How Can I Get My Pizza Dough to Stretch?

Faith Durand
Faith DurandSenior Vice President of Content at AT Media
Faith is the SVP of Content at Apartment Therapy Media and former Editor-in-Chief of The Kitchn. She is the author of three cookbooks, including the James Beard Award-winning, The Kitchn Cookbook. She lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband and two daughters.
Follow
published Jul 5, 2011
pinterest
comments
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Post Image
(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Q: I received a very welcome pizza stone as a wedding gift recently. I bought some dough from my local pizza shop and cut it in half.

The problem is that I can’t get it to stretch without breaking or shrinking back. I tried using a roller, but it won’t stay stretched. I tried to mimic what they do in the pizza shop, but it never got any stretchier. I used some wax paper to help it stay stretched — I read on this site that it burns away in cooking — but it didn’t burn away completely and we ended up picking paper off the bottom.

I’m usually pretty good at figuring out cooking techniques but this one really has me stumped! Any ideas on how I can stretch the dough and keep it stretched without breaking it?

Sent by Anna

Editor: Anna, I think the answer to your question is probably very simple. If you are taking the dough straight from the refrigerator, then it almost certainly needs to rest for a while before stretching. Take the lump of dough from the fridge, and place it on a floured countertop, lightly covered with a towel. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes, or until it has warmed and risen slightly. It should be very pliable and stretchy.

Also, try making your own — this thin-crust pizza is easy and quick.

Readers, any suggestions for Anna and her pizza?

Next question?

Related: Good Question: Why Is My Yeast Dough Hard to Roll Out?

(Image: Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan)

Filed in:
Main Dish
Pizza