Making Dough All At Once and Refrigerating Dough Balls.

[flyinglentris]

I always have such a messy time making dough that it seems better to make lots of dough balls in advance, perhaps, slightly altering some of the balls for certain things, from a basic medium.

Right now, I have three big dough balls in the fridge, all of them puffed up from rising. I made four dough balls and used one yesterday for the big calzone I made.

This strategy I think is worthwhile, but I do wonder how long fresh dough balls can be kept in refrigeration, or - if they may be frozen.

I expect to use all three of the current dough balls in the next couple days, 2 for oven grinders and 1 for a pizza. Or maybe, I can get my oven grinders from 1 dough ball and do 2 pizzas.

How many members make lots of dough in advance and refrigerate dough balls? - and how long can you refrigerate? Can you freeze dough, thaw it and use it much later down the road?

 

[karadekoolaid]

When I make pizza dough, I usually use a whole kilo of flour. There are only 3 of us, so there´s no way we could use it all up on the same day. I divide the dough into 8 parts (so each piece is roughly 125 gms), use three for lunch and the rest goes into the freezer, each piece wrapped individually in plastic wrap.
Lasts for a long time. The only thing I would say is that the frozen dough tends not to be as puffy and light as the fresh; the pizza base is harder and crispier. Not a big deal, but worth mentioning.

 

[flyinglentris]

When I make pizza dough, I usually use a whole kilo of flour. There are only 3 of us, so there´s no way we could use it all up on the same day. I divide the dough into 8 parts (so each piece is roughly 125 gms), use three for lunch and the rest goes into the freezer, each piece wrapped individually in plastic wrap.
Lasts for a long time. The only thing I would say is that the frozen dough tends not to be as puffy and light as the fresh; the pizza base is harder and crispier. Not a big deal, but worth mentioning.

Thanks for the mention about freezing dough. I figured that freezing would effect the dough, but I just didn't know how, - or if it would ruin the dough. I prefer then making just enough dough balls to use up fresh in two or three days with only refrigeration.

I note that refrigeration arrests the yeast and prevents the dough from crawling over the lips of bowls, etc. It also puts a slick surface on the dough balls, making them easier to handle without powdering with flour or perhaps, a sprinkle of semolina.

 

[Rocklobster]

I usually make about 3 lbs of dough at a time..3, one pound balls...one gets eaten right away and the others get wrapped and put in the freezer..when we plan pizza, I take one out that morning and leave it in the fridge. It is usually thawed by late afternoon,,I'll take it out and unwrap it, roll it in flour and let it warm up under a tea towel for about an hour before making the pie..One trick I learned is I spray the plastic wrap with spray oil before wrapping it so it doesn't stick to the plastic when I go to unwrap it...

 

[TastyReuben]

I nearly always have pizza dough balls in the freezer. Once the dough has gone through the initial rise, I punch it down, portion it how I like, ball it up, give it a little coating of oil, wrap it three or four times, toss it in the freezer, and the next day, for good measure, I vacuum-seal it.

I think the longest I've kept a dough in the freezer is probably around three months. A day or two ahead of time, I'll move a dough ball from the freezer to the fridge, and once it's thawed, I'll let it sit out for maybe an hour to two hours at room temperature before final shaping, dressing, and baking.

I haven't noticed much, if any, decline in quality.