A nice cheese or pepperoni pizza is a great treat. When you don’t want to order the pizza from a pizza place, you can make it yourself. It is best to make the pizza dough ahead of time and store it in the freezer for you to use when you are ready to make the pizza. It is important to defrost the dough before starting to make your pizza as not defrosting can make for a bad pizza experience.
There are many ways that you can choose from when it comes to defrosting your pizza dough. One of the most common methods is to put your dough in the refrigerator for a few hours. Some others include using the oven or the microwave to heat the dough, so it defrosts. All of these methods help to make sure your dough is ready for you to make pizza.
Continue reading to learn more about defrosting pizza dough. Also, continue reading to learn five easy methods that you can use to defrost your pizza dough.
How Long Does It Take To Thaw Pizza Dough?
The time it takes for pizza dough to thaw depends on the method you choose to thaw the dough. The most common way to thaw or defrost pizza dough is to leave it in the refrigerator. If taken out of the freezer and put in the refrigerator to thaw, it will take all night for the dough to thaw completely. You will still need to take the dough out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for an hour or two before you use the dough.
It can take less time when thawing the pizza dough using the microwave. You can defrost your pizza dough in the microwave in as little as 2.5 minutes. You will need to let the dough sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes after using the microwave to let it completely defrost.
How to Defrost Your Pizza Dough
You need to completely defrost your pizza dough before you use it to make your pizza. There are many different methods that you can use to defrost your pizza dough. It is important to note that these methods take different amounts of time to completely defrost pizza dough.
Below you will find five easy methods that you can use to defrost your pizza dough. Depending on when you want to make your pizza, each method can have its advantages and disadvantages. It is best to choose the method that works best for you.
Method 1: In The Refrigerator
If you are not planning on making your pizza today and can wait until tomorrow, the refrigerator can be the best method to use to defrost your pizza dough. This method tends to take a longer amount of time compared to the other methods, but the refrigerator method ensures that your dough is completely defrosted and still fresh when you plan to use it.
Below are the steps to use the refrigerator method to defrost your pizza dough.
Steps
- You first want to take your dough out of the freezer.
- You need to keep the dough in the freezer bag.
- Place the bag with the dough in a large bowl.
- Place the bowl in the refrigerator.
- Allow for the dough to thaw overnight.
- When you are ready to make pizza, take the dough out of the refrigerator.
- Let it sit at room temperature for an hour before use.
Method 2: Using a Bowl of Warm Water
Using warm water can be a quicker way to defrost your pizza dough. You want to be careful when using warm water to thaw your pizza dough because you do not want to partially cook the dough.
This method is much faster than using the refrigerator method, but it is important to note that this method does take more work when done correctly.
Steps
- Fill a medium-sized bowl with warm water.
- Get your pizza dough out of the freezer, but keep it in the bag.
- Put the bag with the frozen dough in warm water.
- Change the water every 10 minutes. The pizza dough will cool the water, and you want the water to stay warm.
- Continue this process until the dough is completely thawed.
Method 3: In the Oven
Another method to defrost your pizza dough is to use the oven. For this method, you want to be careful. You can easily end up cooking the dough rather than just defrosting it, so you want to keep this in mind before choosing this method.
The biggest advantage to using this method to defrost your pizza dough is that the oven will defrost the dough evenly. Other methods for defrosting will leave parts of the dough still cold, which means you need to leave it out at room temperature for a period of time in order to completely defrost the dough. The oven makes sure all of the dough is defrosted without any extra steps.
Steps
- Your first step is to take the pizza dough out of the freezer.
- Find a cooking pan that is large enough to allow the dough to expand.
- Spray the pan with cooking oil.
- Spray the dough with the cooking oil.
- Put the dough in the pan.
- Use plastic wrap that has been sprayed with the oil to cover the dough.
- Put the pan in the oven at 100°F.
- Remove and check the dough after one hour.
- Put back in the oven for 30 minutes if not fully defrosted.
- Once defrosted, remove from the oven.
Method 4: In the Microwave
You also want to be careful when using the microwave method to defrost your pizza dough. You can easily end up cooking your dough rather than just thawing it using the microwave.
This method tends to be the quickest way to thaw your frozen pizza dough. It is the perfect method to use when you want to make pizza but do not have the time to let the dough defrost in another manner.
Steps
- As with all other methods, you first want to get your pizza dough out of the freezer.
- You want to spray a microwave-safe plate with oil.
- Coat the pizza dough with oil.
- Put the dough on the plate.
- Wrap it in plastic wrap.
- Set the microwave to high.
- Put the dough in the microwave for 25 seconds.
- Remove the dough.
- Spray it all again with oil.
- Flip the dough.
- Put it back in the microwave for 25 more seconds.
- Remove the dough from the microwave.
- Set the microwave to defrost.
- Defrost the dough for three to five minutes.
- When done, take out the dough and let it sit out at room temperature.
Method 5: Room Temperature/On the Counter
The final method for defrosting pizza dough that we will discuss is letting the dough sit out on the counter at room temperature. This method can take a while to completely defrost the pizza dough, but all of the dough will be completely defrosted once it is done.
This method is often used in part with other methods, like the refrigerator method or the microwave method. This is because these other methods will still leave parts of the dough in a colder state, so they need to sit out to completely thaw.
When using this method, you do not want to leave your dough out for too long.
Steps
- You want to get the pizza dough out of the freezer.
- Remove the pizza from the plastic storage bag.
- Put the dough in a container large enough for the dough to expand.
- Cover the dough and container in plastic wrap.
- Let the dough sit for two hours.
Can Pizza Dough Go Bad in the Freezer?
When stored properly, pizza dough can stay good for approximately three months. After this three-month period has passed, it is possible that the pizza dough can begin to go bad. You also want to make sure the dough is stored properly. If the dough is not stored properly, it can spoil.
How to Tell If Your Pizza Dough Has Spoiled
Like most foods, pizza dough will spoil after a period of time has passed. There are some common signs that can indicate whether or not your pizza dough has spoiled. These signs are:
- A strange or sour smell
- Change in texture
- A gray coloration
- Mold
If you notice any of these signs in your pizza dough, it is best to throw the dough away as it has spoiled.
Final Thoughts
Pizza is a nice treat that you can order from a pizza establishment or make yourself. When making pizza, you can use dough you bought from the store, or you can make your own pizza dough. It is best to have your dough prepared before you make your pizza, and you can keep your dough in the freezer. It is best to have your dough completely thawed before making your pizza, and there are many methods you can use to defrost your pizza dough.