How to Quickly Defrost Package Dough

So you’ve had some self-rising pizza dough, wholesale bread or other package dough sitting in your freezer for some time. You need to use in a relatively short amount of time, but it’s frozen rock solid. What do you do? Use this method to defrost any of your dough quickly and easily.

Begin by making your oven really hot. Keep the door closed and turn the heat up to about 400 degrees Fahrenheit. You want to make sure that it’s hot inside the oven, but not so hot that it will dry out the bread. Remove any packaging from the bread or dough, and place it in an ovenproof pan fitted with a lid. Next, fill up an ovenproof pan halfway full with boiling water.

Turn the oven off and open the door. Carefully slid the pan of boiling water on the bottom shelf and place the pan with the bread or dough on the top shelf, very close to the second shelf, and very carefully. Quickly close the oven door.

Leave the bread or dough in the oven as long as you need, changing the water so that it maintains a very high temperature at all times. If it’s dough you are trying to defrost and not fully cooked bread, you may want to start with your oven at a lower temperature, down to about 300 degrees Fahrenheit. The oven must always be off before you put any product in there though.

Check the product periodically and give it another round in the oven if necessary, until the center of the dough or bread is defrosted.