freezing the dough at what point

Question

I'm confused.  Do I freeze right after I divide and wrap into 4 balls and then thaw in the fridge for 3 days OR Do I let it sit in the fridge for 3 days, then freeze - Thawing when ready to use... THX!

cindy · Answer

Thank you Lori!

creamtea · Answer

As Lori says, I would freeze after dividing and folding the balls. The night before you want to use one or more, take out of the freezer and place in the refrigerator. Or, you could probably remove from the freezer in the morning and it will be thawed in time for dinner. You can remove from the fridge about an hour before baking to come to room temp.

Lori T. · Answer

Yes.  What the recipe writer is trying to say is that you could leave the individually wrapped balls in the refrigerator for up to three days before you had to bake them off.  The same would apply if you put one in to thaw, too.  It could sit in the fridge for up to three days before it needed to be used.  At the three day point  the yeast would be pretty exhausted and have eaten up all the food in the dough.  It would have become  a pate fermentee or "old dough".  You could add that in to a new batch of pizza or bread dough for the added depth of flavor.  It might or might not be able to provide the lift without more yeast- but it would add a lot of flavor.

cindy · Answer

Thank you Lori.  So it sounds like I would skip the whole 3 day thing in the fridge....

Lori T. · Answer

Most yeast dough is best frozen after the first rest/rise.  In the case of this recipe, I would freeze after dividing the dough into four, forming the balls and individually wrapping them.  Then the night before or early the morning of the day before you wish to bake a pizza, remove the number of balls you desire and let them thaw in the refrigerator.   Once they thaw you would let them come to room temp again and proceed with the rest of the recipe.   Your dough ball might rise a bit in the fridge overnight, especially if you are not planning to bake until the evening- but you should be okay.

freezing the dough at what point

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