Does Refrigerated Pizza Dough Go Bad Quickly?

Making tasty pizza dough at home is a great way to enjoy one of the many homemade pizza recipes out there – plus, you know what is going into the mixture! However, one of the most common concerns of pizza lovers everywhere is how long the pizza dough will last if you keep it in the fridge, and how long will it take before it has gone bad?

This article will share some important tips with you about how to keep pizza dough in the fridge and how long it will last. We will also be looking at the benefits you can expect to see when you store your dough balls this way.

After you have given the dough time to rise in the fridge, which takes around 3 days, you can expect to store it for up to one week. Any time longer than this and the food may begin to go off.

Can Refrigerated Pizza Dough Go Off?

Yes, once you have made your favorite pizza dough recipe and put it into the refrigerator, the clock starts ticking. But the good news is that you will find your pizza bread dough doesn’t really begin to show signs of going bad for a good few days.

Much like any food, pizza dough will start to deteriorate, but you have a good amount of time before you have to start making your home-cooked pizza!

How Long Will Homemade Pizza Dough Last In The Fridge?

If you have just made a fresh new batch of your favorite dough recipe, you may decide to let it rise in the fridge. This is the best way to get a nice texture and a crispy, airy crust.

During the first three days that the dough is exposed to the fridge’s cold temperature, the yeast will begin to react with the sugar, which will cause the dough to rise.

The sooner the pizza dough is used after the yeast has worked it’s magic, the better your recipe will turn out. If the dough is left for too long, it may begin to rise too much, and this can mean that when you make pizza with it, the crust will be full of holes.

Most experts would suggest that your pizza dough can remain inside the refrigerator for up to one week – after this, you will likely see many a sign of decreased quality.

How Long Does Store-Bought Pizza Dough Last In The Fridge?

When you let your pizza dough sit at an even cooler temperature in the freezer, it’s clear that it will have a longer life – and what’s best about this method ( for storage ) is that the quality will not be affected once you take it out of the freezer, ready for baking. There is a common misconception that the dough will be good for use for years, but unfortunately, it will not remain good for quite that long.

In the freezer, you can expect your pizza dough to last for around three months. It is important that, when you are ready to make your pizza, you let the dough defrost in the refrigerator for well over ten hours, preferably overnight.

Once this is complete, you must first let the pizza dough sit at room temperature for at least two hours to allow the yeast to expand fully.

Can Pizza Dough Go Bad If It Is Left Out?

Leaving your fresh pizza dough at room temperature is one of the quickest and most effective ways to let it rise – this gives the yeast chance to react and ensures you will get a nice fluffy crust. This is one of the most essential parts of pizza making recipes and should always be done before the dough is ready to use – unless you want a thin crust pizza, in which case, it isn’t as important.

When you leave your dough at room temperature, the yeast will undergo a fermentation process which can take anywhere from 90 minutes to two hours, sometimes longer, depending on the kind of texture you want to achieve. However, if the dough is left for longer than 24 hours, it can begin to dry out. For this reason, we suggest following one of our tops tips – make sure to cover the dough in a container.

That being said, once the dough has proofed and it is ready to use, you should make sure that you either begin baking it right away or store it in the fridge. Not doing so will mean that the dough will lose its quality, and the flavor will be affected, giving you a more sour taste.

How Can I Tell If My Pizza Dough Has Gone Bad?

The best method to tell if your pizza dough has gone bad is to check the texture – dough that is no longer fit for use will be much drier than a good dough. Some people would suggest adding a little olive oil to give it back some moisture, but oil should only be used to coat the dough before baking.

Of course, if your pizza dough shows visible signs of being diminished, such as mold, you should not be using it, and it should be thrown straight into the bin. You will find that this doesn’t happen very often since most people will use their pizza bread dough soon after making it.

Another of the most obvious signs that your pizza dough is not like it should be are small grey flecks. This demonstrates that the yeast has gone bad. However, if you have used a particular type of flour that has flecks of grey, it could simply be this.

Finally, if you have put your dough in the freezer, there is a chance that it may develop freezer burn – this will appear like little dark patches on the dough. You might notice this on a pre-frozen pizza, but it is even more obvious on fresh pizza dough.

This freezer burn will not cause you any symptoms if it is eaten, but it shouldn’t be used to make pizza as it likely won’t turn out as well, and in some cases, the dough may not cook very even.

Summary

Many things might signal that your dough has gone bad – this might include mold, grey flecks within the food, or a sour taste, but many people following these dough recipes are unsure as to how quickly these signs take to show.

If you store your dough in the fridge, it won’t spoil rapidly; the chances are that it will be much the same after five days as it was on the day you made it. However, once it has been stored for a week, it may start to deteriorate, and it is a wise idea to put it to good use and start making pizza.

The dough can also be kept in other places such as on the kitchen countertop, or you may freeze it – the latter will always make the dough last far longer before it spoils. However, keeping at room temperature after you make it should not be done for more than 24 hours. I like to get mine in at least the fridge straight away.