Are you in a rush and bit unsure as to how to thaw frozen pizza dough quickly?
Well, we are here to put you at ease, as today I am going to highlight a couple highly recommended methods that can be used to quickly defrost frozen pizza dough.
There will be detailed step-by-step instructions for each method, along with other information you will find useful.
With that said, let us get right into it.
6 Best Methods to Thaw Frozen Pizza Dough
Frozen pizza dough will have to be thawed before use.
There are different defrosting options available and the one you choose will most often depend on how quickly you want to use the pizza dough.
To get the best results, the following methods should be used:
| Defrosting Method | Time |
|---|---|
| Overnight in the refrigerator | 8-12 Hours |
| Room temperature | 2+ Hours |
| Warm-water bath | Less Than an Hour |
| Cold-water bath | 1+ Hours |
| Oven | 1 – 1.5 Hours |
| Microwave | 5-7 Minutes |
Let us take a more detailed look at each thawing option below.
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1. Defrost Pizza Dough Overnight in the Refrigerator (8-12 Hours)
The best way to thaw frozen pizza dough is to let it sit overnight in the refrigerator.
It will take around 8-12 hours for the pizza dough to defrost properly.
This method is best if you planning on making pizza the next day, as the dough will be thawed and ready for use in the morning.
Steps
- Remove the frozen pizza dough from the freezer, keeping it in the same freezer bag that you stored it in.
- Place the bag of dough in a bowl/container and store in the refrigerator.
- Let it sit in the refrigerator overnight (8-12 hours).
- Remove the now thawed pizza dough from the refrigerator and let it sit on the kitchen counter until it reaches room temperature. This will generally take around 30-60 minutes (depending on how much dough you are thawing).
- Once at room temperature, you should allow the dough to rise, before going ahead with your pizza recipe.
2. Defrost Pizza at Room Temperature (2+ Hours)
If you want to make pizza for dinner, you can always remove the dough from the freezer and let it sit at room temperature to thaw for a couple of hours.
This method will take about 2+ hours, so plan ahead if you are going with this option.
Steps
- Remove the pizza dough from the freezer and take it from the freezer bag/container it was stored in. If there was plastic wrap covering it, that should also be removed.
- The pizza dough should be placed in a bowl and covered with plastic wrap. (The bowl should be big enough as the dough will rise).
- Leave the pizza dough to thaw on the kitchen counter for around 2 hours. As it defrosts, the dough will also rise.
- Once the dough has, it is ready for use.
3. Defrost Pizza Dough in a Bowl of Warm Water (1 Hour or Less)
Another quick method, that is very effective at defrosting frozen pizza dough, is to let it thaw in a bowl of warm water.
The frozen pizza dough can be thawed and ready for use in under an hour.
Care should be taken when using the warm water method, as if the water is too hot or you leave it in too long, you could end up partially cooking the dough.
Steps
- Fill a bowl/container with warm water (it should not be boiling hot).
- Remove the pizza dough from the freezer and place it in a thick resalable plastic bag.
- Before sealing the bag, squeeze out as much air as possible.
- Submerge the bag with the pizza dough into the bowl/container with the warm water.
- The water should be changed every 10 minutes and new warm water added, as the thawing pizza dough will cool the water.
- Repeat step 5 until the pizza dough has defrosted.
4. Defrost Pizza Dough in a Cold-Water Bath (1+ Hour)
You can also use a cold-water bath to defrost frozen pizza dough.
It will take an hour or more to get the dough thawed, but if you are not in a rush, then this method should be considered.
Steps
- Fill a bowl/container with cold water.
- Remove the pizza dough from the freezer and place it in a thick resalable plastic bag.
- Squeeze as much air out of the bag before sealing.
- Place the bag containing the frozen pizza dough into the cold-water bath, submerging it.
- Change the water in the bowl/container every 15 minutes, until the dough is thawed (Should take 1+ hours).
- Once defrosted, let the dough sit and rise before proceeding with your pizza recipe.
5. Defrost Pizza Dough Using the Oven
We typically use the oven to bake pizza dough, but it can be used to thaw it (once it is done correctly).
Caution needs to be taken using this method, as there is a possibility that you could end up cooking your dough if it is left in the oven for too long.
Steps
- Preheat oven to 100°F or 38°C
- Remove the pizza dough from the freezer, taking it out of the bag and removing any plastic wrap that may have been used to cover it.
- Take a large pan (large enough to allow for the expansion of the pizza dough) and coat the surface with cooking spray or oil
- Coat the frozen dough with a thin layer of oil or cooking spray.
- Place the pizza dough in the pan and cover with plastic wrap.
- Let the pizza dough sit in the oven for 60 minutes, checking to see if it has fully defrosted.
- If it is still slightly frozen, let it sit in the oven for another 30 minutes.
- Once defrosted, the dough will rise, you can remove from the oven and use.
6. Defrost Pizza Dough Using the Microwave (Be Cautious)
The microwave is the by-far the quickest method that can be used to thaw pizza dough that is frozen.
We did not list it as the number one defrosting option, despite it being so quick, as there is a possibility that you could partially cook your pizza dough.
Unless you are in absolute rush and you do not want to use any of the other quick methods above, then the microwave can be used, but you should be extremely careful with its use.
Steps
- Take a microwave-safe plate and coat it with cooking spray or oil.
- Remove the pizza dough from the freezer and coat the dough with oil.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap (it should be coated with oil as well).
- Place the pizza dough in the microwave and microwave using the highest power setting for 25-30 seconds.
- Open the microwave and rotate the pizza dough, then microwave for another 25-30 seconds.
- At this point, use the defrost setting of the microwave and let the pizza dough thaw for 3-5 minutes.
- Once you have finished, remove the pizza dough from the microwave and let it sit on the kitchen counter for a couple of minutes till the dough rises.
- Once it has risen, you can proceed with your pizza recipe.
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Wrapping it up
I hope this post was useful in giving you insight into the different methods that can be used to thaw frozen pizza dough (especially if you need it done quickly).
Now I turn it over to you:
Which defrosting method from this list are you going to try? If you already used one that we highlighted, how did it turn out?
Let me know by leaving a quick comment below.
