rising status clearly marked.

Remember, it might not be you that takes it out of the freezer so it’s good to let everyone in your household know what the dough needs before cooking. Then just place it in the freezer and Voila! Delicious homemade pizza dough ready to be used whenever you desire!

Will Freezing Pizza Dough Change the Taste or Texture?

When you freeze pizza dough, what you’re really doing is freezing the moisture in the pizza dough to help preserve it.

This freezes everything else too, including any potentially harmful microorganisms and bacteria, as well as the yeast. It also freezes the cells of the dough too, and all of these form into ice crystals.

Over time, these ice crystals can affect the texture of the dough, leaving it less light and fluffy than it would have been had you used it fresh.

The longer you leave pizza dough in the freezer, the more the texture will change. But more on that later, for now, you just need to know that the texture will change slightly when you freeze your dough but does the taste?

Actually, the taste remains pretty much the same. It will still taste like fresh homemade dough, no matter how long you store it for.

That being said, other food can affect your pizza dough’s taste in the freezer if you don’t store it correctly. So let’s look at the best ways to store frozen pizza dough to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Best Ways to Store Frozen Pizza Dough

Whenever you freeze pizza dough, the most important thing to do is to make sure that it is stored securely. This will help prevent freezer burn but also ensure it isn’t contaminated by anything else in the freezer.

Make sure you use sealable freezer bags and that they are closed completely. You can also pick up extra freezer-safe food wraps to add an extra layer of protection for your dough against freezer burn. This will just guarantee the quality of the frozen pizza dough a little more.

The last piece of advice we have for you about storing pizza dough in the best way is to make sure you don’t open the freezer door for a couple of hours after placing it in the freezer.

Doing this is the best way to guarantee that you have frozen it safely. Opening the door too soon can interrupt the freezing process and allow bacteria to grow in your pizza dough.

By allowing it to freeze completely, you keep the harmful bacteria away.

How Long can I Freeze Pizza Dough?

It’s actually possible to freeze pizza dough for as long as you like, but there is something to be said about the quality of frozen ingredients dropping off after a certain amount of time.

Most people in the freezer community agree that frozen homemade ingredients and meals start to lose some of their quality after around 3 months.

If you want to guarantee the best quality for your pizza dough, then we’d recommend using it within 3 months to be on the safe side.

But then again, we’ve never been able to keep pizza dough in our freezers for longer than a week or two. When you know you’re just a moment away from tasty homemade pizza, it can be difficult to take your mind off it!

How to Defrost Pizza Dough

To finish, we thought it would be a good idea to tell you how to defrost your pizza dough safely. After all, there’s no point in freezing your dough if you don’t know how to use it afterward!

On the day you plan to turn your delicious pizza dough into a delicious pizza, take it out of the freezer and place it in the refrigerator.

It will take around 12 hours to fully defrost. It’s important that you don’t simply defrost it at room temperature because bacteria needs warmth and moisture to grow, two things you would provide in spades if you left your pizza dough at room temperature to defrost.

Once you’ve left it in the refrigerator for 12 hours, let it get to room temperature before using it. This should only take around half an hour. After that, you’re free to continue your homemade pizza recipe as normal!

Can you Defrost Pizza Dough in the Microwave?

You can defrost pizza dough in a microwave but we wouldn’t recommend it. Using a microwave if you are really short of time can be done but you will more than likely end up with part cook dough!

There are lots of quick tips out there about putting it in a bowl of water or microwaving but with a little planning and preparation you are always better off either using freshly made pizza dough or, by defrosting it properly.

Best Pizza Dough Recipie

So yes, you can freeze your pizza dough and if you ask us, it’s the perfect way to avoid food waste and enjoy more delicious homemade pizzas but what’s the best pizza dough recipe to use?

Well, there’s no better pizza dough recipe than one from OONI, one of the best outdoor pizza oven makers in the market.

Ooni’s classic pizza dough recipe ensures you get the perfect base each and every time for your family pizzas and yes you can freeze the dough!

You can find in-depth instructions on how to make the dough on their website but below we’ll give you a list of the ingredients you’ll need.

Ooni Classic Pizza Dough Ingredients

• 364ml cold water
• 18g salt
• 20g fresh yeast
• 607g “00” flour

Just a reminder if you are unsure what 00 flour is, take a look at our article What is 00 Flour and Why Use It?

If you’re looking to buy a new outdoor pizza oven why not take a look at our 5 Best Pizza Ovens article.