6 Simple Ways to Defrost Frozen Pizza Dough

You may keep pizza dough in the freezer for one or two months (see my ideas and alternative approaches in my post about keeping pizza dough).

When you’re ready to thaw it, try to avoid using a microwave or any other device that can partly cook the dough.

A cold defrosting procedure is the best approach to defrost pizza dough. After the pizza dough has been defrosted, use it within a few days so that the yeast does not have time to break down the gluten and turn it sour.

1 – Defrost Pizza Dough in the Refrigerator

Take the frozen pizza dough and place it in a storage bag. It is usually kept in an airtight bag. You may place it in a bowl large enough to allow it to grow.

Put it in the refrigerator, and let it there overnight. In the morning, you should notice little bubbles develop on the dough. Overnight, the dough will soften and rise.

Remove the dough from its storage bag and let it aside on the counter for about an hour. It will be ready to use at this point.

2 – Give the Frozen Pizza Dough a Cold-Water Bath

A cold-water bath is another excellent option for defrosting pizza dough. This procedure will not injure the dough or cause it to overcook.

As you take the pizza dough out of the freezer, leave it in its storage bag and place it in a medium-sized bowl. Fill the basin halfway with cold water, making sure the pizza dough is thoroughly submerged.

Place the pizza dough in a bag and submerge it in cold water for one to two hours. You’ll notice that it’s soft, and it’ll start to rise. When the dough is finished, you should be able to see little bubbles on it.

Remove the pizza dough from the bag and set it aside in a dry bowl for about an hour. It will be ready for you to bake your pizza at this point.

Try the instructions in my post on extending pizza dough if your dough won’t stretch.

3 – Defrost Pizza Dough in a Bowl of Warm Water

You must exercise caution when using warm water since you do not want to partly cook the dough, but this process will have your pizza dough ready in no time. Place the pizza dough in an airtight plastic bag. Seal the bag after removing as much air as possible.

Pour a medium-sized bowl halfway with warm water, then add the dough. Since the dough will cool in that time, you will need to replace the water every 10 minutes. It is required to change the water until the dough has thawed.

4 – Using a Microwave

You should avoid using a microwave since it can partly cook your dough. But, if you need to ensure that your frozen pizza dough thaws rapidly, you may use a microwave very cautiously.

Begin by sprinkling oil on your microwave safe dish. Apply oil to the dough as well. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place it on the platter.
Spray the plastic wrap with oil to prevent it from sticking to the dough.

Set the microwave on high for 25 seconds. It will not cook in this short amount of time, but it will provide enough heat to begin the thawing process. Take the dough off the plate, respray the plate, dough, and plastic wrap, then turn the dough over on the plate.

Retrieve it and place it in the microwave for another 25 seconds.

Remove the dough once more, and it should be cold. It should not have risen in the first place. Return the dough to the microwave on the defrost setting for three to five minutes.

This will ensure that your dough thaws evenly. If you have a lesser quantity of dough, it will take closer to three minutes to defrost, while bigger dough portions will take closer to five minutes.

Once you’ve done, place the dough on the counter at room temperature to rise. It is ready to bake when it has risen.

Try these strategies if your dough is too sticky.

5 – Using an Oven

Similarly with the microwave approach, you must be extremely cautious not to overcook your pizza dough while it is defrosting. While cold defrosting techniques are ideal, you may thaw your pizza dough in the oven.

Spray an oil-coated frying pan big enough to enable your dough to expand. Furthermore, spray the dough. Place the dough in the pan and cover it with plastic wrap coated with oil.

Preheat the oven to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. You will use the lowest setting on a gas oven. If your oven has a bread proving setting, this is the ideal temperature for defrosting dough.

After one hour, take the dough out and inspect it. Check to see whether it has been completely defrosted, and it should have risen. If it hasn’t completely defrosted, return it to the oven for 30 minutes. When the dough is ready, it will double in size.

After the dough has completely thawed and risen, set it on the counter and begin preparing your pizza. It will be operational at this time.

6 – Leaving Your Pizza Dough on the Counter

You may use this procedure, but it will take around two hours to thaw the pizza dough. Remove the pizza dough from the freezer and place it in a plastic storage bag.

Place it in a container big enough to allow for expansion and wrap it with plastic wrap. It will take around two hours for the dough to defrost and rise.

Either of these ways will thaw your pizza dough, but if you have time, try the cold defrost options. Warm defrost procedures, on the other hand, are speedier and will suffice if time is of the essence.

Now that you know how to thaw pizza dough, it’s time to put it to good use. Try something fresh the next time you cook pizza by preparing it without sauce or without a crust!