We have been trying every frozen dough ball we can find, (Rich’s, Tyson, Arrezio, Lamonica,) and we cannot seem to find one that we like. Is there any out there that are worth serving? What are the handling procedures that you use? Or should we give up and make our own?
Roma make an excellent fz dough ball…best if racked out in dough trays 24-36 hrs in advance…
why would you ever ever use frozen dough??
just make it. i have never had a frozen pizza dough worth eathing
Rich’s are pretty good.
Unpack the frozen doughballs into proofing trays at least two days before you want to use them. They need to be thawed for some time before use so they can proof up.
Built a successful pizza business on Rich’s dough balls. The two days is absolutely necessary. You can “speed thaw” them on counter at 70F or so . . . but not anywhere near as good. I’ve speed thawed some 9oz balls in proofer in 75 minutes. useable as emergency dough, but not as complex a flavor. 23oz balls take 2+ hours.
If you thaw on counter or in proofer, they are use within 12 hours or they overblow (extra yeast in the dough). You can “start” them in a warming box for a short time to kick-start he thawing and proofing, but that is dicey stuff. Just box and thaw in cooler for 48 hours or so. they will hold and be useable for day 2 and 3. Sometimes day 4 as well, depending on the manufaturing run and temp in cooler. Temper at room temp as you would homemade dough before opening the skins.
Thank you for the advice, the 2 day thaw is definitely crucial, what a difference!
While different frozen dough manufacturers may have their own recommended handling procedures, this is what I have found to work well.
Remove frozen dough balls from the box and place in dough boxes, wipe with salad oil and place in the refrigerator (covered) overnight to thaw (slack-out). Once slacked-out, the dough is ready to use. We also have another method that we like to use too, once the dough is slacked-out, allow it to remain in the cooler for another 18 to 24-hours, then remove it from the cooler, be sure to keep it covered, and allow the dough to temper AT room temperature for 90-minutes. Then begin opening the dough into skins. The dough will be good to use for about 2-hours, any unused dough balls can be opened into skins, placed on screens and stored in the cooler for use later in the day. To use these skins, just remove from the cooler (be sure to keep them covered with a plastic bag) (I like to store the skins in a wire tree rack, then cover the rack with a plastic bag, keep the bag with the tree rack until al lof the skins are removed.used from the rack) allow the opened skins to temper AT room temperature for 30-minutes, then begin using them in the normal manner. I think this gives a much better flavored crust than the other, more direct method.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor