A step-by-step guide on how to stretch your fresh pizza dough at home. Don’t worry we keep it simple!
How to stretch your fresh pizza dough
- Flour your countertop or board with the provided flour mix; Tip: You can also pour the provided flour mix into a soup plate.
- Open the dough container and turn it upside down onto the floured surface; If the dough does not slowly start to detach you may help by detaching a bit a side with the tips of your fingers;
- When you have the dough on your floured surface turn it on both sides through the flour; it will feel like a soft pillow! Grab it gently so that you don’t lose any of the precious air trapped in it. Once the dough ball is covered in the flour you are ready to shape your pizza!! Tip: Don’t pull the dough out, if it does not detach straight away. You want to keep the ball as round as possible for stretching your perfectly round DIY pizza
- With the tips of your fingers press down on the dough creating an edge. Usually, around a 1-2 cm edge will work well. Create first a half-moon shape along one side of the dough ball and then push the dough towards the other edge to form the base. Remember you are pushing the air toward the edge! (“cornichone”)
- Once you have the edge, start pressing the middle towards the edge of the pizza. Take care not to flatten your pizza edge when doing this! Once you can fit your hand in the center of the base, you can use the “steering wheel” technique by grabbing the dough just below the edge. Steer it around, allowing gravity to stretch your pizza base for you
- Another technique is to use your fists to stretch the dough! Place your fists under the middle part of the dough and then turn it 90 degrees and repeat again and again until you are happy with your pizza base.
- The most used technique by pizzaiolo in Italy is the slapping technique.
Tip: If you have big air bubbles pinch them.
Remember your pizza dough in the middle of the base should be thin and translucent!
Your pizza base is now ready for toppings!