Have you frozen your balls?

hondabbq

Pizza dough balls?

 

I know a lot of you make your own doughs here and I began to wonder if any have tried to make a large batch and freeze into balls?

 

XC242

Yes, once, but it had nothing to do with dough...

Skiddymarker

Freezing is the only option for me, if I leave a dough ball in the fridge it continues to rise. It might take a day or so but it always grows out of whatever container I try to restrain it in. The frozen ones seem to behave better, far less robust. 

hondabbq

Skiddymarker said:

Freezing is the only option for me, if I leave a dough ball in the fridge it continues to rise. It might take a day or so but it always grows out of whatever container I try to restrain it in. The frozen ones seem to behave better, far less robust. 

So you freeze them into balls and then just thaw in the fridge? Then proof again?

Ladeback69

My pizza instructor said it's fine to freeze it for a little while. Just let it rise for a couple hours before you do.

Eggcelsior

When I worked at Costco my balls were always frozen. The dough came in frozen and we put them in plastic containers with a little olive oil and let them cold rise overnight.

ChokeOnSmoke

.

berndcrisp

Off. At the top of Loveland Pass stuck in a blizzard at 2:00am in January 1969.

JohnInCarolina

All I know is that I am not a fan of blue balls. Wait... what are we talking about again?

nolaegghead

Freezing them doesn't kill the yeast it just arrests their voracious appetite for sugar consumption and division. Thawing them resumes the natural order. Like sci-fi space travel. If you have blue balls try masturbation.

Griffin

Freeze them all the time. Take out the night before and allow to thaw in fridge. Take out a few hours before dinner and let rise on the counter or in the oven with the light on. And like @Eggcelsior said put a little olive oil on them.

Canugghead

only in Winterpeg 

SWVABeanCounter

I actually prefer them frozen and then thawed.  As @Skiddymarker mentioned they seem to behave better.

Skiddymarker

@hondabbq - sorry did not see this yesterday, I make a batch of dough in the 6qt KA, knead the hell out of it and then usually divide into 4 parts. One part gets the oil and bowl treatment for that nights pie, the other three get bagged and into the freezer. 

Overnight thaw in the fridge, then a couple of hours minimum at room temp to rise. 

Canugghead

I saw a bagel recipe that advocates letting the fresh dough 'cool rise' in the fridge 12 to 24 hours, for better texture and to minimise the collapse after the boil.

dfrelich

I make and freeze about six 9-oz dough balls at a time.   It's nice because it is easy to do so.  If decide to eat pizza for dinner… take two out of the freezer in the a.m. before work and move it into ref.  Take out from ref and let it sit on counter for an hour before making.

DMW

I have 7 dough balls in the fridge right now. With our current pizza consumption rate, no need to freeze. Oh, I did just get a new pizza oven.

Seriously though, I have kept dough in the fridge for 2 weeks without a problem. I prefer it after a 2-3 day rest in the fridge. After 7 days, it isn't optimal, but still works. You just have to be more careful about it tearing.