Frozen pizza dough can be used to make pizza, but it can also be used to make calzone, Italian bread, and many other recipes. Frozen dough is easy to store and it can be thawed fairly quickly and without any attention, but like all yeast dough it does require some time to rise. When working with frozen dough remember not to get it too hot, which will kill the yeast, and let it thaw and rise before punching it or working with it.
Thaw the dough slowly over a full day by placing the frozen dough in a large bowl. Spray the ball of dough lightly with cooking oil spray. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth or kitchen towel and leave it alone on a counter or in an oven turned off for 4 to 10 hours. This method works very well if you pull the dough out in the morning before going to work and use it when you return home in the evening.
Thaw the dough over a few hours by placing the frozen dough in a large bowl. Spray the ball of dough lightly with spray cooking oil spray. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth. Place the bowl in a warm but not hot location such as an oven with the oven light on or on top of a radiator. Let the dough thaw and rise for 2 to 4 hours, then it will be ready to use in any recipe.
Thaw the dough in about 30 minutes by placing the dough in a sealed plastic bag. Do not seal the bag because the yeast in the dough will need to breath as they thaw. Fill a large bowl with cold water and place the dough in the water. The bag will keep the dough dry, but the top of the bag must be kept above the water surface. Once the ball of dough thaws, allow it rise for 45 minutes in a large bowl, then use in any recipe of your choice.
Tip
If thawing dough in water, use a smaller bowl inside the larger bowl to help hold the bagged dough upright.
Warning
Do not attempt to speed the dough by thawing it in a microwave oven as this may kill the yeast that rise the dough. It will also cause the dough to dry out on the ends.
Writer Bio
Edward Kilsdonk has been a freelance writer since 2010. He created, produced and wrote online high school classes for Apex Learning in U.S. history, U.S. geography and politics, and U.S. government. Kilsdonk earned a Master of Arts in economic history from the University of Virginia and a Bachelor of Arts in history from Amherst College.