The dough is the most essential part of the pizza, so making your own is the best option for your family. The commercially produced pizza product will not be as high quality or tasty, but it will last longer than a homemade pizza. If you choose to make your own pizza, you might wonder how long does pizza dough last in the fridge?
Sadly, the answer to this question: Does pizza dough go bad is indeed a resounding yes. You should now find out how long pizza dough lasts. Let’s see what happens.
In this article we have talked in detail about the durability of pizza dough stored in the fridge. We have also covered some basic signs to use and check if the dough has gone bad. Rememeber, the basic ingredients of pizza dough are active dry yeast, olive oil, flour, and water.
Does Pizza Dough Go Bad?
Pizza dough does not last long and eventually goes bad. The issue is that there are no simple signs that this has occurred, especially when stored in the refrigerator.
You will notice something wrong when you try to make a pizza with one-week-old dough. Because yeast depletes the resources slowly with time, your dough will not rise during baking.
There is one more issue with storing pizza dough inside the fridge for more than five days. The bacteria will multiply rapidly after that time, and the situation will worsen, especially if you use dough containing eggs or milk. This process will be a lot faster if you keep the dough at room temperature for 2-3 hours.
For How Long Does A Pizza Dough Last?
When kept in the kitchen, homemade pizza dough will only be edible for about 4 to 24 hours and will dry. It will keep in the fridge for a few days and can be frozen for up to three months. So, keep in mind that a higher yeast concentration will hasten spoilage and result in bad pizza dough.
Pizza Dough Shelf Life
As you can see, homemade pizza crust does not keep for long, but store-bought pizza dough does. The maximum shelf life of a live dough product is four months. However, if you don’t mind the quality deterioration, you can keep it for another two months.
Par-baked products should be consumed within six months of manufacture, but they can be appropriately stored for up to a year. Finally, dough balls will keep their best quality in the freezer inside a freezer bag for three months, but you can use the pizza dough balls for another three months without worrying.
6 Ways To Tell If Pizza Dough Has Gone Bad
Check the expiration date on the pizza dough packaging and store it properly. Otherwise, you will be confronted with spoiled products you should not consume.
Smell
The best way to tell if the pizza dough has gone bad is to smell it. As a result of the fermentation, it may have a sour smell or have an alcohol or beer odor. As previously stated, yeast must be added to the dough to allow it to rise. During the anaerobe chemical reaction, glucose degrades, and carbon dioxide bubbles form in the dough. On the other hand, the produced alcohol will impact the smell and taste of the dough. The sourdough will lose its flavor if the process takes too long.
Furthermore, the overgrown dough will not taste good because of the rapid growth of bacteria. Remember that high temperatures will accelerate the fermentation process, so freezing it will extend its shelf life.
You should not eat this dough because it will likely cause unpleasant health issues, including poisoning. Your pizza dough may smell like yeast in some cases. That doesn’t mean it’s bad, and the odor is caused by pre-fermentation. Simply put, live yeast runs out of food and can be fixed by adding flour. After kneading and letting it rise again, you can use this dough.
Color
The color of fresh pizza dough is cream or beige. A Grey color with flaky or orange peel on its surface is undesirable and indicates that it is time to discard this product.
After a while, the color changes due to enzyme-catalyzed phenolic and fatty acid oxidation. Because these compounds are derived from flour, you should expect this to occur after some time.
Texture
Over time, pizza dough will lose elasticity and become dry, flaky, and crusty. It is challenging to roll such a product into a ball and for the dough to rise.
Taste
The end step is to taste the pizza dough. When you notice an off-taste, it’s time to stop using this product.
Freezer Burns
You will notice these signs when you put and store pizza dough that is improperly packaged in the freezer for a long period. There will be freezer burns, visible freezer crystals, or whitish spots. This product is edible, but its flavor is unpleasant, so avoid eating it if possible.
Mold
Any mold growth is a sign that you should throw out the pizza dough immediately. Because spores have already spread throughout the product, removing mold and using the remaining dough is unacceptable.
3 Tips To Store Pizza Dough
Kitchen
The amount of time you can store your pizza dough at room temperature inside the kitchen is primarily determined by the recipe. Be aware that the amount of yeast used to make dough varies greatly between recipes.
For example, if you mix 0.5 teaspoons (10 g) yeast into 2.2 pounds (1 kg) flour, your dough will have an optimal 1% yeast.
However, many recipes on the Internet contain up to 2% yeast. This will hasten the fermentation process but have a negative impact on the taste of the pizza. For some the taste may be too much yeast flavor.
On the other hand, some recipes use only 0.2% yeast. So, they let the dough ferment at room temperature for 16 to 18 hours, giving your pizza a typical aroma.
Fridge
Pizza dough can be placed and stored in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. This depends on its condition and the temperature of the water used to make it.
When you use warm water on the dough and leave it on the counter for one hour or so before placing it in the fridge, it will only be edible for three days. It will stay edible for at least 4 to 5 days when refrigerated immediately.
After purchasing commercial pizza dough, store it in an original dough box in your refrigerator. Another possibility is to store it in an airtight container. The most important thing is to keep air from entering the packaging and drying out the product. You could try plastic wrap as well.
Dividing homemade pizza dough into smaller 0.4 to 0.5-pound (200 – 250 g) balls is more convenient. These pieces are suitable for medium to large pizzas. Although this method is convenient, crust creation takes longer when the dough is stored in bulk.
Freezer
Pizza dough can be placed and stored in the freezer for three months without losing flavor. After that time, you will notice the changes in the product’s taste, color, and texture.
Another issue is crust forming on the dough surface after a while, especially if you did not wrap and pack it correctly. You can use it, but there’s no point in eating such a terrible product when you can quickly make another fresh dough.
If you decide to take the frozen dough, place the dough in the fridge for a minimum of 12 hours before baking to allow it to thaw slowly. Allow it to sit at room temperature on the worktop for two hours before using it.
As a result, the yeast will be activated and will rise again. It is a good idea not to refrigerate defrosted pizza dough for more than three days.
The Risks Of Consuming An Expired Pizza Dough
With pizza dough, you may encounter two issues. First, the raw dough has harmful bacteria when stored for an extended period. Second, flour can become contaminated if stored improperly.
Eating contaminated pizza dough, you could get E. Coli or Salmonella poisoning within a few hours to five or six days. E. coli is especially dangerous and can be fatal in some cases. The following are the most common symptoms:
- Fever
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Dry mouth
- Stomach cramps
- Diarrhea
- Headache
- Joint and muscle aches
Avoid eating raw pizza dough, especially in large quantities. Bacterial toxins, particularly Shiga toxin, are the most serious threat, causing watery diarrhea and life-threatening dehydration.
Can You Freeze Pizza Dough?
When storing pizza dough in the freezer, wrap it properly to avoid drying, crust formation, and freezer burns.
The best option is to seal your product in a freezing bag using a food sealer machine. This prevents air from entering and negatively affecting the dough. If you store and defrost your product correctly, it will stay fresh and delicious for a long time.
Final Words
We hope our article answered this question clearly for you: How long does pizza dough last in the fridge? Pizza dough can be stored for a few hours, days, or months, depending on the recipe’s preparation method, storage temperature, and amount of yeast. The homemade dough will last only a few days in the fridge, whereas some commercial products can last up to a year. So remember to check your dough before your next pizza night!