Can You Parbake a Pizza Crust?

Can You Parbake a Pizza Crust?

In the process of planning my sister’s bridal shower (the menu included pizza), I asked this question. I found answers in various forms from Google which told me yes, I could parbake a pizza crust. I also asked my mother (who works for a large bread/cafe chain) and she told me that they parbake their bagels.

Of course, I never trust anything until I try it myself. I didn’t try it for the shower (I didn’t want to screw up and have no pizza). But later, I went about making a double batch of Alton Brown’s pizza dough to see if it would work. I made the dough, rolled it out, and baked it for about 8 minutes at 400F. It was cooked, but not yet brown and crusty.

♥ Related: My Baking Secrets

I cooled it in and then packaged it up into freezer bags (the crusts were about 8″) and threw them into the freezer.

Last night, Sean and I completed the test. We heated up some leftover tomato sauce, ladled it on the frozen crust, added cheese, and baked it at 450F until the crust was GBD (golden brown and DEEEELICIOUS.) It worked like a charm.

So yes, you can parbake pizza crust — and it’s much cheaper and way tastier than the store bought varieties. I recommend doing this next time you have a little time to make a big batch of dough. You can have a homemade pizza in minutes without calling out for (and waiting on) delivery!