How To Stretch Pizza Dough

  • By: Mike
  • Date: October 31, 2022
  • Time to read: 4 min.

Making pizza is a lot of fun, and there are many ways to customize your pizza to make it perfect for you.

One of the most important steps in making a great pizza is stretching the dough correctly.

This can be tricky, but with a few tips, you’ll be able to do it like a pro! This article will discuss how to stretch pizza dough like a champ. Stay tuned for some great tips!

What Is A Pizza Dough?

how to stretch pizza dough

Homemade pizza dough is the key to any perfect pizza. The dough ball is the foundation for an amazing pizza.

The pizza dough balls should be about eighteen ounces each. After you have rolled out the homemade pizza dough, place it on a lightly floured baking sheet. Let the dough rise for about thirty to forty-five minutes.

Preheat your oven to about 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the dough for about eight to ten minutes or until golden brown.

Once you have homemade pizza dough, the possibilities are endless. You can make any type of pizza that you desire. The homemade pizza dough will be the best part of your meal.

Stretching Pizza Dough

Making homemade pizza dough can be daunting. Here are some helpful tips on how to properly handle dough while stretching it.

Bring Your Dough To Room Temperature

If you want to hand-stretch pizza dough balls without pizza dough tears in them, the first step is to bring them to room temperature.

Cold dough is much more likely to tear when you stretch it. So, take the dough out of the fridge about an hour before you plan to use it.

If it’s really warm in your kitchen, you might only need to let it sit for 30 minutes. Once the dough has reached room temperature, dust a clean work surface with flour.

Place the dough on the floured surface and sprinkle a little more flour on top of the dough.

Prep Your Workspace With Olive Oil To Avoid Sticking

Stretching pizza dough can be a messy process, but there are a few things you can do to minimize the mess.

First, make sure your dough is untouched before you begin stretching it. This will help to avoid any sticking.

Next, lightly oil your sheet pan or pizza dough base. This will help to keep the dough from sticking to the surface as you are stretching it.

Finally, make sure you have all of your toppings ready before you begin the pizza-making process.

This will help to avoid any delays in the pizza-making process. By following these simple tips, you can stretch your pizza dough with minimal mess.

Press Your Pizza Dough Before You Stretch It

Cold pizza dough is easier to stretch than room-temperature dough. The room-temperature dough is sticky and harder to control. Put the cold pizza dough on a clean, floured surface.

Begin pressing the dough with your fingertips, pushing from the center outwards, until it’s about 12 inches in diameter for a thin crust or 18 inches in diameter for a thick crust.

If the dough resists stretching, let it rest for 5 minutes before trying again.

Once you’ve pressed the pizza dough into shape, gently stretch it outward until it’s the desired thickness.

Be careful not to over-stretch the dough or it will become thinner in the middle. For a perfectly round pizza, place the ball of dough on one hand and use the other hand to rotate it, stretching as you go.

Rest Again As Needed

It’s important to rest your pizza dough after stretching it to give the gluten a chance to relax.

Otherwise, your dough will be overly elastic and difficult to work with. If you’re finding it difficult to stretch your dough, give it a 5-10 minute rest before trying again. 

Stretch The Dough With Both Hands And Use Gravity

Many people believe that the best way to stretch pizza dough is by tossing it up in the air and catching it with your knuckles.

Although this might look impressive, it’s not the most effective method. Instead, keep the dough close to you and use hand pulling and gravity to get an even crust.

To stretch your pizza dough, start by picking it up with both hands on one side. Then, let gravity do some of the work by rotating the dough in a wheel-like motion.

Finally, slowly pull the dough from hand to hand until it stretches to your desired thickness.

Stretch The Dough Out On The Pizza Peel And Top

how to stretch pizza dough

Next, shift your pulled pizza dough to your ready peel or sheet pan. Does your dough look like it is 10 inches wide and even?

If so, you are a true professional! But if there are some flaws, don’t worry – now is the time to fix them.

If the dough is retracting, that’s normal. We over-stretched it a bit in the last step to make up for this.

Even out any very thick edges by pressing them until they’re about 1/3 inch thick. As for thinner or ripped areas, bring the dough together around those spots by pressing down on their sides so that the area is once again covered.

The goal when shaping the dough into a flat circle isn’t to make it perfect, but to make it even, about 10 inches wide and 1/3 of an inch thick.

The edge shouldn’t be thicker than the center- this will puff up nicely in the oven with toppings on it.

Final Thoughts

Now that you know how to stretch pizza dough like a pro, you’re ready to make some delicious pizzas at home!

Remember to start with a well-floured surface, and use your fists or a rolling pin to evenly distribute the dough. If the dough is sticky, don’t be afraid to add more flour.

Once you’ve got your perfect circle of dough, it’s time to top it off with your favorite ingredients and bake!

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