How To Defrost Pizza Dough

How To Defrost Pizza Dough.

Key Takeaways

1. Discover quick and easy ways to thaw frozen pizza dough, from fridge overnight to cold water baths.

2. Learn techniques to prevent freezer burn and maintain the integrity of your pizza dough for delicious homemade pies.

3. Control ingredients and customize toppings for a healthier alternative to store-bought pizzas, reducing sodium and fat intake.

4. Make pizza dough ahead and freeze for convenient homemade pizza any time, while avoiding the hassle of last-minute defrosting.

Pizza dough can be stored in the freezer for 1-2 months using some tips and methods. It is important to avoid microwave to defrost the dough as anyone of such methods will half cook the dough.

Studies show in the US, over 42 million people eat pizza daily. To save money and enhance the nutritional quality of pizza, think of making pizza at home with frozen dough.

For easy pizza, it is great to have handy pizza dough during the week; however, thawing is a time taking process. Defrosting frozen pizza dough requires a little planning, but it’s not a hard process.

Cold defrosting is the best way to defrost pizza dough, and once defrosted, make sure to use pizza dough in a few days to avoid the gluten break down, making it sour.

In this article, we will discuss different ways and methods to defrost pizza dough. So stay with me.

How to Freeze Pizza Dough:

Step 1:

You can use many recipes to make the pizza dough. The results of the dough may be different for every recipe. The making of more than one batch is easy as compared to making a single batch. Make them separately.

  1. The first batch is made in the mixer. Scrap the dough into a large container after kneading. Cover the bowl and rise.
  2. The second batch is made in the mixer without washing the bowl. Scrape the dough into a large bowl after kneading and cover it.
  3. Repeat the upper procedure.
  4. The timer is set with the rising of the last batch of dough. Timing won’t matter between the first and last batch.

Step 2:

This is the important step as many recipes use yeast for 1st rise though it is for a short time. The first rise will make the dough shape into an actual dough.

Also, the yeast grows and feeds on the sugar and starches, which bakes the dough.

Step 3:

After the first rise, remove air bubbles, fold the dough a few times and give it a round disc shape.

The disc shape will help to thaw faster as compared to the round shape. The diameter of the dough is important, too, as you are storing the dough in the freezer, so make it fit in the freezer.

Step 4:

Freezer burn is the worst enemy in freezer cooking. This causes no nutritional loss of the commodity; however, it makes the food dry and changes the taste.

The freezer burn is prevented by wrapping the pizza dough in a plastic wrap twice. Plastic wrap is best for sealing the dough as it is less expensive and easily manageable.

The second wrap is a freezer-safe bag, aluminum foil, or container.

Step 5:

This is the most important step. It is good to label the items before putting them in the freezer.

Methods to defrost pizza:

There are methods mentioned below to defrost pizza dough. Let’s discuss them one by one.

1. Defrost Pizza Dough in the refrigerator:

Pizza dough is removed from the freezer and store in a bag. An airtight bag is normally used for this purpose. This can also be put in a big bowl to help the dough expand.

The bowl is placed in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, many tiny bubbles are visible on the dough. The softening of the dough will start and rises overnight.

The dough is removed from the bag and placed on the slab for almost an hour. This is the time for its use.

2. A cold water bath:

For defrosting pizza dough, another great method used is cold-water bath treatment. The dough is not harmed or accidentally starts to cook. The dough is removed from the freezer along with the storage bag and place in a medium-sized bowl.

The bowl is filled with cold water and gets ensured that pizza dough is covered properly. The pizza dough is left along with the bag under cold water for 1-2 hrs.  The water must be changed after every 15 minutes to thaw 1 pound of dough; almost 15 minutes are required.

The dough will get soft and rises. The tiny bubbles are observed when the dough is ready. The dough is removed and allow to settle down in a dry bowl for 1 hour. This is the time for baking pizza.

3. Defrost Pizza Dough in a Bowl of warm water:

When using warm water, you need to take the car as you don’t want to half cook the dough. However, using this method will make your dough quick to use. Get ensured that the dough must be in a sealed plastic bag. Remove extra air as much as you can from the bag.

A medium-sized bowl is filled with warm water and places the dough. The water must be changed after 10 minutes as the dough gets cold. Until the dough is thawed, water changing is necessary.

4. Using a Microwave:

This method should be avoided as this method lead to half the cooking of your dough. Use a microwave carefully to get ensured that your dough quickly thaws.

Oil is sprayed on a microwave-safe plate, and the dough is also coated with the oil. The dough is placed on the plate and wrapped in plastic wrapping. The plastic wrap is also sprayed with oil to save the dough from sticking.

The timings of the microwave are set to 25 seconds. The dough will not start to cook at this time; however, enough heat is provided to start the thawing process.

The dough is removed, the plate is sprayed, dough and again wrap it in plastic, and the dough is flipped again on the plate. Get it recovered and again placed in the microwave for 25 seconds.

The dough is removed again, and it should be cool. The dough should not rise. It should be placed in the microwave back with a defrost setting for 3-5 minutes.

The dough is thawed evenly; however, if the dough is in less amount, thaw it for 3 minutes almost. However, for large dough, it should be around 5 minutes.

After finishing, the dough is placed at a normal temperature on the counter, so it rises. After rising, the dough is ready to bake.

5. Using an Oven:

The microwave method involves much care not to cook the dough in the defrosting process. The preferable method is cold defrosting; however, the oven can also be used for thawing pizza dough.

A large cooking pan is used to expand the dough, and oil is sprayed on it. The dough is also well sprayed. It is placed in the pan and covers the pan with a plastic sheet, and oil is sprayed.

The oven is set at 100⁰F, and place the pan in it. The lowest gas setting is used for the gas oven.  The oven with bread proof setting is best for defrosting dough.

The dough is removed after 1 hour and get it to check. You have to check the dough is defrosted fully and risen. If not, put the dough back for half an hour. When the dough is ready, it will rise two times its actual size.

The dough, when fully thawed, is placed on the counter start your pizza. At this time, it will be ready to use.

6. Leaving your pizza dough on the counter:

This method takes 2 hrs. To defrost your pizza dough. Please take out the dough from the fridge and place it out of the storage box. The dough is placed in a large bowl and allow to expand. Cover the dough with the wrap. It will take 2 hours to thaw and rise.

These methods will help you to defrost the dough; however, use the cold methods if you have time in hand. The warm methods take less time, so these are better if you have a time factor.

Pizza and Health:

Pizza is the world’s most popular and loved food item. It is a favorite global item with a mixture of bread, cheese, and savory sauce.

It is though a delicious superstar; however, it has some health drawbacks. It has a high percentage of sodium, fat, and calories. This high content might cause a gain in weight, and sodium causes heart diseases and high blood pressure.

It is suggested to improve the nutrient content to cater to the health issues caused by consuming pizza.

Benefits of Homemade Pizza:

To make your pizza at home, using frozen pizza dough might assist in reducing calorie intake, sodium, and fat content as it helps you to customize your pizza.

According to USDA’s nutrition, a 2-ounce serving of frozen dough without cheese or sauce contains 3g proteins, 0.5g total fat, 110 calories, 23g carbohydrates, 230mg sodium, and 110 calories. To enhance the nutritional status of your dough, select a brand that has whole-wheat flour and some other ingredients.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommended the topping:

  • Loading up on veggies.
  • Using a tomato-based sauce.
  • Adding healthier meats like shrimp, chicken, and Canadian bacon.
  • Cutting back on cheese.

Tip:

Use red pepper flakes in place of Parmesan cheese to add flavor without sodium.

Conclusion:

You will forget the pizza delivery once you come to know how easy it is to make the dough. Homemade dough is time-saving and can control your ingredients. This article helps you to go through the methods of defrosting the freezer dough to make pizza as per your choice.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can you defrost pizza dough on the counter?

Yes, it is possible to defrost pizza dough on the counter, and it will take 1-2 hours to defrost the frozen dough. Make sure not to leave the raw dough to sit out for a long time.

How do I make frozen pizza dough better?

After the thawing process, allows the dough to set up at room temperature for some hours. After getting shape, the dough is then oiled with any oil according to your choice.

 How do you keep frozen pizza dough soft?

To get the softer crust, use high heat or more time for baking, and a baking sheet is used to set the pizza, and for a crisper crust, low heat for a short time is set for baking.