How to Stretch Pizza Dough
Jump To Recipe
Whether you made your pizza dough from scratch or bought it from your local pizzeria or supermarket, there are tried and true ways of handling it, from shaping it, to topping it, to sliding it off the peel, which help guarantee great results.
For detailed information on how to transform your Traeger into a pizza oven click on the link. For tips on how to shape and top pizza dough, keep reading.
START WITH ROOM TEMPERATURE DOUGH
No matter if your dough is homemade or store-bought, let cold dough warm up before shaping it to make stretching and shaping it easier. If it is cold or has not had sufficient rest time, the gluten in it will be too tight causing it to shrink back after stretching.
STRETCH (DON’T ROLL) YOUR DOUGH
When it comes to shaping your dough into a nice round, it may be tempting to pull out your rolling pin. But your dough will be much lighter and more tender if you stretch it by hand. Why? When dough proofs, the yeast in the sugar produces pockets of carbon dioxide. If you roll the dough out, you will pop those little air bubbles, making the dough dense and chewy.
HOW TO STRETCH PIZZA DOUGH
There are different ways to stretch pizza dough, but most start with flattening the dough ball. Place the ball on a lightly floured surface and press down on it gently to form a disc that’s a little thicker at the edge to form the crust.
To stretch the dough on the back of your hands, move the dough onto the knuckles of both hands, starting with your hands close together. Gradually stretch the dough by moving your hands apart and rotating the dough on your knuckles leaving a thicker edge. It’s ok if your first pizzas are not perfectly round; they will still be delicious.
To let gravity help shape the dough, pick up the disc on one edge with both hands letting it hang down in front of you. Gently pass the dough edge from hand to hand as you rotate it around like you are turning a steering wheel.
To stretch the dough on your work surface, place both hands on the disc and rotate the disc as you pull your hands away from each other.
Feel free to use more than one method as you work to shape your dough. As to whether you should toss it over your head, we leave that up to you.
HOW TO TOP PIZZA DOUGH
Though there’s really no wrong way to top a pizza—the myriad options are what makes pizza so great—there are some tricks of the trade to keep in mind.
Sauce almost always goes on first. While there is no set order for toppings, the sauce, which needs the least heat tends to go on first. Pro tip: Use the back of a spoon to spread it and leave a border around the edge for the crust.
Use fresh mozzarella wisely. Fresh mozzarella is delicious and a must-have for a Margherita pizza, but because of its high water content, it can make pizza soggy. To keep your crust crisp, drain and even dry your fresh mozz with a paper towel, and don’t use too much. Or use a lower moisture mozz. If you are mixing a variety of cheese, have the driest one closest to the crust.
Meats should almost always be cooked first. Because a pizza does not take long to bake, it’s important that any meat toppings be cooked before they go on the pizza. In some cases, as with quick cooking shrimp or even chopped bacon, it does not always have to be completely cooked through, so it doesn’t overcook when baked on the pizza.
Top with restraint. We suggest using a light hand when topping a pizza—no more than 1/4 cup of sauce and about 1 cup cheese (for a 10-inch pizza) to ensure your crust cooks through and is nice and crisp. Think less is more when adding other toppings, too.
HOW TO USE A PIZZA PEEL
There are other ways to get your pizza dough into your grill, for instance off the back of a baking sheet, but a pizza peel is well worth the investment if you make pizza regularly. Its shape and handle allow for the easiest transfer. Here’s how to use a peel.
Flour your peel well. Sprinkle the peel generously with all-purpose flour, semolina flour, or a mix. To tell if you have enough, move the peel to see if the pizza easily slides. If not, lift the edges of the pizza and add more flour.
Don’t leave the pizza on it for long. You can make the pizza directly on the peel or transfer it from your work surface to the peel. Either way, don’t leave your pizza on the peel for too long—especially if your kitchen or the weather is warm—or it may stick.
Wield it with confidence. When ready to cook, position the front edge of the peel on the back of the stone (or grill if cooking directly on the grate), and with one quick and assured motion, pull the peel away. It’s best if this is a swift action, so try not to hesitate.
HOW TO GRILL PIZZA ON YOUR TRAEGER
Your Traeger grill will give your pizza the delicious wood-fired flavor you find in the best trattorias. You can bake your pizza directly on the grill grates or on a pizza stone. In both cases, the stone or the grates should be heated beyond the normal preheat to get them as hot as possible.
Grilled New York Style Pepperoni Pizza
by Traeger Kitchen
13 Reviews
Prep Time
1 Days
Cook Time
15 Min
Serves
4
Pellets
Apple
Introducing a wood-fired take on a classic NY style pizza. Homemade dough is topped with a delicious homemade tomato sauce and finished with a healthy sprinkle of cheese and pepperoni.
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
| 4 1/2 Cup | bread flour, plus more as needed |
| 1 1/2 Tablespoon | Sugar |
| 1 Teaspoon | Salt |
| 2 Teaspoon | instant yeast |
| 3 Tablespoon | extra-virgin olive oil |
main
| bread flour | |
| As Needed | cornmeal, for dusting pizza peel |
| 1 Pound | grated mozzarella cheese |
| 1 Pound | pepperoni slices |
Pizza Sauce
| 1 Can | (28 oz) whole peeled tomatoes |
| 1 Tablespoon | extra-virgin olive oil |
| 1 Tablespoon | unsalted butter |
| 2 Medium | cloves garlic, grated or minced |
| 1 Teaspoon | dried oregano |
| 1 Pinch | red pepper flakes |
| As Needed | kosher salt |
| 2 Sprig | fresh basil |
| 1 Medium | yellow onion, peeled and halved |
| 1 Teaspoon | Sugar |
1
For the Pizza Dough: Combine flour, sugar, salt and yeast in food processor. Pulse 3 to 4 times until incorporated evenly. Add olive oil and 15 ounces of lukewarm water. Run food processor until mixture forms a ball that rides around the bowl above the blade, about 15 seconds. Continue processing for 15 seconds longer.
2
Transfer dough ball to a lightly floured surface and knead once or twice by hand until a smooth ball is formed.
3
Divide dough into three even parts and place each into a 1 gallon resealable bag. Place in the refrigerator and allow to rise at least one day, or up to 5 days.
4
At least 2 hours before baking, remove dough from refrigerator and shape into balls by gathering dough towards the bottom and pinching shut. Flour well and place each one in a separate medium mixing bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise at warm room temperature until roughly doubled in volume.
5
For the Pizza Sauce: Pulse tomatoes and their juice in a food processor until pureed. Puree should not be completely smooth, and still have some chunks of tomato. Set aside.
6
Combine butter and oil in a medium saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until butter is melted. Add garlic, oregano, pepper flakes and large pinch of salt and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, but not browned, about 3 minutes.
7
Add pureed tomatoes, basil sprigs, onion halves and sugar. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to the lowest setting. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, about 60 minutes. Discard onions and basil stems. Season sauce to taste with salt.
8
When ready to cook, place a baking stone on the grill, set Traeger temperature to 450°F and preheat, lid closed for 15 minutes.
9
Turn a single dough ball out onto lightly floured surface. Gently press out dough into rough 8 inch circle, leaving outer 1 inch higher than the rest. Gently stretch dough by draping over knuckles into a 12 to 14 inch circle, about 1/4 inch thick.
10
Transfer dough to pizza peel that has been sprinkled with cornmeal. Spread approximately 2/3 cup of sauce evenly over surface of crust, leaving 1/2 to 1 inch border along edge. Evenly spread half of cheese over sauce and top with pepperoni.
11
Slide pizza onto baking stone and bake until cheese is melted and slightly browned. Pizza crust should be golden brown and puffed, about 6 to 7 minutes total.
12
Transfer to a cutting board, top with fresh basil if desired, slice, and serve immediately. Enjoy!
