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    Home » Recipes » Pizza Recipes » How To Par Bake Pizza Dough To Freeze Or Bake Later

    How To Par Bake Pizza Dough To Freeze Or Bake Later

    Published: Jun 16, 2021 · Modified: Apr 24, 2022 by Jenna Passaro · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    Text overlay with images with caption reading how to par bake pizza dough recipe.

    Par baking pizza dough is one of the best ways to meal prep pizza. And it takes only 7 minutes! After perfecting par baked pizza recipes for sheet pan pizzas and pizza stone recipes, I have some tips! Learn how to par bake pizza dough to freeze or bake later right here!

    Top down shot of parbaked pizza crust on a sheet pan.
    Working with fresh pizza dough? Learn how to par bake pizza dough to freeze or bake later. See some great pizza meal prep tips right here!

    Table of Contents

    • Cook pizza with confidence!
    • Ingredients to make par baked pizzas
    • How to par bake pizza dough
    • How to freeze par baked dough
    • How to bake frozen par baked pizza dough
    • FAQs for making par baked dough for pizza
    • The Perfect Pizza Setup
    • More pizza recipes from Sip Bite Go
    • Are you a foodie, too?
    • How To Par Bake Pizza Dough To Freeze Or Bake Later | Sip Bite Go

    Cook pizza with confidence!

    With these par baked pizza instructions, you’ll be able to make any fresh dough then freeze pizza dough par baked so it’s easy to add toppings and bake later. Use this guide for any store bought dough including Whole Foods pizza dough, and Trader Joe’s pizza dough, too.

    Top down shot of corner of crust of par baked pizza crust on a sheet tray using store bought dough.

    Ingredients to make par baked pizzas

    • 1 bag pizza dough (store bought dough or see how to make pizza from scratch)
    • A little flour to stretch the dough
    • Olive oil to get a crisp brown crust
    Side shot of pizza made on par baked dough.

    How to par bake pizza dough

    Now I’ll walk you through the step-by-step to make prebaked pizza crust.

    Step 1. Help the pizza dough rise. (Option 1) Take the pizza dough out of the fridge the morning of making parbaked pizza dough. Let the pizza dough rise on a counter or in front of a sunny window. It will almost explode out of the bag, so you can also transfer it to a bowl to rise and cover it in plastic wrap.

    (Option 2) Take the dough out of the fridge at least 30 minutes (ideally at least 2 hours) before stretching it. You want the pizza dough to be nice and plump before stretching and par baking it.

    Top down shot of hands brushing olive oil on baking sheet for par baking dough.

    Step 2. Prep work station for par baking pizza dough. About half an hour before you want to make par baked pizza dough, preheat the oven to 450°F. Set out a large rimmed sheet pan and add a piece of parchment paper to it. Brush 1 tsp olive oil on the parchment paper and set aside.

    Step 3. Stretch pizza dough. Sprinkle half the flour onto a large cutting board or other clean work surface. Set the rest of the flour to the corner of the workstation to use as you stretch the dough.

    Add the raw pre-made pizza dough on top of the flour, and flip it around in the flour to lightly coat each side. Remember to add light dustings of flour to the dough as you stretch it. Stretch the dough at first by pinching the outside 1” in a circular motion to make the crust.

    Demonstrating stretching pizza dough for for parbaking without toppings in a chart with images.

    Stretch the pizza dough by using a few different techniques:

    1. Push the center against the cutting board.
    2. Use knuckles to stretch pizza dough from underneath.
    3. Put a hand in the center of the dough and pull the dough edges outwards.

    Keep adding a light dusting of flour while stretching it. If dough tears, don’t pull it so much and overlap dough where there are holes.

    Top down shot of stretched raw pizza dough to a sheet tray.

    Step 4. Transfer raw pizza dough to a sheet tray. To prevent holes in the dough, don’t force it to stretch. If the dough will stretch a little, push it to the edges of the tray. Otherwise, it’s fine if the dough isn’t a perfect rectangle shape. Those can be the best looking pizzas!

    Side shot of hand adding raw pizza dough to oven to parbake it.

    Step 5. Parbake dough. Bake the naked pizza dough without toppings in the oven at 450°F for 7 minutes. Pizza will still be light in color, not browned, but the dough will be set in place and is ready to freeze or add toppings and continue baking at 500°F for 7-10 minutes or until golden brown crust has formed and the cheese is bubbling.

    Top down shot of flour dusted on half baked pizza crust par baked in the oven.

    See how to make homemade pizza with par baked dough.

    Pizza with toppings on par baked pizza dough

    Doesn’t this pizza look amazing? Learn how to make Philly cheese steak pizza with marinated flank steak or coulotte steak. It’s topped with sautéed onions and peppers, and a delicious cheesy white pizza sauce.

    How to freeze par baked dough

    To freeze parbaked pizza dough, wrap it in plastic wrap, then foil to keep it from going bad in the freezer. You don’t want it to get freezer burn. Store frozen parbaked dough for up to 2 months.

    How to bake frozen par baked pizza dough

    This section will walk you through if you have stretched and par baked dough, then frozen it on sheet trays for meal prep later. There are two basic ways to bake frozen par baked dough. These recommendations are assuming you haven’t added toppings to the pizzas.

    Option 1 – Thaw then bake par bake dough

    The first is to let it thaw for 20-30 minutes on the counter so it’s not completely frozen when toppings are added. If I remember to do this earlier in the day, I’ll put the par baked dough on the counter or in the fridge hours in advance. Otherwise, usually when I’m prepping the kitchen for dinner and pulling out all my ingredients, that’s a good time to take out the dough.

    Option 2 – Bake par baked dough that’s frozen

    The second option is to bake par baked dough from frozen, but this isn’t my favorite method because it can throw off the cooking time. You’d want to continue baking the parbaked dough for ~5-7 minutes, then add the toppings and finish baking the pizza.

    Top down shot of chicken pizza on parbaked pizza dough crust.

    Have leftover chicken? Toss it on some pizza! Make this chicken spinach pizza with bacon from Sip Bite Go.

    FAQs for making par baked dough for pizza

    Why pre-cook pizza dough?

    Pre-cooking pizza dough makes sure the center of your homemade pizza doesn’t get soggy. When you par bake pizza dough, it cooks halfway through and the air can touch the top of the dough. It also gets more fluffy and gives the pizza crust the opportunity to bake to a perfect golden brown.

    When do you add toppings to parbaked pizza dough?

    Once pizza dough that’s parbaked is done cooking (which only takes 7 minutes on a sheet pan), you take it out of the oven, add toppings and then stick the entire pizza back in the oven. Cook at a higher temperature until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is golden brown.

    Do you need to par bake pizza dough on a pizza stone?

    This is a gray area for me. If you have a pizza peel, so you can slide the pizza directly into the oven on a preheated pizza stone, then I don’t find it necessary to parbake the dough. However, if you’re going to take the preheated pizza stone out of the oven, then add toppings, I’d suggest parbaking it for 3 minutes, because it will cook as you assemble pizza toppings.

    How do you know how long to bake pizza with pre baked dough?

    Eyeball it! It usually takes 8-12 minutes in my oven to bake pizza after adding the toppings. I like when the cheese is bubbling, but not yet turning brown.

    Can you freeze par baked pizza dough?

    One thing I love to do is par bake pizza dough to freeze and bake later. This is basically like having frozen pizza ready to go at a moment’s notice. To freeze parbaked dough, wrap it in plastic wrap and tin foil on top. It will keep for a few months in the freezer.

    To make your own frozen pizza at home, add toppings and freeze the entire par baked pizza crust with toppings.

    Top down shot of a bag of whole foods pizza dough next to parbaked pizza crust.

    The Perfect Pizza Setup

    Want to make restaurant style pizza at home? I’ve got you covered! Here are some of my top tips, tricks, secret ingredients and tools for a pizza night everyone will look forward to, again and again.

    1. NEVER do this… Contrary to what most people believe, when baking pizza on a sheet pan, never add toppings to raw pizza dough. Instead, follow my recipe for making homemade pizza with ready made dough, which will teach you how to par bake pizza dough first.
    2. Get help from secret ingredients…
      – This dough seasoning is the secret to real Italian-tasting homemade pizza dough.
      – Add pizza seasoning to store bought pizza sauce. This makes the pizza taste really fresh!
    3. Herbs are for after… In my weekly pizza making practice, I’ve found that fresh herbs, like basil, need to be added to pizza after the pizza is done baking (so the herbs don’t wilt).
    4. Buy fresh dough and get amazing results. Yup, fresh dough from grocery stores is one of my favorite short-cuts. Learn how to use fresh Trader Joe’s pizza dough and Whole Foods pizza dough with my tutorials.
    5. Frozen pizza can taste amazing, too!! Learn how to spruce it up with this recipe for pizza using frozen crust.
    6. Slice pizza pies like a chef with just a few swipes, using big ol’ pizza cutters.
    7. Want to grill pizza? Here are some pizza grilling tools to check out.
    8. Do you really need to cook pizza on the rack? Nope! I basically never do. Here are tools you see me using in my tutorials on cooking pizza in the oven…
      – Bake pizza on a rimmed baking pan set to get a beautiful golden brown crust.
      – Love crispy crust? Let the air flow with this dishwasher safe pizza pan.
      – Get personal – let your fam / friends top their own pies with this set of personal pizza pans.

    More pizza recipes from Sip Bite Go

    • Cheeseburger pizza
    • Philly cheese steak pizza
    • Smoked Traeger pizza
    • Chicken spinach pizza with bacon
    • Homemade pizza dough
    • Pizza sauce recipe
    • White pizza sauce
    • See tips for stretching pizza dough by hand
    • Learn how to make frozen premade pizza crust taste better
    • GUIDE: how to cook chicken breast for pizza

    Are you a foodie, too?

    Hey home chefs, I want to see how your parbaked pizza crust turned out! Find me on Instagram @sipbitego to tag me and connect. People message me photos of their finished recipes and ask for tips all the time, so don’t be shy!

    Make restaurant-style food at home with my video guides on the Sip Bite Go channel.

    To find more delicious recipes to try on your culinary journey, scroll through the Sip Bite Go recipe collection.

    Top down shot of lightly Par Baked Pizza Dough using a sheet tray.

    How To Par Bake Pizza Dough To Freeze Or Bake Later | Sip Bite Go

    Par baking pizza dough is one of the best ways to meal prep pizza. And it takes only 7 minutes! After perfecting par baked pizza recipes for sheet pan pizzas and pizza stone recipes, I have some tips! Learn how to par bake pizza dough to freeze or bake later right here!
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dinner, Main Dish
    Cuisine: Italian
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 7 minutes
    Total Time: 12 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 29kcal
    Author: Jenna Passaro

    Ingredients

    • 1 bag pizza dough fresh
    • 2 tsp olive oil divided
    • 1 ½ tbsp flour divided
    • ¼ tsp salt

    Instructions

    • Help the pizza dough rise. (Option 1) Take the pizza dough out of the fridge the morning of making parbaked pizza dough. Let the pizza dough rise on a counter or in front of a sunny window. It will almost explode out of the bag, so you can also transfer it to a bowl to rise and cover it in plastic wrap. (Option 2) Take the dough out of the fridge at least 30 minutes (ideally at least 2 hours) before stretching it. You want the pizza dough to be nice and plump before stretching and par baking it.
    • Prep work station for par baking pizza dough. About half an hour before you want to make par baked pizza dough, preheat the oven to 450°F. Set out a large rimmed sheet pan and add a piece of parchment paper to it. Brush 1 tsp olive oil on the parchment paper and set aside.
    • Stretch pizza dough. Sprinkle half the flour onto a large cutting board or other clean work surface. Set the rest of the flour to the corner of the workstation to use as you stretch the dough. Add the raw pre-made pizza dough on top of the flour, and flip it around in the flour to lightly coat each side. Remember to add light dustings of flour to the dough as you stretch it. Stretch the dough at first by pinching the outside 1” in a circular motion to make the crust. Then stretch the inside of the pizza dough by using a few different techniques: (1) push the center against the cutting board (2) use knuckles to stretch pizza dough from underneath (3) put a hand in the center of the dough and pull the dough edges outwards. Keep adding a light dusting of flour while stretching it. If dough tears, don’t pull it so much and overlap dough where there are holes.
    • Transfer raw pizza dough to a sheet tray. To prevent holes in the dough, don’t force it to stretch. If the dough will stretch a little, push it to the edges of the tray. Otherwise, it’s fine if the dough isn’t a perfect rectangle shape. Those can be the best looking pizzas!
    • Parbake dough. Bake the naked pizza dough without toppings in the oven at 450°F for 7 minutes. Pizza will still be light in color, not browned, but the dough will be set in place and is ready to freeze or add toppings and continue baking at 500°F for 7-10 minutes or until golden brown crust has formed and the cheese is bubbling.

    Video

    Notes

    How to freeze par baked dough: Wrap it in plastic wrap, then foil to keep it from going bad in the freezer. You don’t want it to get freezer burn. Store frozen parbaked dough for up to 2 months.
    How to bake frozen par baked pizza dough: Thaw frozen par baked dough for 20-30 minutes on the counter so it’s not completely frozen when toppings are added. Or bake par baked dough from frozen, but this isn’t my favorite method because it can throw off the cooking time.
     
    See the recipe:  https://sipbitego.com/par-bake-pizza-dough
    See the recipe video on how to parbake dough for pizza

    Nutrition

    Calories: 29kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 147mg | Potassium: 3mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @SipBiteGo or tag #sipbitego!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. lakowak says

      July 01, 2022 at 12:06 am

      If your oven takes a half hour to get up to 450 degrees, you need a new oven.5 stars

      Reply
      • name says

        October 06, 2022 at 8:49 am

        lol but true, mine takes 6 minutes from room temperature to maximum it can do 230 C5 stars

        Reply
      • Jessica says

        October 31, 2022 at 11:48 am

        It’s heating the stone that helps. That would be why you preheat oven with stone inside.5 stars

        Reply
        • Jenna Passaro says

          November 22, 2022 at 6:14 pm

          Also heating the pizza stone prevents the stone from CRACKING because if you don’t SLOWLY bring it up to temperature, it can crack.

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    jenna passaro food blogger from Portland Oregon

    Hey, I’m Jenna Passaro.

    I develop easy recipes that can transform your kitchen into a restaurant – and you into a true home chef.

      

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    Learn the secrets to smoking tasty Traeger recipes and making pizza at home. And cook amazing tri tip steak dinners.

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    You’ll notice, I kind of geek out over new cooking trends and tools!

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    My story. Growing up, I didn’t learn to cook.

    (I was actually banned from cooking for years)

    And then in my 20’s I didn’t have to cook because my job as an event planner involved a lot of travel and it was easier to eat out. At the time, I was 100% positive that restaurant food would always taste better than cooking at home, and there was nothing I could do about it.

    Until I fell in love with a chef. He would come over and cook me delicious meals right in my own kitchen. My mind was blown.

    Since then, I’ve been on a mission to figure out easy ways to make restaurant style food at home and share it here on Sip Bite Go.

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