Can you freeze pizza dough

Whether you have leftover pizza dough or you are doing meal planning and make pizza dough in bulk, freezer is your new friend! Yes! pizza dough freezes really well and is very convenient whether you want to make one pizza or feed a crowd. Let's get into more details.

Preparation

Make dough: If you make your pizza dough at home, use your favorite recipe and let the dough go through the first rise. After that punch the dough.

Portion: Depending on your needs and usage, you can freeze the dough into a large dough ball or divide into smaller portions. I personally divide into smaller portions and that way I have flexibility of making a single pizza or bake for the entire family.

I use these portion sizes for freezing pizza dough balls

for 10 inch pizza - approx. 250 gram size dough balls
for 8 inch pizza - approx. 180 gram size dough balls
for 6 inch pizza - approx. 95 gram size dough balls

Store bought pizza dough: depending on your usage and size of pizza dough, you can place the package as is in the freezer or portion it and then freeze it.

Divide into smaller dough balls, cover, and freeze them in a tray.

Frozen pizza dough.

How to freeze pizza dough

Any of the below options works well to freeze pizza dough depending on how much space you have in the freezer to fit a tray.

Individual wrap: wrap each of the portioned dough balls in food cling wrap and place it in a freezer safe container or ziplock bag and freeze it.
Freeze in tray: line the dough balls in a large freezer safe tray and cover it with a cling wrap. Freeze it for 5-6 hours. Once they freeze, transfer the frozen pizza dough balls into a freezer safe container or ziplock bags.

Label: mark the container or ziplock bag with the date, pizza size (or weight of dough balls), and "pizza dough".

Storage options

Cling wrap: it is best to wrap the dough ball first, it helps avoid freezer burn.
Ziplock bags: place the portioned dough balls with or without the cling wrap in the ziplock bags.
Freezer safe containers like Pyrex, Rubbermaid, Tupperware, and similar containers are great reusable options if you prefer more eco friendly choices.

How to thaw frozen pizza dough

Depending on how much time I have at hand, I use below ways to thaw frozen pizza dough. I use as many dough balls as needed for making pizzas.

Room temperature: Remove the cling wrap and place the dough in a bowl or tray and cover it. Leave it for 1-2 hours at room temperature until it thaws completely.

Refrigerator: Remove the cling wrap and place the dough in a bowl or tray and cover it. Place it in the refrigerator for 6-7 hours or overnight.

Microwave: Remove the cling wrap and place the dough in a microwave safe bowl or tray and cover it. Thaw it by using defrost setting in intervals of 20-30 seconds or depending on the size of dough ball.

How to make pizza from defrosted pizza dough

Once the pizza dough is thawed, use it just like regular pizza dough. There is no need for it to rise, roll it on a lightly floured surface, apply your favortite sauce, toppings, and cheese. Bake in the oven at around 425°F for 12-18 minutes or until the cheese becomes golden brown.

Duration

Pizza dough can be frozen for 3-6 months.

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