Clear skies. Low 46F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph..
Clear skies. Low 46F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
Italian Sausage and Kalamata Olive Skillet Pizza.
Italian Sausage and Kalamata Olive Skillet Pizza.
Homemade pizza is fun to make and delicious to eat. But it can also be challenging at times, as I know from personal experience and the many reader inquiries we receive on the topic, both by email and in the live weekly Q&A I host with my colleague Aaron Hutcherson.
So to help all the wannabe pie-slingers, I’m collecting and answering some of the most common questions.
Q: Why does my pizza dough snap back when I stretch it?
A: Much like many of us these days, your dough probably just needs to relax. Especially for doughs that have just come out of the refrigerator, a brief rest can help make the dough easier to stretch. Turn it out onto a lightly floured counter and start to stretch it by dimpling it with your fingers until it’s just 4 or 5 inches wide. Then walk away. Use this time to prep toppings, check your email, whatever. After 10 to 15 minutes, you’ll find the dough is much easier to work with.
Another possibility is that you have a lot of gluten in the dough, which forms when water gets together with proteins in the flour and is developed further through kneading and rising. Gluten is what contributes to a dough’s stretchy, springy and chewy nature, and if you use a higher-protein flour, you will end up with more of it. So if you’re starting with bread flour or high-protein specialty pizza flour and want a slightly more relaxed dough, try replacing some or all of it with all-purpose flour. If you’re using a high-protein all-purpose flour, such as King Arthur Baking, you can mix in something lower-protein, such as Gold Medal or Pillsbury. Experiment with different ratios and see what works for you.
Q: How do I get a perfectly round pizza?
A: First, perfection is overrated. I’ve made my share of wonky-looking pizzas and none of them have tasted worse for it. But there are strategies for getting a little closer to a nice-looking round.
For most us, the answer is not as glamorous as tossing dough in the air like an experienced pizzaiolo. (Good luck to you if you try it!) Instead, I find the best method is slow and incremental. Working the dough too much in one direction will lead to a lopsided pizza. It requires a little patience, but here’s a pretty foolproof technique from longtime Washington chef Ruth Gresser of Pizzeria Paradiso, as shared in her excellent recipe for Pizza Genovese:
“On a floured surface, flatten the rested dough ball with your fingertips into an 8-inch round. Hold the dough between your fingers and your thumb on the left and right sides and stretch slightly. Lay the dough down on the counter and rotate it a quarter turn. Repeat the stretching on the new left and right sides of the dough. Rotate the dough an eighth of a turn. Repeat the stretching, make another quarter turn and stretch a final time. You should have a roughly 10-inch round.
Using your thumb and tips of your first two fingers, place them about 3/4 inch from the edge of the dough. Lift a section of the dough and stretch gently, proceeding section by section until you have made your way around the full circumference. You want to leave the outer edge thicker than the center to form a nice crust. The dough should now be a 12-inch round. If it’s misshapen, push or pull the edge until you achieve the desired round shape.”
For something less dramatic than throwing dough in the air, try draping it over the back of your hands and knuckles, being careful not to tear it. Gently rotate the dough, stretching it little by little.
Q: Do I need a pizza stone?
A: No. And I say this as a person who owns two of them (one for each oven). If you think you want to start making a lot of pizza or bread, then, yes, consider purchasing a stone (or steel). Otherwise, I’ve tried a few very good alternatives that make use of equipment you may already have in your kitchen.
One of those is the humble but versatile baking sheet. For a rimmed baking sheet, you’ll want to invert it so you’re sliding the pizza on and off with no obstructions from the edges. A rimless baking sheet works well, too. Be sure you preheat the sheet in the oven on the lowest rack to ensure you get the most efficient cooking. Give the oven at least 30 minutes, and up to an hour, to get hot.
You can also use a cast-iron skillet. This allows you to take advantage of cast iron’s excellent heat retention and eliminates the stress of having to slide a pizza on and off a stone. Because it’s so self-contained, I highly recommend the skillet option to apprehensive pizza-makers. Again, give the oven at least a half-hour to preheat at its highest setting (ideally at least 500 degrees). Then a few minutes before you start, let the empty skillet heat up on the burner before setting the dough in it, topping and then transferring to the oven to finish under the broiler.
Q: Why did my pizza stick to the peel?
A: It’s important to sufficiently dust the pizza peel (or baking sheet or whatever you’re sliding the pizza off), or else you risk sticking. What you use matters, too. My flour of choice is semolina, made from durum wheat and ground more coarsely than your typical all-purpose or bread flours. The larger grains won’t get gummy like other flours and act almost like little rollers to help slide the dough into the oven. If you don’t have semolina, cornmeal is another good option.
Do almost all of your shaping on the counter, too. Then transfer it to the coated peel and finish stretching to your desired width. Work quickly, as the longer you take, the more likely you’ll get sticking. When it comes time to slide the pizza into the oven, use a quick, confident motion, almost whipping your wrist back and forth as you pull the peel out from under the pie.
Q: Can I freeze pizza dough?
A: Yes. I like to take the dough through its first rise, after it is done fermenting in the bowl or container. Then divide the dough into balls, place on a lined baking sheet and freeze until solid. At that point, pack the portions into an airtight, reusable container or bag. Thaw the dough overnight in the refrigerator before moving on to the second rise, shaping and baking. Or you can thaw on the counter as long as you account for the few extra hours it will take to thaw before rising.
Q: How do I make gluten-free pizza?
A: It’s different from regular pizza, but it’s doable. Gluten-free doughs tend to be wetter and stickier than versions made with wheat, which is why they are often spread or pressed rather than rolled or stretched. Recipes also generally instruct you to assemble and bake on or in a pan, or at least on parchment, because of the tackier, softer consistency. You may find a leavener such as baking powder in the dough to help open it up a bit more than yeast alone would, as well as other binders or stabilizers (xanthan gum, egg whites, etc.). You can buy mixes from such brands as King Arthur Baking and Bob’s Red Mill or make your own.
The other possibility is to completely forgo the dough facsimile and use an alternative base. Cauliflower is a common option, as is French chickpea flatbread.
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