The debate has raged on for centuries: What makes a good pizza? Some say the cheese, some say the sauce, but what do all of those commodities sit on top of? The dough. Before you can tackle the rest, you need to learn how to stretch and shape your dough the right way.
YouTube
How to Make Perfectly Shaped Pizza Dough
Let gravity do the work.
By Published July 13, 2021.
Bake Beautiful Bread at Home
Bread Illustrated
Bread Illustrated—our first cookbook devoted solely to bread baking and recent IACP award winner—is a fully illustrated handbook with more than 100 meticulously tested recipes that will enable you to bake artisan bakery–quality bread at home.Save 33%
In this video, part of the “Kitchen Smarts” series on America’s Test Kitchen’s YouTube channel, America’s Test Kitchen books team test cook Joe Gitter demonstrates how to make the best shaped and stretched pizza dough. This method will guarantee a tender interior and a nice, crispy crust. Here are some of our findings:
- Start a day early: Put the dough in the fridge for 24 hours before you start. By giving the gluten a chance to rest, the dough won't be tight or hard to work with.
- Use a light touch: Be nice and gentle with your pizza dough. If you are too aggressive in the handling of it, the dough will end up being tough and chewy.
- If the dough gets too tough, give it another break: When tossing the dough, there's a chance it'll stiffen up. If that happens, just put it back down and let the gluten rest for a few minutes.
Watch the Video
Featured Equipment
The Best Pizza Cutter
OXO Good Grips 4" Pizza Wheel
This wheel does it all—it's comfortable to hold and allows for a powerful grip. Its streamlined design doesn’t trap food, and it still looked brand new after 10 rounds in the dishwasher.Buy on Amazon
The Best Baking Stone (Co-Winner)
Original Baking Steel
All the pizzas we cooked with this stone emerged perfectly browned and crisp on the outside, with a tender interior, as if they were baked in a professional pizza oven.Buy on Amazon
The Best Baking Stone (Co-Winner)
Nerd Chef Steel Stone, Standard 1/4"
This steel did an excellent job browning our pizza crust uniformly while leaving the interior tender and moist.Buy On Amazon
Subscribe to the America’s Test Kitchen YouTube channel to get alerted whenever we add a new video. And check out more Kitchen Smarts articles.
What toppings are you going to put on your perfect pizza? Let us know in the comments!