pizza throwing?

[skan]

Hello

Do you know where can I find any photo tutorial or video explaining how to manage the dough and throw the pizza?

[shuboyje]

Re: pizza throwing?

If you are making Neapolitan pizza the dough should not be thrown. Italian 00 flour used to make Neapolitan pizza is worlds apart from high gluten flour used to make new york style pizza, and as an effect the dough will not be strong enough to toss. If you are looking to make New York style pizza ignore this comment.

[Wiley]

Re: pizza throwing?

There are some people who would disagree regarding tossing...

Bites Nearby: Pizzeria Fondi - Gig Harbor, WA Patch

And you can deal with this guys sale pitch he's using Caputo and at his restaurant they throw their pizzas:
Rosedale Brick Oven Pizzeria on FOX 4 Morning Blend - YouTube

As for working the dough this video of Tony is pretty good:

Pizza Margherita | Good Cookin' with Bruce Aidells | The Live Well Network

Bests,
Wiley

[shuboyje]

Re: pizza throwing?

Part of being in the US is you can call something whatever you want when it comes to most food products. Pizza certainly is not protected here. No matter what their signs or owners say neither of those places are making Neapolitan pizza. I don't know what to call the pizzas pictured from Pizzeria Fondi other then maybe a highly americanized Neapolitan, and the guy from Rosedale specifically states he is from Broklyn trying to bring part of his old neighborhood to his new town and the pizza is distinctly New York style.

Neapolitan pizza by design is supposed to be floppy and delicate. To get there you need a weaker dough that is delicately worked. A good neapolitan dough would not survive tossing.

[Wiley]

Re: pizza throwing?

Skan, I see it says valencia in your Id, I'm guessing you are in Spain?

Here's a good video of a guy tossing a big, really really thin pizza. :

Pizza Acrobatica - Pasqualino Barbasso campione mondiale - YouTube

Bests,
Wiley

[skan]

Re: pizza throwing?

Skan, I see it says valencia in your Id, I'm guessing you are in Spain?

Here's a good video of a guy tossing a big, really really thin pizza. :

Pizza Acrobatica - Pasqualino Barbasso campione mondiale - YouTube

Bests,
Wiley

Thanks

You are right, I'm in Spain.
This video is funny but doesn't provide us with any info or tip.
If I try to do this my dough breaks or gets stuck on my hands. And if I add flour I'd be modifying ingredients proportion.

[Wiley]

Re: pizza throwing?

Skan,
If it's sticking to your hands I would suggest that your hands are not floured enough. If it breaks (not exactly sure what you mean by breaking) I would think that perhaps the dough was not given enough time for the gluten to develop enough to hold it together.

As for exact ingredient ratio I would suggest you keep in mind that like making bread dough the amount of water in the recipe is dependent upon humidity of where the flour is stored and where it is being used. Usually one is advised to hold back when adding the water in a recipe to see how the dough is developing. This is because the water added doesn't change the ratio of salt and yeast to flour. All in all unless you get really crazy with flour you will probably not significantly change the ratios once the dough has developed to the pizza ball stage. One is simply shaping the dough at that point not kneading it as one might to incorporate more flour.

Certainly adding enough flour to your hands to keep the dough from sticking while flattening out the ball to a pizza shape is necessary as is enough flour to keep it from sticking to the work surface. Beyond that the throwing is a matter of coordination and practice. I'm not good but have a couple of friends who can, but that's with hydration running 65%. Beyond that I don't know the limit. I expect that at some point the dough becomes a batter and one cannot throw it.

That guy in that link certainly opened my mind to just how big and thin a pizza skin can be stretched. I expect that the dough is probably a special "secret" recipe for his demonstration but it is my understanding that the competition requires the doughs to be flour, salt, yeast and water.

Have fun! Play with your food!
Hope this has helped,
Wiley

[shuboyje]

Re: pizza throwing?

You probably don't want to be able to do that with your dough. Dough for acrobatic tossing competitions are made with huge amounts of salt to make them strong enough to toss around like that. They are not meant for consumption.

Are you working with a scale? If not you are gonna want one. Are you working with a mixer or kneading by hand? What type of flour are you working with? These all have an effect on the way you go about making your dough.

The biggest tip I can give you is time is your friend. A dough that has been worked less with be easier to form regardless of the methods you use. By extending the process you can achieve great dough with minimal working. Lately I've been working on a New york Coal oven style dough with bread flour. I bring the ingredients together in a kitchenaid with a paddle. Once together I knead with the dough hook for one minute. I then allow a 30 minute rest period. After this rest the dough is a different animal, smooth as silk. I then knead for one ore minute. Once done kneading I form the dough balls and ferment at room temperature for 24 hours. This dough falls open and can be stretched super thin, yet is a breeze to make thanks to using time as my assistant.

Thanks

You are right, I'm in Spain.
This video is funny but doesn't provide us with any info or tip.
If I try to do this my dough breaks or gets stuck on my hands. And if I add flour I'd be modifying ingredients proportion.

[TheAmericanPie]

Re: pizza throwing?

My husband took a kitchen towel, wet it, folded it in half, pinned it together and made me practice slapping out dough with the wet towel for days, maybe weeks. Then I graduated to practicing the tossing. It's harder than you think when you're a newbie. When you're confident you are ready for the real thing, you'll find that dough is colder than the towel (if it just came from fridge) and you're fingers have a tendency to poke through. (This probably sounds ultra elementary but it's the way I learned) Curving your fingers forward (no rings on!) will ensure minimal holes. I'm no where near Master Dough Slayer but I'm getting there! Keep practicing!

[skan]

Re: pizza throwing?

My husband took a kitchen towel, wet it, folded it in half, pinned it together and made me practice slapping out dough with the wet towel for days, maybe weeks. Then I graduated to practicing the tossing. It's harder than you think when you're a newbie. When you're confident you are ready for the real thing, you'll find that dough is colder than the towel (if it just came from fridge) and you're fingers have a tendency to poke through. (This probably sounds ultra elementary but it's the way I learned) Curving your fingers forward (no rings on!) will ensure minimal holes. I'm no where near Master Dough Slayer but I'm getting there! Keep practicing!

very interesting!