Pizza is a very easy recipe to do if you have the equipment and skills. Sometimes we make more than we actually need so we get to ask how long does pizza dough lasts in the fridge?
There are a lot of ways to store pizza dough. But perhaps the most common way is to put it in the fridge where we sometimes forget it and it then goes bad when we finally decide to use it.
That is why you need to know the basics of pizza dough to know what goes on with it when you put it in the fridge. This post will help you do that and make your dough fresh all the time.
Pizza dough contains a lot of nutrients and bacteria that either help it become better or make it worse if left unattended. This post can save your pizza dough for future use.
The dough, although being mostly bland, is perhaps the most important part of the pizza. It is the one that holds up all the other ingredients and gives you a crisp texture.
That means that you need to keep it in the best quality throughout the preparation and storing.
Preparation is pretty easy but storing it can be tricky especially when it comes to the timing.
You need to know what you put in the pizza dough to also be able to determine how long it will be good for cooking after storing it.
This will save you a lot of time and money.
Preparing a bunch of pizza dough and storing them for future use is perfect for people who do not have a lot of time. Getting the pizza ready for the next use will be a piece of cake.
Making the dough is the longest part of the process when you make pizza. That is why most people resort to storing them in the fridge, so follow here to know the proper fridge storing.
How Can You Tell If Pizza Dough Is Bad?
Once the pizza dough is placed in the fridge, you need to know how long it takes before it goes bad. But even if you do, there are times when you do not have the time to cook it.
That is why you need to know the signs of what a bad pizza dough looks and smells like. The tricky part is when you just look at it and assume that it is still good when it really is not.
Bad pizza dough can make you sick because of the yeast and different microorganisms in it that were left for too long. That is why you need to make sure that the dough is still good before cooking.
The most obvious sign that the pizza dough is bad is when it gives off a sour smell. Pizza dough should smell like flour with a little bit of spice in it so get rid of it if it smells sour.
Another sign that can tell you directly if the pizza dough is bad is when its texture has differed from the initial one. Usually, the dough is bad when the texture feels and looks dry.
Good pizza dough will have some moisture left on its surface. If it looks smooth, then the dough should still be good for cooking so avoid cooking it if it looks dry.
Finally, you will be able to tell if the dough is bad when it has a general gray color. Even if it only has patches of gray color, that is a clear indication of dough being bad.
The gray color either comes from cold burns which also indicates that it has stayed in the fridge for too long. It also means that the yeast has been deactivated and just died in the dough.
How Long Does Pizza Dough Last In The Fridge?
If you research this specific line, you will be bombarded with a lot of different claims saying that dough can last in the fridge for only 3 days while others say it can go for up to 2 weeks.
However, there is a scientific explanation of how long pizza dough really lasts in the fridge. First, it is all about the life of the yeast that you used in making the pizza dough.
The average lifespan of yeast once it is mixed with the flour and other ingredients is around five days. That means that the dough can hardly go for a week in the fridge and stay fresh.
The safest time for the pizza dough to stay in the fridge is 48 hours or two days. This timespan will be just enough for the dough to stay as fresh as it was when it was made.
However, you can still let it stay in the fridge for up to four days. That is when you let it refrigerate at temperatures of less than 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
The 4-day rule is based on the USDA recommendations. After four days, the yeast will start to die down and the dough will become bad as it no longer has the fresh factor in it.
Make sure that you do not store the pizza dough in the fridge for longer than a week. The flour would have most likely gathered some contaminants that will make you sick if you eat it.
Can You Eat Old Pizza Dough?
That entirely depends on the concept of old, if four days is old for you, then yes, you can still cook the dough and eat it safely. But longer than that can be risky and not worth it.
Just as long as the pizza dough has not shown any signs of being bad, then you can still test it. But if at first bite you feel something off, do not risk it and get rid of the pizza right away.
It all comes down to the time that you let the pizza dough store in the fridge. It also comes with the process and if you did it the right way, 4-day old pizzas can still be eaten safely.
It is a common question whether it is better to cook pizza dough that was stored in the fridge or to cook it right away. The answer will always be about the latter as fresher is better.
Once you are done with preparing the pizza dough, you should cook it right away to get the best out of it. However, it hardly makes a difference when you cook stored pizza dough.
The secret is to make sure that the pizza dough is always safe to eat. So knowing the factors and signs of bad pizza dough is important to always keep your food safe from contamination.
Can Pizza Dough Make You Sick?
If prepared or stored badly, then yes, pizza dough can definitely make you sick. That is why you need to keep track of the process and time of storing the pizza dough to know if it is safe.
You should test the dough only with your sight, feel, and smell and never by tasting it. Flour is one of the ingredients that can be contaminated very quickly and very easily.
It offers a lot of entrance for microorganisms plus the bacteria and the yeast that is already inside the dough will react to the other microorganisms that can make it poisonous.
You should never taste a raw dough as it can really make you sick. There are live bacteria in it that can react badly to your digestive system and your overall health.
Conclusion
Many experts would say that the dough is the most important part of the pizza. That is why you need to keep it fresh or at least make it safe for cooking after storing it.
Make sure to cover the dough with plastic wrap or put it in a container that has a cover. This will limit the bacteria that can enter the dough from other foods in the fridge.
Refrigerating the dough will slow the rising power of the yeast. That is why it is a common way to store pizza dough and it is actually advised that you do it too.
However, you should know if the pizza dough has gone bad and never to risk it if you see the signs of bad pizza dough. Make sure to keep the pizza healthy by starting with a great dough.
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