Hi everyone,
This is my first time jumping into the list, but pizza making is a subject
I know a little about, so I couldn't resist. Most people go wrong in
shaping pizza dough by not making a wet-enough dough (it should be really
sticky) and by not letting it rest for a long enough time before shaping
it. (I should add that I come by this advice from learning about
pizza-making from Neapolitan pizzaiolo for my upcoming book on artisan
bread baking.)
After making the dough, immediately cut it into pizza-sized portions (about
7 ounces or 200 grams each), and tightly roll them up into smooth rounds.
Flour them, and place them to proof in a well-floured pan, covering them
with plastic wrap so they do not crust over. While they are proofing, make
your sauce, prepare all the topping ingredients, and get your pizza stone
as hot as your oven will allow on the second-to-top rack (true Neapolitan
pizza is baked for no more than 4 minutes at 750F, so there is no way to
get the oven too hot).
If your dough is puffy and soft and has risen for at least one hour (most
great pizza makers prefer to use very little yeast and let the dough proof
for 5 to 6 hours), it is ready to shape. DO NOT PUNCH THE DOUGH DOWN. Pat
the dough between your hands until it is a thin disk, then gently pull it
out into a circle, stretching it with your hands and leaving the edge just
slightly thicker. The pizza should be about 1/4 inch thick. Rolling pins
are not allowed for Neapolitan pizza: it ruins the air cells in the dough.
This will be very simple to do if your dough is fully proofed and your
dough was wet enough. Now top it and peel it into the oven.
Let me know if this works for you all.
Best, Maggie Glezer