Failed Using Peel for Pizza, what's the trick?

[chueh]

I follow a recipe which I always have a successful pizza dough on a regular pizza pan. This time, I tried the same dough. Sprinkle corn meal on the peeler before I put the dough on top. After I added the sauce and cheese on the pizza, the dough did not want to be "peeled" from the "peeler." I couldn't tilt the pizza to make it slide down and into the oven, because of the sauce. My husband helped me by using two spatulas to scoop underneath and of course he accidentally poke holes, with much effort. Then, when the pizza was done baked, a few spots were stuck to the stone (a few holes created by using the spatulas and the sauce ran down). What a disaster! Using the peeler and the stone became much a CHORE with much an effort to me..

How do you do it?

Thanks

 

[thymeless]

corn meal is not sufficient for wetter doughs, some thin doughs and so on. If you use cornmeal, you have to work fast.

I usually use parchment paper. It too can get a bit sticky from a moist dough on the paper too long, but you can grab the edge of the paper to get it started sliding usually.

 

[CookLikeJulia]

corn meal is not sufficient for wetter doughs, some thin doughs and so on. If you use cornmeal, you have to work fast.

I usually use parchment paper. It too can get a bit sticky from a moist dough on the paper too long, but you can grab the edge of the paper to get it started sliding usually.

I agree, I also use parchment on wetter dough.

 

[roadfix]

I usually dredge the dough ball on both sides in a small flat container of bench flour before shaping it on the table. Before transferring the shaped dough onto the peel a little sprinkling of flour onto the peel helps keep the dough pretty loose while loading up the pie.
I also tap or jolt the peel with my hand to make sure the dough is loose before shoving it in the oven.

Parchment paper is pretty much fool proof and will slide off the peel easily. After about a minute of baking time yank the parchment out from under the pie and let the pie continue to bake directly on the stone.

 

[GB]

You said you couldn't tilt the peel to make the pizza slide. That sounds like the problem to me. Tilting it alone will not be sufficient. It requires a quick forward and back jerking motion to get the pizza off the peel. Push the peel forward quickly then sharply pull it back very quickly. I doubt the cornmeal was your problem, unless you did not use enough. It is better to use too much than not enough.

 

[Andy M.]

First, use a lot of corn meal. Then after you put the crust on, shake the peel back and forth to ensure it's moving around freely. build your pizza and shake it again before going to the oven. then you should be able to shake/slide it onto the stone.

If yo have so much sauce on the crust that you can't tilt the pizza, I'd say you have too much sauce.

 

[roadfix]

I'm with GB, it could be your technique. Practice using plain dough on the peel and practice through the sharp jerking motions on a table.

 

[DaveSoMD]

First, use a lot of corn meal. Then after you put the crust on, shake the peel back and forth to ensure it's moving around freely. build your pizza and shake it again before going to the oven. then you should be able to shake/slide it onto the stone.

If yo have so much sauce on the crust that you can't tilt the pizza, I'd say you have too much sauce.

What Andy said. I alway check as I am building my pizza.

 

[chueh]

Yes, I guess I cannot expect success without practicing the technique. It just looks so easy when others do it effortlessly. When i do it, it's another story

Thank you all

 

[chefmac]

Practise make perfect~

 

[taxlady]

What is a peeler?

 

[DaveSoMD]

A Peel is that large wooden spatula-like device that is used to move pizzas in and out of ovens.

 

[tinlizzie]

What is a peeler?

Thanks for asking, TaxLady - took the words right out of my brain - they hadn't even gotten to my mouth yet.

And thanks, Dave, for the answer.

I'm always learning something new at DC.

 

[chefmac]

i have been a chef all my life and i'm still learning

 

[Janet H]

Here is one in action:

 

[roadfix]

If all else fails, there's always the Superpeel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6owgSkYJTo