Freezing pizza
#11
  Re: (...)
Hello,

Where I live (Honduras), it is very difficult for me to get the magazine, but my parents in the States subscribe. I am trying to find tips on how to freeze pizzas without having the crust get too hard when they are reheated. My parents looked into their Cuisine at Home index, and found that page 43 of issue 45 had information about freezing pizzas. Unfortunately, that was before they had started their subscription.

Do any of you have issue 45 that you'd be able to tell me the pizza-freezing tips from page 43?

Of course, any other such tips would also help. For example, someone has suggested that the dough recipe I am using (Wolfgang Puck's) is designed to be served fresh, and that it probably loses too much moisture when frozen, resulting in a harder crust when reheated. If someone know how I might adjust the recipe to compensate for this, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks!
If blueberry muffins have blueberries in them, what do vegan muffins have?
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#12
  Re: Freezing pizza by labradors (Hello,[br][br]Where ...)
Welcome labradors, glad you could join us and hope we can pick your brains about local recipes. Here's what issue 45 had to say about it. They were talking about freezing pizza dough, not actual already made pizzas.

"Absolutely! Once you’ve made the dough (after it’s completed its second rising) wrap it in plastic wrap, place it in a freezer bag, and freeze—it will keep for a couple of weeks. To thaw, move it to the refrigerator. Let the dough stand at room temperature for at least one hour before using."

If we as a group can help, all you have to do is ask.
Don't wait too long to tell someone you love them.

Billy
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#13
  Re: Re: Freezing pizza by bjcotton (Welcome labradors, g...)
I would like to add my welcome as well, labradors! Hope you will join in the fun and good conversation with nice people on this forum. Maybe you could tell us a little bit about your country and and it's cuisine?

Maryann
Maryann

"Drink your tea slowly and reverently..."
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#14
  Re: Re: Freezing pizza by bjcotton (Welcome labradors, g...)
Thanks. I was already aware of freezing the dough.

In this case, I'll be delivering these to the café of an art gallery run by a friend of mine, so they need to be ready for her to reheat for her customers. Unfortunately, in our initial tests, the crust on the cooked pizzas (even partially cooked) became quite hard when reheated. I may need to try freezing them with everything on them, but uncooked.

As for local recipes, you may find them interesting, but they are mostly nothing REALLY special, from a "gourmet" point of view. The most common things are fried or roasted chicken, rice, beans, etc. A few of the things from the street vendors are interesting (and delicious), but certainly not fancy. I'll post some information about baleadas, pastelitos, horchata, etc. some time.

Thanks again.

Edit:
Quote:

I would like to add my welcome as well, labradors! Hope you will join in the fun and good conversation with nice people on this forum. Maybe you could tell us a little bit about your country and and it's cuisine?




Maryann, my country is actually the U.S. I live in Honduras as a missionary helping other missionaries with their computers, etc., and helping some people with medical needs to make sure they get seen by the right people. The cooking is a sideline to earn a little extra for support. This is a very poor country (second poorest in the Western hemisphere, after Haita), so I don't need a huge budget every month, but some extra help from something like selling my pizzas, pizzelles, caramels, etc. can help take a little bit of the burden off of the friends and family who already help me.
If blueberry muffins have blueberries in them, what do vegan muffins have?
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#15
  Re: Re: Freezing pizza by labradors (Thanks. I was alrea...)
Let me add my welcome to you also!! How are the pizzas being heated now? In the microwave? That could very well be your problem - using the oven, a dry skillet or even a grill top would be your best bet for not ending up with a tough crust.
Retired and having fun writing cookbooks, tasting wine and sharing recipes with all my friends.
www.achefsjourney.com
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#16
  Re: Re: Freezing pizza by cjs (Let me add my welcom...)
Few of us are really gourmets, we just like to eat and cook, so whether it's everyday food or special food we're all interested
Don't wait too long to tell someone you love them.

Billy
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#17
  Re: Re: Freezing pizza by cjs (Let me add my welcom...)
Our freinds who own the local Papa Del's restaurant ***** half-baked frozen pizzas all over the world - they pack them in dry ice using the same packing materials that are used to ***** blood.

Anyway - the instructions are to thaw the pizza and bake in a hot oven (450 degrees) for about 30 minutes. Theirs is deep dish, but perhaps the problem you are having is in the freezing or in the reheating oven not being hot enough. Next time I see one of the owners, I'll ask what they discovered on reheating to make sure the quality is still good.

PS - And, I add my welcome to you. Sounds like you have an interesting life!
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#18
  Re: Re: Freezing pizza by cjs (Let me add my welcom...)
Heavens, no! I would NEVER have anyone cook the pizzas in a microwave! Perhaps a brief time to thaw them just a bit, but otherwise, the crust would get tough.

In this case, they baked them at 350F for 15-20 minutes, and the crust came out hard (not tough as it would in a microwave, but hard like a hard pretzel).

I suggested a higher temperature for a shorter time, and/or a partial thaw in the microwave before baking, but I'm still not sure that will help, since I am getting the same results (only with the reheated pizzas - not if I bake them fresh to be eaten right away).

I'll be going away for a week. For now, tomorrow, I'll try making a batch, forming and topping them, but not baking them - just freezing them with the dough uncooked. Since none of the toppings are raw meats, only the crust really needs the thorough cooking, so there won't be any food-safety problem.

If that doesn't work, then I will have to modify the dough recipe, or use a different one. As I mentioned earlier, someone has already told me that this dough recipe was "designed" to be used with pizzas that will be eaten right away. Now I just need to figure out if it's possible to change it enough to overcome this problem without changing the character and taste of the pizza too much.

I'll get back to you all once I return from my trip. For now, please keep the ideas coming.

Thanks again!
If blueberry muffins have blueberries in them, what do vegan muffins have?
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#19
  Re: Re: Freezing pizza by labradors (Heavens, no! I woul...)
I'm a personal chef and often make pizzas for my clients to freeze and reheat. The process: roll out or shape doughs and place on cornmeal dusted cookie sheet. Bake at 450 to 500 degrees for about 4 minutes or until the dough looks set. Do not brown. Cool on racks and then top with whatever you like. Wrap in foil, then saran wrap and freeze. To cook: Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Remove pizzas from wrap and place on cookie sheets or directly on oven rack. (My clients don't have pizza peels.) Bake until crust is browned and toppings are bubbling (about 8 to 12 minutes.) Hope this works for you.
Shannon
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#20
  Re: Re: Freezing pizza by Dismc (I'm a personal chef ...)
I had lunch at Papa Del's yesterday and asked for some details about their reheating instructions for the pizza. Remember, tho, theirs is a deep dish style.

Thaw the pie in the refrigerator overnight. Brush the crust with olive oil and bake at 400 for 30 minutes. She said the dough can get hard because it is too dense if it is not allowed to rise. The olive oil also helps with moisture. They aslo recommend baking in the middle of the oven.
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