Frozen Pizza Dough question

[Silver]

K, I'm kinda lazy and have a great bakery nearby, so I sometimes buy the 1 pound bag of frozen whole wheat pizza dough (okay, so this is the second time).

My question is - what "prep" is needed for the dough?

I presume it has to be left at room temperature to thaw and then rise (how long??). From then on, treat as normal pizza dough - punch it down, knead it, and then roll it out and load it up?

I was thinking of just taking it out of the bag (while frozen) and letting it sit at room temp in a covered bowl for several hours, then working with it as usual. Sound about right?

Thanks!

 

[Andy M.]

Ask the bakery.

First, thaw the dough in the refrigerator. The dough probably has been through the first rise already. So divide the dough if you want more than one pizza from it then let it rise at room temp until it's soft and pliable.

From there, make your pizzas.

 

[Silver]

Andy, I've gotta say, you are the most helpful person ever. You're almost always the first one to answer my (usually) stupid questions. Thank you so much.

I asked the bakery when I bought it - I had the old russian woman that said "roll, then cook! Maybe 15 minutes" That was it. I tried to get a bit more detail but was shut down

 

[Andy M.]

That's funny. I'm reading your post and imagining a Russian accent. No wonder you had to ask.

 

[VeraBlue]

it's a good start..

Don't let it thaw in the bag. When it's defrosted, it will begin to rise. Once it's doubled in size, punch it down and shape it. Consider stretching it rather than rolling it. Rolling it traumatizes the glutens and toughens the crust. Simply hold the dough by your fingertips, letting the bulk of it hang down, gravity will do most of the stretching. Rotate it like a steering wheel and it will stretch on it's own. When it's the size you want, just place it on a pizza screen that's been seasoned with oil and corn meal. Tidy the shape, create a crust edge and let it rest another half hour. Then top it and bake.