Why toss pizza

Politics Joe Biden Congress Extremism. Special Projects Highline. HuffPost Personal Video Horoscopes. Follow Us. Terms Privacy Policy. All rights reserved. When you're a pro tossing the real thing, it looks like this:. This is easier, but usually results in a denser crust.

Stretch the dough. Once again, hold your fingers straight and together. Place them lightly on the dough in a comfortable position in front of you, angled toward each other. Press your fingertips against the edge, and push one hand outward to gently stretch that small area of the pizza.

Rotate the dough and repeat, moving around the dough several times. With practice, you can use a fluid, fast motion, moving your hands in small circles. Never move your hands in completely opposite directions, as this will create a thin center. Move at an angle instead to stretch just the outer area, leaving a small hump in the center of the dough. Use your other hand to rotate the dough as you go. Part 3. Slap the dough between your hands optional.

Slapping is an easier way to hand shape your pizza. Some chefs slap, some toss, and some start with slapping and finish with a toss or two. None of these methods are more correct than another. If you decide to slap, here's how it goes: [13] X Research source [14] X Research source [15] X Research source Drape the dough over your palm and forearm.

The more of your arm you use, the less likely the dough is to break. If your dough is in danger of tearing, let it drape gently instead of using force. Repeat this motion back and forth. Each time you "slap," the dough should rotate about one quarter turn. This rotation is vital for making the dough wide and even. Drape the dough on a fist and palm. If your dough looks strong and hasn't yet reached the desired size, it's time to adopt the tossing position. Extend your dominant hand as a flat palm, with fingers together.

Keep your other hand in a fist to "anchor" the dough. Drape the pizza dough over both hands, supporting opposite sides of the dough. Rotate your arms toward your body. Rotate your arms inward to get ready for the throw.

If you are using your right palm, rotate your arms to the left. This allows more rotation during the throw, imparting the spin that shapes the dough in the air. Bring your hands up and around. Bring your palm up and around, until the back of your hand is in front of your face. Practice this motion without tossing the pizza first, then try again with moderate speed during your toss. Start with a more gentle throw than you think you need.

Too little force, and the pizza doesn't leave your hand. Too much force, and the pizza flies across the room. Release the pizza. Bring the upward motion of your palm to an abrupt stop when it comes in front of your face.

This will send the pizza flying upward a short distance. In the air, it should spin at the same speed your hands rotated. The force from spinning pushes the dough flatter and wider, without pressing out the air. Follow through. Although your hand stops moving upward, it should still complete the arch of its movement after the pizza is released. Follow through by moving your palm around and out, as though swatting a fly in front of your face.

A smooth follow-through ensures that your hand is rotating at the moment when you release the pizza. Don't worry too much about this for your first few tosses. It's more important to catch the falling pizza than to get the right hand shape. Catch the dough. Catch the dough with both fists and forearms.

Use as much of your forearm as you can, to avoid puncturing it. If you have a strong dough, you may be able to catch it on one fist, but this is risky for most recipes. If you tossed with your right palm, catch the dough mostly on your left arm.

Just follow these instructions step-by-step and try to practice as often as possible! A perfect crust needs the perfect oven to cook it in, and no true pizza chef would use anything other than a wood-fired pizza oven. Browse our range of outdoor pizza ovens today or contact us to find out more! The Mangiafuoco Wood Oven. The Pizza Desk. The Gusto Wood Oven. The Margherita Pizza Oven. The Marinara Pizza Oven. The Margherita Gas Pizza Oven.

You can use homemade or store-bought dough. As long as it was made with yeast, it's fine for tossing. Prep your work area with flour. Keep a bowl nearby. Remove any jewelry from your hands. Dough should be room temperature and shaped into a ball. Dust with flour. Press out the dough with your hands to form a disc about 10 inches You can also use a rolling pin.

Pick up the dough and drape it over your hands. One hand should be palm up, the other in a fist. Use the hand with the palm up to lift and spin the dough into the air. You don't have to toss it high, just enough to get a rotation in. Catch the dough on the backs of your fists, which provide a flatter and more stable area than your palm and fingers would.