Pizza - how the $#!@@&*% do I get it from the peel to the stone?


 
I see all these youtube videos with guys who just tilt their peels down to a 45 degree angle, and the pizza slides off onto the stone.

I want to strangle those guys.

I'm trying again tomorrow night.

I like my crust thin and burnt (if anyone has ever been to Peppe's in New Haven CT, they will understand), hopefully the parchment won't interfere.
 
Instead of cornmeal we use semolina flour.

We like our crusts thin too.

BTW, if you want to take a look, here's how we do it on the kettle. Link
 
Don, I see your crusts are thinner than most.

Do you assemble the pizza on the peel? Or do you shape the dough off the peel, then put it on the peel?

I still can't fathom "sliding" the pizza off the peel onto the stone. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that if I turned the peel upside down and shook it, the dough would not have come off (and I put flour and cornmeal on the peel before the dough went on). I had to scrape it off the peel (the peel is now my nemesis and tormentor) with a spatula, and it got really mangled in the process.

The dough was wet and sticky. I agressively rolled it with a rolling pin, while it was on the peel. I think these things contributed to the dough sticking on the peel. I'm having nightmares aboutthe peel, in which the peel resembles Scott Fargus from "A Christmas Story". He had yellow eyes - so help me God, yellow eyes.
 
Jamie,

I think rolling the dough on the peel is a large part of the issue. I know when I was using store bought dough, I used to have this problem. Couldn't get the crust as thin as I wanted without rolling it. Try rolling on the counter top with cornmeal or flour underneath. Then transfer to the peel (also with cornmeal/flour underneath), top and immediately put in the oven.

Like Don, I use semolina sometimes and like it.

Also, try Rita's recipe for dough and sauce from the recipe section. Both are fantastic. And using that dough, I can stretch by hand to get it thin - so no more rolling pin.
 
Jamie, relax! You're letting the peel traumatize you.
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Try having a parchment square ready (I cut mine to 12" x 12" for a 12" pizza). Sprinkle it with a little cornmeal (some people say that cornstarch makes the surface more slippery).

Now, with well-floured hands, hold up the well-proofed ball of dough over the parchment. Let the dough sag from its own weight while quickly turning the widening circle of dough from hand to hand (I drape it over the knuckles on the backs of my hands), simultaneously stretching the edges of the dough by moving the dough from hand to hand while separating your hands slightly. When most of it gets as thin as you'd like, quickly arrange it on the parchment, tugging it into a circle with one hand while your other hand is flat on the center of the round. Stretching the edges from side to side (not from the center) helps at this point too. It won't be evenly thin at this point and the edges will be a little thicker than the center.

Then you can either gently pull or push sections of the dough and pinch any potential holes closed or you can lightly roll it with a floured pin to even it out some if you like it thin all the way to the edges.

The whole process takes some time to describe but only takes about a minute to perform. Don't worry if the dough is not perfectly round. I think perfectly round pizzas look machine-made and not as appealing to the eye -- an artisan pizza should look homemade and slightly irregular IMO. Some of my first pizzas looked like Australia, but they were delicious.

Rita
 
Rita, you are the best, thanks.

I also could care less about having a pizza that's a perfect circle.

I'm going to try store-bought dough Thirsday night, and homemade dough this weekend.

The process worked to the extent that it was the best pizza I have ever made. I just get frustrated when I see these jerks on youtube holding up the peel at a slight angle, and the pizza slides off the peel onto the stone. Every time I saw that on youtube, i felt like (1) the person doing it was giving me the middle finger, and (2) I swear I could hear my peel laughing at me from in the garage.

The whole thing is a blast though. To me, pizza is like chocolate chip cookies. Some are better than others, but it's always good. It's never bad to the point of not being enjoyable.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Rita Y:
Jamie, relax! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Best advice so far...

Yeah, get the dough in the shape/thickness you want off the peel in whatever way you choose; stretching, rolling, throwing in the air, etc. Then flour the peel and put the raw crust on it (at this point if it will make you feel more confident, shake the peel back and forth to make sure there is enough flour on the peel and the dough will slide around). Then assemble the rest of the pie on the crust on the peel and get it on the stone in a timely manner.

The rolling out of the dough on the peel was the problem not the peel itself.
 
I forgot to mention: you can put the parchment on your counter while shaping the dough and topping your pie. This eliminates having to work around the handle of the peel or accidentally bumping it (very important if there are active little future cooks around who want to "help"). Then just slip your peel under the parchment to load the topped pizza and carry it to its fiery destination.

It's also efficient if you're making several pizzas for the meal. If you have the space, you can stretch all the dough balls and put each on its individual parchment, and top them assembly-line style.

Pizza Rita
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I guess no love for the super peel. I had the same issue, trashed a few pizzas when I started out. Once I purchased the super peel, problem solved. I use a metal peel to get the pizza off the stone when it's done cooking.
 
You need to think like a real pizza man. (not one of the conveyor belt pizza places, Dominoes etc) In a real pizza parlor, each pizza is made one at time. Dough is stretched and placed on the floured peel. It's sauced, cheese toppings etc. and then immediately it goes in the oven.
Never let the pie sit on the peel, it will stick as the moisture in the dough absorbs into the flour on the peel.

I also never use a peel to get the finished pizza off the stone. I use long tongs and grab it slide it directly onto my pizza tray. I started doing this so I could have the peel and next pie ready to go on right away (I only have one peel), but it has become a habit since it's easier then using the peel.

I think Rita said best as well, relax it's fun. Sure your gonna screw up a pie or two, bad pizza is better than no pizza
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I've always used cornmeal and it's worked just fine. I need to try cooking one on the kettle one of these days.
 
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