Most people enjoy pizza nights, and for some, it’s a practice they would want to keep. With pizza comes two things; you either buy a lot of pizza that you will have to store once people are filled up, or you buy less, and people aren’t satisfied.
It’s better to buy a little bit more so that people are satisfied. This is where the question of freezing comes in. once everyone is full, it’s best to store it for future use.
Freezing is by far the safest method to use when storing it. But do you know how to freeze it?
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Can you freeze pizza?
Of course, you can freeze your pizza, whether baked or unbaked. It’s just the same as any other food in freezing it you increase the shelf life.
Image: Slice Pizzeria
For the baked ones, you have to wait for it to reach room temperature before freezing.
This is important because the difference in temperature during contractions may cause the dough to crack. Hence it needs the pizza to freeze slowly.
Just so you know, if you freeze it right as we are going to suggest below, then you are sure it will retain its flavors. So when you reheat it, you will have almost the same pizza you had.
It has a shelf life of between 1-2 months when you freeze it.
How to freeze fully baked pizza
Slice them to ration sizes
Slicing pizza to ration sizes allows the pizza to take enough space and not the freezer’s entire space. You won’t have to consume the entire pizza, so you don’t have to defrost it all if you don’t need it yet.
It’s also good to slice them if you have different flavors like the meat and the vegetables, so you may want to separate them to avoid mixing during freezing.
You should further consider slicing if you left a lot of pizza, thus making sure you store them safely. If you have a single slice through, skip this point.
Freezing
You may store your pizza indefinitely, but the best-preferred duration of time is at most two months.
If you continue storing it after this, then it will lose its taste. So here you lay sliced pizza independently on a cutting board.
Wrap the pizza tightly.
Take each slice and wrap them using your plastic wrap. You can also use the aluminum foil to double wrap them. So set the pizza slice on the sizeable wrap and fold the edges making sure you wrap it right.
The reason we are using aluminum foil is that it will not stick on everything like plastic wrap. It will make the perfect barrier, thus making it easy to remove when ready. If you like, you can use the freezer bag too.
Remember to cool the pizza first, but again, you shouldn’t let it reach the window where the bacteria can start to infest it.
Final step
Once you are done wrapping, you should set the pizza slices in a freezer bag or a container, and then you have to label them. The essence is to remind you when you should be finishing it.
Indicate when it was made, the date when the pizza is frozen, and the ingredients, and the baking instructions. Then freeze it
How to freeze pizza dough?
Make the pizza dough as you are used to making it.
Mix all the ingredients needed for the dough as instructed in the recipe of the dough. Then you can decide to give the dough some time to proof, or you can choose to freeze it right away.
Roll the pizza into balls
Cut the dough into pieces and then shape them to form balls. Next, place the balls in freezer bags, vacuumed sealed bags, or any airtight freezer-friendly containers.
You can also decide to wrap each ball with a plastic wrap then place them in the freezer bags. Remember to freeze them separately. This makes it easy so that when you want to use one ball, you remove a single ball and cook.
Label and freeze
So on each bag, remember to label the date you made the pizza. Remember not to put the pizza in the freezer longer than three months, as the dough will experience freezer burns, which affects the dough’s taste and flavors.
How to freeze uncooked/baked pizza
Prepare the dough
Put all the ingredients needed to make the dough, for instance (1 cup of normal water,1 teaspoon salt,3 cups of wheat flour all-purpose, 2 teaspoons dry yeast, 2 tablespoon olive oil)
Image: Slice Pizzeria
Mix the ingredients in a bowl, knead the dough until it’s smooth, then cover it with a towel and live it to poof between 30 min to 1 hour.
Partially bake the dough.
Also known as par-baking, you take your already-proof dough, cut them into pieces, and roll them to make flatbread crust. Once ready, place the crust in the oven to partially bake for a few minutes. Could you remove it from the oven?
The reason behind par-baking is to ensure that there is an extra crisp when doing the final baking and hence no sogginess at all.
Allow the pizza dough to cool.
It would help if you did not put the toppings immediately after partially baking the crust. Let it cool for a few minutes before adding your toppings.
Add the toppings
Once the crust is ready now, you can add all the toppings you want, either meat or vegetables; all toppings are great for freezing. Don’t forget the cheese and the sauce.
Freeze the pizza
Place the pizzas on a baking sheet a then freeze them first before wrapping them. Wait until the pizza turns solid; you can leave for about 3 hours, depending on the size. Ensure the toppings and the sauce have also frozen.
Once frozen, take the partially baked and topped pizza and double wrap it carefully using a plastic wrap. Next, top it with aluminum foil, so you are assured that your pizza doesn’t lose moisture, resulting in freezer burns.
Label the pizza with the date you have frozen the pizza. Then put your wrapped pizza into freezer bags, and you can freeze it for up to 3 months.
Note you should be careful moving the pizza about. Be very gentle, or instead leave it alone while in the freezer. You may cause damages to the pizza; hence advisable to place it separately from other food.
Reheating or cooking pizza
When you want to eat the pizza, you will have to cook it or reheat it if left over. The debate on which method to use to reheat the pizza is endless. There is a variety of ways to reheat your frozen pizza. You can use an oven, skillet, microwave, or a toaster oven.
Whichever style you most prefer, remember at the end of the day you want to enjoy the same taste as before. If you want to keep the flavors as before, it’s best to defrost them first in the refrigerator.
Defrosting pizza
This applies to all the pizza, whether baked or unbaked or leftover pizza; once you are ready for the next pizza intake, you will need to defrost it first, then you can bake it.
You need to remove the pizza from your freezer and set it in your refrigerator to give it time to thaw. The best way is to leave it overnight. After that, you can now proceed and heat your pizza. Notice that the pizza is damp at this point, so you should use the oven to reheat.
Make it as though you are cooking it afresh. If you use a microwave, you will make it soggier than it already is. Remember, you still want to maintain the original taste and flavors at the end of the day.
I’m hungry. Can I skip the defrosting?
Well, there’s always that one day that you want to eat the pizza sooner, and if this is it, then you should go ahead. Remember, though, that you may have it attain a rubbery texture or even soggy.
The other alternative is to defrost it in the microwave before you cook it in the oven. Whichever way, I hope it turns out perfect and crispy for you.
Can you refreeze pizza?
Can I say that this will be more about personal preference? But remember to put into consideration the safety of the pizza and then the loss of quality. No one wants to eat the pizza when it’s no longer the same as it was.
When the pizza dough is placed in a freezer, the yeast that makes it dormant. But once you remove the pizza out and live it longer to gain room temperature, the yeast becomes active. This reaction will change the sugar to carbon dioxide or alcohol.
If left out for long, the pizza dough might turn sour, and then the texture could be affected.
If you want to refreeze your pizza, the best possible way is to defrost the pizza in the refrigerator and leave it overnight. This ensures that the yeast activity is reduced to a slow pace. Remember yeast activities in a refrigerator is dormant, unlike if left to room temperature.
And now I’m starving
Never mind, I’ll get to make my defrost leftover pizza and cook. What about you? This article has given you all the information you need. Are you ready to freeze that leftover pizza?
