How to Defrost Pizza Dough: 7 Easy Methods

pizza

Pizza is an Italian dish made of flattened wheat dough topped with different cheese, tomatoes, or whatever else you prefer on your pizza. Then, it is baked in the oven at a high temperature.

You can prepare pizza at home or you can buy pizza dough, top it with your favorite toppings and bake it. If you have bought frozen pizza dough and want to defrost it without making a big mess, here are few methods you can use.

You can defrost pizza dough in the fridge overnight, on the counter at room temperature, with cold or warm water, in the oven or the microwave, and near any source of heat.

Read on to learn more about these methods and how to defrost pizza dough properly.

7 Easy Ways to Defrost Pizza Dough

Pizza in Toaster Oven

When you are defrosting pizza dough there are few things you should consider. For instance, you should always cover your pizza dough with plastic wrap or a towel before defrosting.

If you did not cover the pizza dough the air will dry the dough and you will not be able to shape it. So, you will end up with dry cracked pizza dough that doesn’t look nor taste good. Also, if you want a delicious pizza, leave the dough is at room temperature before you top and bake it.

The last thing you should consider is the instructions on the package of the pizza dough. If they have “do not thaw “instructions it is best to follow the instructions on the package.

Here are the 7 easy ways to defrost pizza dough.

1. Defrost pizza dough overnight in the refrigerator

If you are planning to use the dough the next day this is the best technique you can use to defrost it. Place the dough in a container large enough so it can rise, then cover it with a plastic wrap or towel and leave it in the refrigerator for 8-12hours.

If your dough is bigger, it will need more time to defrost. The next day, it will rise showing small bubbles. You can now take off the wrap and leave the pizza dough to proof for about one hour. When the dough is at room temperature you can top it and bake.

homemade_pizza

2. Defrost pizza dough at room temperature

You can defrost your pizza dough at room temperature at your countertop. Just take it out of the freezer and place it in a bigger container than the dough so it has a place to expand.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a clean towel and let it defrost for about 2-3 hours. When the dough is defrosted you can start with the preparation of your pizza.

3. Defrost pizza dough in cold water

One of the faster ways to defrost your pizza dough is to put it in a bowl full of cold water. Take the pizza dough from the freezer and place it in a plastic bag. Then, place it into a bowl of cold water. Make sure that it is completely covered.

Be careful that the water doesn’t enter inside the dough. After 1-2 hours the dough will turn soft and rise. Take off the plastic bag and let the dough sit for 1 hour before you start to prepare your pizza.

4. Defrost pizza dough in warm water

For this method, you will need a bowl of warm water where you will put the pizza dough. After you remove the pizza dough from the freezer put it in a plastic bag take out the excess air and seal it.

Be careful not to use hot water because you will cook the dough and you will have to toss it away. Change the water every 10 minutes because it will become cold as a result of the frozen dough. The dough will be defrosted after 30-40minutes.

5. Defrost pizza dough in the oven

To defrost a pizza dough in the oven you will need a heatproof container and oil. Spray the container or the cooking pan with oil and place the dough in it.

Then, spray some oil on the dough and cover it with plastic wrap. Put the dough in the oven at 100 degrees Fahrenheit for about 1 hour.

Check if the dough is risen and defrosted. If the dough is still slightly frozen you can take it back in the oven for 20-30 minutes. After that take it out from the oven and start to prepare your pizza. Just be careful not to cook the dough.

6. Defrost pizza dough in the microwave

If you want to defrost the dough in the microwave first spray oil on your microwave-safe plate. Then, put the dough on the plate and spray it with oil.

Finally, cover the dough with plastic wrap and set your microwave at a high temperature for 25 seconds. Spray the dough and the plate with oil again turn it over and take it back in the microwave for another 25 seconds.

When it is over you can set the microwave to defrost and put the dough in the microwave for 3-5 minutes. The dough will start to defrost. Take the dough out of the microwave and let it rise at room temperature for a while. When it doubled its size your dough is ready to use.

7. Defrost pizza dough in any source of heat

You can defrost your pizza dough on top of your radiator or any other source of heat. Just spray some oil into a large bowl put the dough inside and spray oil all over its surface.

Then, cover the pizza dough with plastic wrap and let it sit for about 2-4 hours. It will start to defrost and it will double its size. When it defrosts you can start to make your pizza.

Related Questions

How do you defrost pizza dough quickly?

You can defrost your dough quickly in an oven. Just use heat-proof bowl spray oil in the bowl and on the dough. Cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the oven at 100 degrees Fahrenheit for about one hour and increase the time if needed.

Can you defrost frozen pizza dough in a microwave?

You can defrost pizza dough in the microwave on defrost setting for about 3-5 minutes. Just be is careful not to cook it instead.

How do you soften frozen pizza dough?

You can soften your frozen pizza dough in a bowl of warm water, or a microwave.

How do you use defrosted pizza dough?

You can roll and stretch defrosted pizza dough on a floured surface and make pizza, calzone, or some other recipe calling for pizza dough.

How to defrost pizza dough overnight?

If you want to defrost the dough, overnight put it in a larger container so it can easily rise. Simply cover it with plastic wrap.

The next day, take off the plastic wrap and leave it to proof for about 1 hour. The dough will rise and form small bubbles, so you can use it in any recipe that calls for pizza dough.

Let’s Bake Some Pizza!

All of these methods will defrost pizza dough successfully. The only significant difference is in the time you will need for each one of them.

You can defrost your pizza dough in the refrigerator overnight and this method lasts longer than the other methods. If you want to prepare your pizza as quickly as possible you can use some of the other methods mentioned in this article.

You can defrost the pizza dough in warm or cold water, in an oven, or in the microwave. If you don’t have any of this on hand, however, you can simply place the dough in a big container, spray some oil, cover it with plastic wrap, and put it near any source of heat.

Maybe you will need more time with this method but the final result will be the same as with the other methods. Which method you will pick depends only on you and how hungry you are.

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