March 7, 2014

Homemade Freezer Friendly Pizza Dough + Tips on freezing Pizza Dough


Last weekend my husband was traveling for school and the weather outside was so dull and frigid that I just felt like hibernating under the blanket all day. But then, with an ever energetic 4-year old who wakes me every morning stating "Mama I hungry- can you please give me some breakfast", lazing around all day is simply out of question as my conscience pricks and I drag myself to the kitchen. My munchkin is not a big trouble at all as she is very understanding and I am so glad she likes cereal, because some days cooking up a fancy meal just seems like a lot of work 

Sleep deprivation and the drab weather was rapidly killing whatever mojo I had left but when I saw my Nikon D-5000 staring at me from the fireplace mantle I suddenly got an adrenaline boosting idea. Just what I needed to make myself cheerful and pumped up! I checked my draft blog folder and decided to go for the freezer friendly pizza dough.

To me food photography has turned into an obsession and that might be quite evident to you if you follow me on instagram, facebook or twitter. It was extremely strenuous to click the first picture as my husband was out of town but I wanted to capture the kneading process. I had to do a lot of running around but with the timer and tripod I was able to manage a decent shot. I was glad with the outcome


Here at the George's family we welcome pizza anytime of the day - breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner or even as a snack - why not right? I often make pizza during the weekends as I prefer homemade dough but it used to be pretty time intensive until I realized that pizza dough could be frozen. Ever since, I have been freezing my dough and using them when needed. Fresh homemade pizza even on a weekday sounds good right? All you have to do is remember to transfer the dough from the freezer to the fridge the night before.


I have several batches of pizza dough in my freezer and will be posting some interesting Pizza recipes.

An article from Seriouseats explained to me how freezing the dough dint impact the dough at all and here are a few key points that explains the science behinds it:
  • You can freeze a homemade dough at essentially any point in the process and it'll work just fine. In terms of the gluten structure and the interaction of flour and water, freezing has no ill-effects. 
  • Yeast are perfectly happy to take a nap in the freezer because their activity is largely dependent on the temperature of the environment they are in. At higher temperatures, yeast becomes wildly active, reproducing like mad, and consuming sugars. But when you chill them, and their activity will get slower and slower until, when you finally freeze the dough, they utterly stop, becoming inert until you defrost them again.

Yields: 1 Extra Large Thick Crust Pizza

Ingredients
1 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 1/4 cup warm water (add a few tablespoons more if using flax seed meal)
1 Tsp - Salt
1 Tsp sugar
3 tablespoons oil
2 cups - Whole wheat flour
1 Cup - APF
1 Tablespoon - Flaxseed powder (optional)
Oil Spray

Directions
  • Dissolve the yeast in 1 1/4 cups of warm water (105- 110 F). Add sugar and set it aside for 5 minutes or until slightly frothy
  • Take a large bowl and add the salt, oil, flour, and flax seed meal and give it a stir.
  • Add yeast-water mixture and the flour and knead and form a dough. If you have a food processor or stand mixer with dough hook, use it to knead the dough. It is much faster and less messy.  The dough should be slightly sticky.
  • Place the dough in an oiled bowl. Smear some oil on the dough before proofing and cover the bowl with a wet towel to prevent the dough from drying out
  • Keep it in a warm place and let it rise to double its size.
  • Punch down the dough. Spray some oil on it and transfer it to a Ziploc bag. Be sure to squeeze out any air from the bag.
  • Store it in the freezer.
Thawing process
  • Transfer the frozen dough from freezer to the fridge and leave it overnight or for about 12 hours.
  • Before making the pizza, allow the dough to rest on at room temperature for at least 1 hour before stretching out the pizza.
Notes and Tips
  • If you don't like wheat flour pizza because of the taste or texture, you can substitute wheat flour with all propose flour
  • Spray the food processor work bowl / stand mixer bowl with oil before you start kneading the dough for easier clean up
  • Before touching the dough with your hands make sure to oil them. It is so much easier to work with the dough when your hands are oiled
  • Make sure the proofing bowl is big enough to hold the dough which might double in size.If you use a small bowl for proofing the dough might rise and overflow or stick to the wet towel which is very messy
  • If you are using flax seed meal use a couple of tablespoons of water extra.
  • The dough should be good in the freezer for up to 2 months





23 comments:

  1. I love that first shot! Very pretty. I'm so impressed you did it yourself! I have a 3 year old, and I totally hear you. Mommy I'm hungry I want breakfast!! :)

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  2. Shema , we love pizzas and so I make them often. This seems to be an easy recipe. All ingredients at home, but I may add only a cup of whole wheat flour, that's our preference. Will let you know the outcome .

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  3. Gorgeous pictures Shema! I know how difficult to take such a beautiful shot with timer and tripod... BTW, great tips on freezing pizza dough, I will try it !

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  4. absolutely worth all that effort.. gorgeous gorgeous pictures shema. And yes freezing dough is such a saving grace. I woudl ahve frozen even bread dough if my freezer didnt already look like a pregnant lady ;)

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  5. Your "obsession" results in some GORGEOUS photos!
    Thanks for sharing this pizza dough recipe and your gorgeous photos too!

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  6. Very very nice pics, especially the first one. Must say, you have very neat hands :)

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  7. i especially love the picture of the flour in the paper bag..you are so talented Shema! Thank you for the tips.

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  8. This is definitely a very useful post.

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  9. I love the pic. You do not have to fret about your pictures, they look awesome.

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  10. all the snaps look so good... i love this post... i was looking for something like this, thank u so much for sharing...

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  11. Beautiful styling!! Love homemade pizza dough! Great tips on freezing :)

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  12. Shema, your passion photography is evident at your blog and it extends to your culinary creations too. The clicks are beautiful and I love the idea of freezer friendly pizza dough.

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  13. The first pic looks like a cook book cover page..:-) Thanks for the recipe and tips... Sure to give this try soon

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  14. I just discovered your blog and love your photos! I am just about to post a pizza dough, and the info about freezing is great, thanks! I look forward to exploring the rest of your site!

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  15. Wonderful clicks and useful recipe!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  16. Shema, the first picture of you working with dough... what a brilliant photo! It is so welcoming, inviting, and encouraging to those (like me!) who are reluctant to work with yeast! It gives me hope! Looks like a great dough recipe that I should hang onto. Will try it one day. I really want to give it a try!

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  17. Gorgeous gorgeous picture Shema….this mess is total worth it! Love the idea of freezing them!

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  18. entha eppol paraya...I came to look at this post multiple times through fb but after starring at those pics for quite an amount of time went back and then came back again ... only this time did I realise that I didn't leave a word of appreciation here...he he he...so amazingly clicked...i loooove the first pic a loottt... lovely idea of freezing the dough..saves so much time and effort to calm down the pizza craving instantly

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  19. I know its a pain using the timer and being behind and in front of the lens at the same time, but you did well!! And freezer friendly recipes are always welcome!! Love the flour shot!

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  20. Nice recipe Shema, I have tried the whole meal flour to make Pizza it is wonderful but feel little tough in texture, then I like taste so natural!

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  21. nice think.Looks like will be a delicious recipe to enjoy the weekend with family. Lots of thank for sharing the blog and recipe too.

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First of all thanks a lot for stopping by my space. I would be very happy to hear from you and would love to see your comments and feedback :)
Thanks a bunch,
Shema