Pizza Dough

[frankswsj]

I make my own dough and also buy the unfrozen brand of pizza dough. My problem is that the dough always 'fights' being rolled or pushed out to fit either a circular or rectangular pizza pan, taking 15 min. or more. My questions are: 1) What is the correct technique(s) to rolling or 'pushing' the dough to fit the pan, 2) Is it possible to do this job in say 5 min. ? 3) What's the role and when do you use water or flour on your hands ? 4) When and where do you use olive oil ?

[kitchenelf]

I've got all the same problem about the dough fighting to be pushed out. I'm gonna wait for an answer too.

[RAYT721]

Waiting for an expert opinion ...

[scott123]

1) As far as I know, there is no correct technique for spreading dough into the corners of a pan. There is a correct technique for throwing/stretching circular dough but that doesn't work all that well for a rectangular pan. Better to just use a rolling pin and press the dough into the corners with your fingers.

2) 5 minutes? No. I can lessen the overall effort you put into it, but I can't shorten the time involved. Time is your friend when working with dough. Here are two things that will make the dough more manageable.

a. Room temp dough is much more pliable than cold dough. The downside to this is that room temp dough has the tendency to get stickier so you might need to flour your hands/board more. It will fight back a lot less, though, at room temp. So leave your dough out for a while (30 min) before you work with it.

b. Rolling or stretching the dough activates the gluten in the dough, making it stiff and hard to work with. Flatten it as far as it will go comfortably, then give it a light sprinkling of flour and cover it with plastic wrap for about 10-15 minute to rest. Dough that springs back needs a rest. You should be able to get the dough halfway rolled and then after one rest, roll it out completely.

c. Combine a and b above by taking your cold dough, flattening it as much as you can, and then letting it warm up a bit/rest.

3) Unless you're Jacque Pepin, you never should use water when working with bread/pizza dough (other than spraying it for steam). Flour is used both to keep the dough from sticking to your hands as well as sticking to the counter.

4) Oil serves the same anti-stick purpose as flour. Some people strive for low fat cooking while others prefer leaner pizza doughs so flour tends to be the anti-stick material of choice. Store bought dough is usually pretty oily so a little sprinkling of flour should be sufficient to prevent sticking. If your dough is especially sticky, sometimes oiling your hands and flouring the dough helps.

[frankswsj]

Thanks very much scott123 - for the very thorough and complete answer. This will be very helpful to me.

[TomW]

Originally Posted by frankswsj

I make my own dough and ... the dough always 'fights' being rolled or pushed out to fit either a circular or rectangular pizza pan, taking 15 min. or more. My questions are: 1) What is the correct technique(s) to rolling or 'pushing' the dough to fit the pan, 2) Is it possible to do this job in say 5 min. ? 3) What's the role and when do you use water or flour on your hands ? 4) When and where do you use olive oil ?

I also make my own dough, but do not roll the dough out on a pan opting instead for the "prebake" route. But the rolling technique I use should help you: Place dough ball on a floured surface. Using a dough roller, roll the ball from the center out, rotate ball a quarter-turn, roll again. Keep rotating & rolling until the flattened dough is the size you want.

The beauty of rotating a quarter turn is that keeps the dough from sticking to the table, and gives you a more uniform crust.

One of my goals in life is to spin the dough in the air like "they do it in the movies". Although I have yet to work up my nerve, I did get some email coaching from a guy I met on another of Andy R.'s forums. Here's what Ron said about spinning the dough:

Originally Posted by Ron's Pizza

Tossing the dough looks cool and gives people the idea that you're Italian. (I don't think I'd fool many with my looks.) Aside from that, it allows you
to enlarge the dough without "flattening" the cells in the dough with a rolling pin. We roll it out with a dough sheeter (mechanical rolling pin, really) and toss it the rest of the way. Tossing also helps you balance the crust, much like balancing a tire. The danger (and something I have to emphasize to new employees) is to not let it get too thin in the middle. Practice with a wet washcloth. The trick is not so much of a toss as a spin around the outstretched fingers of one hand (right hand if your right handed). Kind of hard to describe in words. Picture holding a basketball in your two hands with the left on top and the right on bottom. Twist the ball counterclockwise simultaneously (left to bottom, right to top) while lifting your hands in the air. (If you're left handed, reverse everything...right-top, left-bottom, clockwise, etc.)

As far as the olive oil, I use it in the dough recipe, and also brush the crust with it right before the assembled pizza goes on the pizza stone.

Hope this helps,
Tom

[jpmcgrew]

scott123 is right you need to let dough rest if it wont roll out cover it and let it relax then try agian.Should do the trick.

[SpiceUmUp]

Here is "the right technique" for spreading dough in a pan. I worked my way through college working at a Pizza parlor in Bristol RI.

If the dough is fighting you, you have not let it rest long enough. The dough should feel soft and relaxed under your hand, not stiff and elastic.

Use a light coating of shortening in the pan.

Place the dough in the middle of the pan and using an unclenched fist (in other words with the knuckles splayed slightly) roll the dough towards the edges. Work the dough evenly, turning the pan about an eighth of a turn with each push of the dough until it gets to the edge. Now, using the tips of the first three fingers, push the dough up at the edge to form the crust.

[Georgeco]

Originally Posted by SpiceUmUp

Here is "the right technique" for spreading dough in a pan. I worked my way through college working at a Pizza parlor in Bristol RI.

If the dough is fighting you, you have not let it rest long enough. The dough should feel soft and relaxed under your hand, not stiff and elastic.

Use a light coating of shortening in the pan.

Place the dough in the middle of the pan and using an unclenched fist (in other words with the knuckles splayed slightly) roll the dough towards the edges. Work the dough evenly, turning the pan about an eighth of a turn with each push of the dough until it gets to the edge. Now, using the tips of the first three fingers, push the dough up at the edge to form the crust.

Bingo!!! Let the dough relax under a damp cover and don't fight it. It will always win in the end. A dough recipe with a little less flour helps a lot too.