Latest on freezing pizza dough

[Moondance]

I would like to freeze some pizza dough.  So if i mix it which i do in a bread machine, then i usually cold ferment for a couple days before the bake.  If i would like to freeze some,  do i at this point after a couple day ferment put it in the freezer or shoudl i put it direct in the freezer before a 2 day ferment.  Also, what is the max you shoudl freeze.  I am thinking i should do my 2 day cold ferment, then freeze then when ready to bake for that day, take it out of the freezer and let it come to room temp. 

Thank you!
Regina

[Chicago Bob]

Sounds all good Regina. Yes, freezing may kill the yeast so best to get your fermentation done first. I believe the frozen dough balls are still usable for a good 2 or 3 months and if you can remember ahead I think I would place the frozen dough into the frig compartment the day before your intended bake and then place on counter day of bake for your preferred amount of time for the warm up period.
Bob

[Giggliato]

I've never frozen fermented dough. Yes, freezing would probably lyse yeast that is an active/life state, but it would not do much to yeast that it is in the dormant or dry state. The conventional wisdom is to use more yeast than normal and freeze as soon as possible after mixing. Of course you can make a pizza out of any piece of dough...

[Moondance]

Sounds all good Regina. Yes, freezing may kill the yeast so best to get your fermentation done first. I believe the frozen dough balls are still usable for a good 2 or 3 months and if you can remember ahead I think I would place the frozen dough into the frig compartment the day before your intended bake and then place on counter day of bake for your preferred amount of time for the warm up period.
Bob

Thanks Bob, that is very helpful.  I was thinking that I could take it out of the freezer and put it on the counter all day to bake that night.  That might work too. 

[Moondance]

I've never frozen fermented dough. Yes, freezing would probably lyse yeast that is an active/life state, but it would not do much to yeast that it is in the dormant or dry state. The conventional wisdom is to use more yeast than normal and freeze as soon as possible after mixing. Of course you can make a pizza out of any piece of dough...

Thanks Giggliato.  So if I freeze directly after mixing, and say I decided one morning I want to bake a pizza that night, will it be ready to go sitting on the counter all day?

[Pete-zza]

Regina,

See http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,20880.msg208745.html#msg208745, Reply 2 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,10056.msg89496/topicseen.html#msg89496, and Reply 198 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,6758.msg104820/topicseen.html#msg104820.

Peter

[Moondance]

Regina,

See http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,20880.msg208745.html#msg208745, Reply 2 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,10056.msg89496/topicseen.html#msg89496, and Reply 198 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,6758.msg104820/topicseen.html#msg104820.

Peter

Thanks for your reply Peter, I was hoping you would give some good reference or comment. I will start reading!

[Chicago Bob]

OK, so it looks like there are 2 favored methods. One being a normal dough making/fermentation and then freeze. And the other being to add extra yeast and freeze right after making. Sounds to me that the first will have better flavor....any experienced comments please?
Bob

[norma427]

Bob,

I am not an expert on freezing pizza dough, but have frozen many dough balls that I had leftover from market.  The flavor stays the same for me in the crusts when doughs balls are frozen after fermentation, but then there isn’t as much color in my crusts when using defrosted dough balls. 

Norma 

[Pete-zza]

OK, so it looks like there are 2 favored methods. One being a normal dough making/fermentation and then freeze. And the other being to add extra yeast and freeze right after making. Sounds to me that the first will have better flavor....any experienced comments please?

Bob,

Yes, you are correct. There will be more byproducts of fermentation that will contribute to final crust flavor when freezing the dough after fermentation. When using more yeast and then freezing, there will be no fermentation once the dough freezes. The only subsequent fermentation is when the frozen dough is defrosted and allowed to warm up, either in the refrigerator compartment or at room temperature. But even then there is a limit as to how much fermentation you can achieve with the defrosted dough. Because of the high yeast content, even after some of it is lost through freezing, you perhaps can't go beyond two days of defrosting (in the refrigerator) before having to use the dough. You might squeeze out a bit more time if you re-knead the dough along the lines discussed by Tom Lehmann at the PMQ Think Tank at http://thinktank.pmq.com/viewtopic.php?p=20525&sid=cb835a51f4d7b227f757e1657da89922#p20525.

You might recall that Mellow Mushroom makes and freezes its dough balls at a central commissary and then ships them to its stores throughout the country (except for its stores near the commissary that get fresh dough). That is a workable business model. Shipping dough balls frozen after fermenting would most likely not be. I found that the MM clone dough started to overferment once it was defrosted for more than two days in the refrigerator. One day seemed to be the optimum for the MM clone doughs that Norma and I made. Also, the large amount of molasses used in the MM dough perhaps makes it less necessary to have a lot of natural fermentation byproducts. The molasses also masks any deficiency in crust coloration due to reduced levels of residual sugar in the dough at the time of baking.

Peter

[Chicago Bob]

Yes, I do remember about our frozen MM dough balls....they did turn out and taste pretty good for such a short ferment.

[Boatman2]

My 2 cents worth is to ferment first and then freeze, When you want to make a pizza take it out and put in refrig overnight, take it out of refrig and S\F very gently and set at room temp for 3 or 4 hours. I have had excellent results doing it this way.

                                                                      Bob

[weemis]

I've had success with freezing directly after mixing and balling. When I first started my mobile WFO pizza business, I did this exclusively as I had no other way to manage the amount of dough I was working with. I've since taken to room temperature fermentation and the problem has been solved. An interesting experiment I'd like to see is both finished products side by side. If you find yourself freezing dough and wanna try it, you could do a dough ball immediately frozen and one that was fermented then frozen. Once you're ready to make some pizza, take them both out of the freezer and make em the same way and see what you think. This would be an experiment I'd like to see the results of!

Either way, good luck! I'm sure by the responses that both would work at least in a general sense. I'd just imagine that if freezing kills some of the yeast, I'd like to have as much life left for the final rise as I can. Hurray for Oven Spring!


NickG

[norma427]

These are some links to where I used frozen dough balls.

http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,21121.msg212437.html#msg212437

http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,18281.msg216813.html#msg216813

http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,18281.msg217752.html#msg217752

http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,3985.msg89262.html#msg89262

http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,11133.msg101405.html#msg101405

I also made lots of other pizzas with frozen dough, including all the ones I did with Peter on the Mellow Mushroom thread.

Norma

[mkevenson]

I would like to freeze some pizza dough.  Thank you!
Regina

Regina, you have received some great tips on freezing dough here. One more BIG tip is to use a vacuum food saver. 1st step is to freeze dough in a zip lock type bag, then after solid place in a vacuum sealer bag and use the food saver. You will get great mileage out of all frozen foods, I highly recommend and have been using for several years.

Mark

[Moondance]

Thanks so much for the great information.  I need to catch up on some reading. 

I plan to make up some extra dough tonight.  I think I will do as NickG suggested and freeze one right after mixing and then do a 2 day ferment and freeze another. 

Mark, I don't have a vacuum sealer but maybe if I wrap the frozen dough in plastic wrap and then put it in a zip bag trying to get all the air out I can will be the next best thing? 

I really like the idea of having some frozen dough at hand! 

Regina

[Chicago Bob]

Straw method works ok...anything helps. 

[Giggliato]

Bob,

Yes, you are correct. There will be more byproducts of fermentation that will contribute to final crust flavor when freezing the dough after fermentation. When using more yeast and then freezing, there will be no fermentation once the dough freezes. The only subsequent fermentation is when the frozen dough is defrosted and allowed to warm up, either in the refrigerator compartment or at room temperature. But even then there is a limit as to how much fermentation you can achieve with the defrosted dough. Because of the high yeast content, even after some of it is lost through freezing, you perhaps can't go beyond two days of defrosting (in the refrigerator) before having to use the dough. You might squeeze out a bit more time if you re-knead the dough along the lines discussed by Tom Lehmann at the PMQ Think Tank at http://thinktank.pmq.com/viewtopic.php?p=20525&sid=cb835a51f4d7b227f757e1657da89922#p20525.

I've left defrosted dough in my fridge for a week and the pizza came out tasting great, I have extremely high pizza taste standards as well.

I am going to see about vacuum sealing some frozen dough and then letting it sit in my fridge for three months before I bake it.

[mkevenson]

I am going to see about vacuum sealing some frozen dough and then letting it sit in my fridge for three months before I bake it.

Hmmm, talk about a long, cold, retarded fermentation. Why freeze at all? Or perhaps just leave the yeast out all together. How much yeast are you going to use?
Be sure and report back with pics in April.

Mark

[Pete-zza]

I've left defrosted dough in my fridge for a week and the pizza came out tasting great, I have extremely high pizza taste standards as well.

Can you tell us how much yeast, by percent, you used for the dough?

Peter