Frozen Pizza Dough Recipes

HOW TO MAKE AND FREEZE PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine yeast, warm water, and sugar, and let sit for 10 minutes. The liquid should be foamy and bubbly, indicating that the yeast is alive.
• Add the bread flour, olive oil, and salt. Stir using the dough hook or a wooden spoon, until roughly combined. Fit the bowl and the dough hook onto the stand mixer and knead on medium-low speed for 10 minutes, until smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for about 30 minutes, until the dough has doubled in size.
• Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface and divide into four even pieces. Shape each piece of dough into a ball.
• The dough is now ready to be rolled out and baked, or ready to be frozen.
• To freeze the pizza dough: place the pizza dough balls into resealable plastic bags. Make sure that if you put multiple balls of dough in one bag, you use parchment paper or wax paper to keep them separated.
• To thaw: place the pizza dough in the refrigerator the morning before you want to make dinner, then roll and bake as usual.
• To bake: preheat the oven to 500˚. Roll the thawed (or freshly made) dough and bake each pizza about 10 to 15 minutes.

FROZEN PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• Pour 1 cup warm water into a small bowl. Add sugar, and sprinkle in the yeast. Using a fork, stir the mixture until the yeast is dissolved and the water has turned tan. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine 2 3/4 cups flour and the salt, and pulse 3 to 4 times. Add the yeast mixture and the olive oil. Pulse until the dough comes together, adding more flour as needed until the dough is smooth, not tacky, when squeezed. Transfer to a clean work surface, knead four or five turns and shape into a ball.
• Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, smooth side up. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Remove the plastic wrap and place your fist in the center of the dough to punch down. Fold the dough back onto itself four or five times.
• Divide the dough into four equal portions, and roll each into an 8-inch round. Stack the rounds, separated by lightly oiled sheets of parchment paper, then double wrap the stack tightly with plastic wrap, and freeze.
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees with a pizza stone on lowest rack. Remove dough from freezer, and let stand at room temperature until thawed, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle cornmeal on a pizza peel or inverted baking sheet. Place dough rounds on top, and cover with toppings, as desired.
• Slide rounds onto pizza stone, and bake until crust is crisp and golden and toppings are bubbling, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from oven; serve immediately.

PIZZA FROM FROZEN BREAD DOUGH

Steps:

• Let dough thaw overnight in the refrigerator (see here for other ways to thaw frozen dough). Pull it out and set it out on a counter for 30 minutes up a few hours before making pizza. When you're ready to shape and bake the pizza, preheat the oven to 450ºF.
• Divide the pre-made pizza dough into two. Shape each half into a ball. Use a floured rolling pin to shape the dough into a round crust. Or, shape it by hand by stretching it with your upturned hands to pull the dough from underneath in an outward motion.
• When the crust is the desired size, transfer it to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and a light drizzle of olive oil.
• Bake the bare pizza dough in the oven at 450ºF for 5 minutes. While it is baking, prepare your toppings.
• Once the dough is ready, take it out and preheat the oven to 500ºF. Add the sauce, dried herbs, cheese, and other toppings to the pizza crust, leaving a 1" edge around. Brush olive oil around the outer crust of the dough, then lightly sprinkle the edges with salt.
• Bake the pizza at 500º F for 7-10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and the edges of the crust are golden. Let the pizza cool for a few minutes before adding fresh herbs, then slice and serve.