How to Quickly Defrost Frozen Pizza Dough

Add your favorite toppings to the thawed pizza dough.

Thawing pizza dough may consume too much time and you may decide to order a pizza to prevent waiting for the dough to defrost. Instead of waiting for the dough to thaw, you can defrost it quickly in the microwave. Thawing the pizza dough in the microwave allows you to make a homemade pizza in no time. The microwave defrosts the dough but it needs monitored carefully because a microwave heats food unevenly.

Things You'll Need

• Microwave-safe plate
• Olive oil
• Microwave-safe plastic wrap

Instructions

1. Place the frozen pizza dough onto a microwave-safe plate.

2. Brush the top of the bread dough with olive oil to prevent the top from drying out completely. Cover the bread dough with microwave-safe plastic wrap.

3. Set the microwave to high. Microwave the bread dough in 20-second intervals.

4. Check on the pizza dough after every 20 seconds. Remove the dough once it softens. Do not allow it to heat thoroughly because the dough may cook.

Tips & Warnings

• Cut the pizza dough into smaller sections once it softens to accelerate the defrost time.

• Use your microwave's defrost setting if it has one to prevent accidentally cooking the dough.

• Add 1 cup of water to the microwave to create steam that will help defrost the dough and ensure that it does not dry out from the heat.

• Always monitor the pizza dough carefully because too much heat can ruin the texture.

References

• Recipe Source: Microwaving Frozen Dough
• "Food and Wine"; Grilled Radicchio and Cheese Calzones; Grace Parisi
• University of Illinois Extension: Cooking with 5 or Less
• Oregon State University; Freezing Convenience Foods; C. Raab et al.; April 2009