How to Toss Pizza Dough

One of the most iconic talents that we often think of with pizza making is the idea of tossing pizza dough. Tossing and twirling pizza dough can be a natural part of producing a good quality pizza and it is a skill that you can learn at home as well. Here are some top tips from the professionals on how you can stretch your pizza the right way:

Mix Properly:

Before you start twirling you need to have a good quality dough recipe. The right go will have the proper elasticity and it’s also at the right temperature. Colder dough doesn’t stretch well and if the dough is too elastic, it’s going to be tough to stretch. Make sure that you are mixing your dough well and that it’s at a slightly cooler temperature before tossing. Follow the recipe for your dough exactly even if mixing for seven or 8 min. may seem excessive.

Hand Position:

Drape it over the back of your hands with your knuckles bent inwards. Face your fingers down so that you don’t accidentally poke holes in the dough.

Stretching:

Stretch the dough out around 8 inches and start with the first toss. The first toss means pushing up and rotating the dough in a circular fashion before it leaves your fingers.

The Catch:

Make sure that after the dough leaves your hands, you are able to touch it with the backs of your hands. Trying to catch the dough with your fingertips will likely put a hole in it. Try several times catching it on the backs of your hands and throwing it up again. This will naturally stretch the dough out.

Keep practicing and make up dough as needed. You can eventually build the skill to be just like a pro every time that you get pizza dough in your hands.

This post was written by Shan Bakrac, owner of Top Slice Pizzeria. Top Slice Pizzeria is a the best slice of pizza in St Petersburg, Florida with over 35 years of experience, and the best ingredients on the market to make the freshest pizza! If you’re in the Downtown St. Pete area come on in, place an order for pickup or find us on Uber EATS!