The Best Way To Defrost Pizza Dough In Microwave

Introduction

Pizza is a classic dish that you can make at home with some simple ingredients and time. But what do you do when you forget to take your pie out of the fridge to defrost?

Rather than trying to cook it straight from frozen, here are some of the best ways to defrost pizza dough in microwave. Whether you’re in a hurry or don’t feel like turning on the oven, these tips will help you get your pizza fixed without any hassle.

Can You Microwave A Frozen Pizza Dough?

Definitely yes! Microwaving your homemade or store-bought pie would be the most suitable option if time is short and cooking fresh isn’t an option other than microwaving it. The method results in the partially cooked dough, though, so make sure not to overdo it!

Using an oven or microwave is a quick solution, but they may not be the best choice if you prefer crispy crust. 

A typical cooking time will depend on how powerful your microwave is and what size of your pizzas. And even then, it’s still possible that some parts won’t cook evenly because different areas might take longer than others due to uneven heating capabilities in these devices!

Here is the estimated unfreezing time for your reference:

Pizza Size	Time to unfreeze (minutes)
Mini size	5 – 7
8 to 9 inches	4 – 6
10 – 11 inches	5 – 7
11 – 12 inches	7 – 10
French bread	7 – 8

How Do You Thaw Frozen Pizza Dough In Microwave?

For us, the microwave is a quick and easy way to unfreeze anything frozen from our fridge. Many kitchens keep one handy for when pizza dough needs thawing out or other food items!

Nevertheless, it is necessary to adhere to the defrosting time if you do not want your cake to be overcooked. The key on how to defrost pizza in microwave is setting it on top of something that will protect against direct exposure.

You can use any plate or bowl, but we recommend using an oven-safe dish because the heat from your appliance may not be compatible with some regular bowls. Choose the defrost option and set the time for about half and two minutes.

Your pie should be soft enough at first but still slightly icy underneath due to its being partially thawed, then leave it for 30 additional minutes without being heated again to thaw completely.

Microwaving your pie for one more minute might seem like an easy way to save time and energy, but it’s important not to do so. The partially frozen state of the ball can cause it to cook before being shaped into pizzas – which leads us back to making dinner rolls!

When the ball has thawed, you should leave it to proof at regular temperature for 1-2 more hours before baking or shaping.

Other Ways To Defrost Pizza Dough

The Slow Way

What’s the best way to defrost pizza dough? It turns out that this task requires nearly 24 hours, so you’ll need to be patient. All you need to do is just take it out of the freezer and let it defrost naturally at room temperature.

When you do so, it won’t be equally warmed throughout. This means that some parts of this cold food item may begin proofing while others remain frozen and not in their best condition for baking. 

The perfect way to counter this is by leaving your food in the cool refrigerator compartment overnight. This will prevent uneven defrosting and ensure that you have a qualified product when cooking tomorrow morning.

Once defrosted, it can expand without puffing up too much before baking time starts, which means you’ll soon have your delicious pie ready!

The first step of taking out any food products from a frozen state requires that they rest at regular temperature for an appropriate amount; 1- 2 hours for this case. This may sound obvious, but many people forget about these simple tips.

While it takes time, the best thing about this method is that it not only does more fermentation but also stops your pie from drying out too much. This way, your pie is just as tender, flavorful, and delicious after unfreezing – the refrigerator thawing process really does wonders!

The Quick Way

Sometimes we need our frozen pizzas right away. If you have a pizza emergency, don’t panic! Thankfully there are several methods of getting your pie thaws, so it’s ready when you need them.

Who knew that water could be so useful? Water is a great way to heat things; it’s no wonder this liquid makes tasks like defrosting pizza become much easier! All we need are some tips for not wasting effort because of not paying attention during prep work. 

If you want to avoid having a soggy pizza, make sure you place it inside a plastic bag before following these approaches below:

Cold Water

To make sure your frozen pie is thawed and ready to go:

1. Put the ball into a closed plastic bag.
2. Place it inside your mixing bowl along with about 2 inches (5cm) worth of tap or room temperature water.
3. Wait for about 4 hours before moving on to another step.

If you think cold water will speed up the defrosting process, it is unnecessary. Frozen food itself already acts as a big ice cube. You need to save time to change the water every time you feel the water temperature is too cold.

Once fully thawed and no longer icy inside, let the ball be proof for 1-2 hours before making a pie crust.

Note: It’s important to know that poking your pie with a fork or your finger can cause it to not only be uneven but also damage its gluten structure if done too much. 

A good rule of thumb for knowing if it has been fully defrosted is to feel its softness. In general, you’d better use your judgment only.

Although it’s not as effective as 24-hour defrosting in the cool compartment, this method still results in a dough that has not lost its texture and flavor. What’s more, this is the method for those who don’t have the patience to spend all day just unfreezing the pizza base.

Warm Water

Wouldn’t warm water do the job even faster? Yes and no. 

Warm water helps to speed up the process of thawing a frozen pie. While this may seem like a good thing, if used unchecked, too much heat can cook or ferment your pie instead of freeing up its ice crystals!

This method is quite easy, but it can take some effort. Also, put the ball into a closed plastic bag and place it into an empty mixing bowl. 

Fill in warm water (not hot water) to cover all surfaces; this will lower its freezing point by warmth alone. Remember to change the liquid as soon as you feel it cool again. 

Until there’s no more ice in the middle, let it out for 2 hours at room temperature. The yeast inside needs this moisture level to perform properly while also expanding during the proofing stage.

Note: Heat makes gas expand, and you don’t want this to happen when it comes to your dough, so first, remove the air from the bag by squeezing out all the excess air before soaking the closed bag in warm water. Suppose you have a food vacuum sealer, even better.

If you notice that bubbles are starting to form on the outside of your dough in the process, consider putting it into regular temperature water to slow down the premature fermentation. 

It could mean that the yeast is dormant and still frozen in the middle of your pie, while the yeast on the edges is already activated.

Will Pizza Dough Rise After Being Frozen?

Along with the question, “Can you microwave frozen pizza dough?” many people don’t know if it rises or not after it’s been frozen. The truth is that it does rise, but only a little bit. Storing yeast dough in the refrigerator can bring any rise process to a complete halt.

Having made pizza before, our preference is to let it rise naturally. Once lightly risen, bag the ball and place it in your freezer until you place it in your oven.

After waiting for it to rise, you need to make it into a ball (or more small balls). It may take time to thaw if you freeze a large one, depending on the size.

By dividing the dough before freezing it, you’ll be able to bake multiple pizzas later. It can still be reserved in your freezer for a while, even if it doesn’t look fresh when it comes out.

How Do You Use Defrosted Pizza Dough?

Defrosted pizza dough is ready for cooking and baking recipes or even dessert recipes at home. 

The whole process can take some time, but it’s important to keep details in mind for everything to go smoothly. When it is completely defrosted and no longer has ice in any corner, be sure to let it rest for at least 1 hour. 

This is the time for any yeast-based bread recipe to activate so it can make your dough rise as well as add that springiness that makes your pie delicious! When the ball has risen, you can make it into whatever pizza shape you like.

Other Things To Note

Pizza dough often has a shelf life and, depending on where it’s stored, can begin to either get hard or stale. If you find yourself with leftover pizza balls, don’t follow your first instinct to throw them away, you can freeze them to preserve freshness. 

With the microwave method, unfreezing a pizza ball is less time-consuming compared to conventional methods such as thawing in the fridge or using water! Though it’s not so difficult to do, you might forget to follow these rules:

• Spray a little cooking oil on the dough surface before pressing the microwave button. 
• Cover the plate with plastic wrap (with heat resistance), so it and your pie won’t stick together in the microwave while thawing.
• Ensure that the plate is either microwavable or safe to use in the microwave!
• Place your dough in the microwave for 1 minute to start its thawing process. Please remove it from the microwave, flip on its other side, and repeat the defrosting process for one more minute to continue giving it a head start on softening.
• Please don’t open the microwave door; keep the ball in it for at least 2 minutes after each round of microwaving to let it rise.

And here are a few things that we think you might not know:

• If you don’t have a microwave, you can use an oven instead. But always keep in mind you need to monitor the temperature and the time carefully. 
• The suggested temperature and time is 100 degrees F for 1 hour. However, it may vary depending on the size of your pie and the oven type.
• The fastest way to have your pizza ready is to buy a defrosted one. It is now available in many supermarkets or bakery shops. You won’t need to wait for hours just to unfreeze it. However, the quality will certainly not be equal to a homemade one.

• Should you buy your pie at the supermarket, always remember to read the instructions that come with it. If your pizza with topping is meant to be eaten cold, it should always be consumed without thawing it out.

Microwave posts: https://chefcaseythompson.com/category/cooking/microwave/

Final Thoughts

We hope this blog post has helped you learn about the different ways to defrost pizza dough in microwave, and how microwaving it is not one of them.

If you have any questions or concerns about your cooking problem, please feel free to comment below. As always, be sure to check back for future posts for other helpful kitchen hacks!