Freezing pizza dough?

[LMJ]

Since I'm turning the turkey duties over to my grandmother this year due to my school workload, I thought I'd try and make some nice breadsticks to go with dinner instead. I'm planning to use Alton Brown's pizza crust recipe, but I'd like to make these in advance of the holidays. Can I freeze dough once it's been kneeded, or will that ruin it?

 

[Audeo]

You can easily freeze the dough, LMJ, but I wouldn't do so for more than 8-10 days, or I'd worry about the yeast going kapput. Just seal the dough in lots of plastic (I would even wrap mine in a layer of freezer paper, too) then place into a heavy-duty Ziploc and remove as much air as possible.

Make sure you allow the dough to thaw for at least 8 hours at room temp, and leave it still wrapped so it won't dry out.

My two cents, anyway. Does someone else have any thought here...those that make pizza much more often than I???

 

[Psiguyy]

Pizza dough is always better when refrigerated overnight. So, depending on when you want to make it, you may only need to stick it in the fridge. I've refrigerated dough for up to 2 days without a problem.

You can always freeze it after the first rise. In other words, let it rise once, punch it down, divide into individual balls of dough, wrap in plastic, then freeze. The yeasty beasties don't die in the freezer even if kept frozen for months.

 

[Audeo]

The yeasty beasties don't die in the freezer even if kept frozen for months.

And there you have it. Thanks for the info, Psiguyy! I didn't know before!

 

[Psiguyy]

The yeasty beasties don't die in the freezer even if kept frozen for months.

And there you have it. Thanks for the info, Psiguyy! I didn't know before!

Audeo, all you gotta do is look in the freezer case. They sell raw frozen dough everywhere. Restaurants all over the place buy frozen raw dough so they can have "fresh baked" bread without having to hire a bread baker.

 

[LMJ]

Thanks folks. That'll mean I can have homemade pizza dough ready to go on (relatively) short notice. 8)

 

[WayneT]

I freeze my Pizza dough all the time. Once the dough is frozen, if the yeast isn't killed then, and it won't be, it won't matter if it is there for months. That's my experience anyway.

 

[Audeo]

I have completely humbled myself here. I use my freezer for long-term storage of YEAST! Now why didn't that little tidbit transfer over before I opened my mouth?

Thanks to all for helping to return me to reality... :roll: