How to Store Pizza Dough

Pizza dough is a leavened, wheat-based dough that pizza makers roll out thin and shape into a disc or rectangle. You can supplement the dough with toppings such as tomatoes, cheese, meats, and vegetables, and then bake at a high temperature. When baked, the dough turns into a chewy, crispy pizza crust.

Properly stored, homemade pizza dough will last up to five days in the fridge or up to three months in the freezer. However, the best storage time will depend on the amount of yeast in the dough. Generally, the less yeast in the dough, the longer it can keep. Keeping extra dough in the freezer is therefore a great strategy if you want to make your meal planning a lot easier.

No matter which pizza dough recipe you choose, pizza dough should be stored either in the fridge or the freezer. Chilling pizza dough keeps the yeast alive by slowing down the microorganism’s natural fermentation process. If the dough is left out at room temperature for too long, the yeast will consume all of the sugar in the dough, and your pizza will not rise properly.

1. 1. Prepare your pizza dough and let the dough rest. Allow the dough to ferment overnight in a large, airtight container or a bowl covered with plastic wrap. After the first dough rise is complete, mold your pizza dough into individual balls. Each ball of dough should match the serving size of the pizza you plan to make in the future, whether it be a personal pizza or an extra-large pie.
2. 2. Get your pizzas ready for the fridge. Avoid leaving the dough at room temperature for too long, as this can cause the surface of the dough to dry up. Coat the dough evenly with olive oil.
3. 3. Wrap and store your pizzas. You have several storage options for keeping your pizza dough in the fridge. You can put the dough in a bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap, wrap the entirety of the dough in plastic wrap, or simply place it in a sealed plastic bag or airtight container. When you want to make your pizza, simply remove it from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature. This can take twenty to thirty minutes.

To freeze pizza dough, the process is very similar. Follow steps one and two from the above process and then do the following:

1. 1. Quickly prepare your pizza dough for the freezer. Place your oiled balls of dough in a single layer on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper and freeze for about three hours.
2. 2. Seal your pizza dough in a plastic bag. Remove the frozen dough balls from the baking sheet and place them into a plastic bag. Remove as much air as possible and seal the bag tightly. Proper storage helps you maintain fresh dough while minimizing freezer burn.
3. 3. Store pizza dough in the freezer for up to three months. Use frozen pizza dough within ninety days of freezing for the best results. When ready to use, thaw the dough in its container in the fridge overnight, then let it come to room temperature before proceeding with your pizza-making process.

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