How to Toss Pizza Dough – Tips to Make Pizza Dough Tossing Ease

How fascinating it is for your inner chef to see a master pizzeria spinning pizza dough in the air. I am actually aware of the vibes that will give you goosebumps while seeing that dough flipping. Well, tossing the pizza dough is a technique to stretch the dough. And definitely, technique, art, or strategy always requires practice.

So, how to toss pizza dough for a perfect stretch? The foremost thing you have to take care about the dough’s thickness – the thin dough will tear. Plus, how gently you catch the dough from the air is one of the most technical equations that need to be solved to toss the pizza dough perfectly.

So, suppose you have the desire that when you try pizza dough tossing, it should fly high in the air without tearing. In that case, this article will genuinely unearth the right tricks to twirling pizza dough.

How to Toss Pizza Dough – Bust the Myths:

Whenever you try to learn throwing pizza dough in the air, multiple steps may need to be clarified. However, I can tell you that let’s categorize the whole process into these parts.

• Pizza stretching
• Making the right posture for tossing and landing of dough
• Doing it in an appropriate amount.

Moreover, what can you sum up from spinning the pizza dough? A fancy way to stretch the dough? A highly professional chef’s routine move? Actually, sometimes when you stretch the dough with your fingertips, there are chances of tears and cuts due to possible uneven stretching, which will wreck your efforts.

So, in this regard, knowing how to hand toss the pizza dough rightly will minimize the chances of dough cuts and tears. Nevertheless, it’ll only transpire when you know how to do it properly. 

Secondly, tossing the pizza dough helps to maintain the moisture of the dough crust that potentially get destroyed when using tools to make dough balls into flat sheet. So, you can save yourself from the cost of dough stretching and flattening tools.

Let’s go section by section on how you can efficiently practice tossing the pizza dough and be a master of it.

Pizza Stretching: 

It’s never like you kneaded the dough, made the dough balls, and straightaway started spinning the pizza dough in the air. I have written a detailed guide about stretching the pizza dough correctly however, you should know these points to learn the suitable way of dough stretching.

Knead to the right limit: Don’t show leniency at this part. As kneading stimulates gluten structure, which results in the dough’s elasticity. By not making your dough elastic enough, take it in your mind; you can make 100 attempts and fail each time while spinning it.

So, finish your dough preparation supremely before doing hand tossing.

Flour it rightly: You can’t afford a sticky mess in your hands when you spin it. The soft and even crust comes in due to tossing the dough in the air, right? The reason behind this logic is the balanced moisture. Flour the dough rightly, so it can release and land on your hands smoothly without being sticky.

In short, the right balance between flour coating and moisture helps you attempt a good pizza dough throw.

Do Initial Stretching: Shaping the dough before you toss is like fueling your car to reach the destination. Again, there are many techniques to stretch and shape the dough, but eventually, you have to do it in the right manner.

Remember, spinning and throwing aren’t the trickiest out of all tricks. Yet, you have to effectively fulfill the prerequisites to toss the pizza dough.

Toss Pizza Dough Rightly:

The crux of this story is the correct posture with the right use of force to spin. Before draping the dough into your hands, many chefs slap the dough to stretch it to around 6-7 inches and define the outer crust.

However, I feel it’s not a mandatory step; you can do a palm stretch. Also, slapping is a form of gravity stretch, so as long as the final shaping of dough is concerned, you can also try gravity stretch.

Stretching, flipping, and slapping all do the same purpose, and you shouldn’t be worried if slapping the dough isn’t your way of treating the dough.

Drape the dough: 

I forgot to mention tossing the pizza dough in the air also kicks in when slapping doesn’t give you the preferred dough size and you fear uneven thickness and cuts.

So, start the procedure by making one of your hands a fist and the other a palm. Remember, your hand with palm posture always has to be dominant, and the other hand with a fist should anchor the dough. This will help you to make a strong and controlled throw.

Now, drape the dough in such a way that both of your hands support the opposite sides of the dough to maintain the shape before tossing it.

Be ready to Anchor the Throw: 

Now, you are all set and still in the correct posture to throw the pizza dough in the air? Rotate both of your hands to the left inward side of your body. This will bring in a position for much better control over your dough before applying a gentle force to throw it.

Furthermore, if you want to see the dough spinning like a whirl, the said posture will help you in this regard.  

Flip it, Spin it, and Control it: 

Remember, there are two things you have to care about; the Right posture and a suitable amount of force for rotation. Proper posture means a game of dominance between hands. Now, assuming your palm dominates the dough tossing, flip your palm as the back of the palm should be in front of your face.

Secondly, keep this in mind: you must maintain a balanced distance between both of your hands – not too wide, not too close, but at the edges of the dough. Lift your hand with a fist to save your dough shape and avoid tearing by supporting the dough until you throw pizza dough in the air.

Your prime focus should be on your palm, as it’ll lead the spin.

Now, try a spin. Your hands are already in the left inward position to your body; rotate your arms with your palm leading the spin and fist supporting the dough. Rotate in a way your hand should come across your face, and you abruptly stop the hand’s rotation there.

Remember, as a first try, don’t use excessive force. In the case of any mistake, the damage will be uncontrollable. Use minimal force to keep the dough in your control.

In short, the more force, the more rotation and a higher spin. Less force, less risk, and nominal rotation, and you can repeat the whole movement multiple times to master the pizza dough tossing.

Catching the Dough, The Last Pass: 

Catching the tossed pizza dough is as crucial as crossing the finish line without celebrating it early. You can use your forearms to catch the dough so it can land safely without tears and holes.

In addition to this, make both your hands fists, flipping the fist in upward directions, and receive the dough through fists.

FAQs

Do you roll pizza dough cold or room temperature?

Roll your pizza dough at room temperature. This will help the dough to get into shape easily with less chances of wear and tear. Cold temperatures make the dough stiffer and less flexible so it is always a good move to bring the dough at room temperature first.

Do you have to spin pizza dough?

Spinning the dough is not always the “coolest way” to stretch it. Yet, it sometimes becomes necessary to stretch the dough more evenly and pull out the finer quality from it.

Why Does My Pizza Dough Tear When Stretching?

The major reason for dough tearing can be weak gluten structure. If that is not the case, may be you have made your dough thin. 

The Bottom Line

So, how to toss pizza dough with perfection. The key takes from this whole guide are right posture is the key, and more force means more rotation. However, above all these, the kneading and the right choice of flour is a thing that beats them all. You have to maintain Equilibrium at every step of tossing the pizza dough.

Besides, tossing isn’t a fancy practice but an excellent way to stretch pizza dough much more evenly.