How to Freeze Pizza Dough

You can forget about delivery pizza once you discover how easy it is to make and freeze pizza dough. Homemade pizza with homemade dough can save money and give you complete control of the ingredients. You'll never again be tempted by those cardboard crusts you can barely tell apart from the delivery box they come in.

Just keep a couple of pizza dough balls in the freezer and you'll be able to whip up a homemade pizza faster than you could have one delivered. Not convinced? Give these instructions for freezing pizza dough a try and see for yourself.​

Equipment

• Pizza dough
• Freezer bags or plastic wrap
• Oil or baking spray
• A permanent marker

Instructions

1. Make a batch of pizza dough following the instructions in your chosen recipe.
2. You can freeze your pizza dough before or after it has had a chance for the yeast to cause it to rise, but you'll need to remember when (and label it), so you know whether you need to let it rise when defrosted or if it's ready to form into a crust.
3. For future convenience, it may be best to let the dough rise as usual. You will then be freezing it at the point where you would normally have formed it into the final crust.
4. After your dough has risen, shape it into a ball or balls, each the right size for the pizza crust you will be making it into in the future. If your recipe makes enough dough for more than one pizza, divide your dough into individual pizza amounts before you package it for the freezer.
5. Oil the ball of dough (this will help you remove it from the freezer bag when thawed). You can lightly coat it with olive oil or spray it with oil or baking spray.
6. Place it in a freezer bag or two layers of plastic wrap. Label with the contents and date. As noted above, give yourself a note as to whether you need to let it rise or it is ready to made into a crust, topped and baked.
7. Store your pizza dough in the freezer until you need it. It will keep indefinitely but is best used within three months.
8. If you buy pizza dough at the grocery store or bakery but don't have time to use it, you can freeze that as well.

Using Frozen Pizza Dough

1. First, thaw your dough in the refrigerator overnight, or approximately 12 hours.
2. Take it out of the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature. This will take about 30 minutes.
3. Now you are ready to go through the first rise or to form it into the crust. Proceed with your pizza recipe as usual.
4. Experiment with flatbread toppings that go beyond the usual idea of pizza. Your crust can be the perfect base for breakfast, lunch, or dinner recipes.