Pizza Stone

[chow guy]

We keep our pizza stone in the oven all the time and find that it helps distribute the heat evenly for all things. We got the basic Williams-Sonoma version (wedding gift!), so I can't compare and contrast but I say if you've got the conviction, get the stone. The tool I find very important for pizza and other doughs, is a baker's peel to get the dough onto the stone. We got a pretty cheap one at Broadway Panhandler.

Liza

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What Liza said.... I think it does distributes heat better. One tip though if you are going to leave in all the time like we do . Make sure you put a pan under anything that could bubble over. Also, I got my wooden peel at a restaurant supply and I like the large size alot.

[tanabutler]

Boy, did I ever just learn a lot.

[iii_bake]

First, the visual aid: right click and "save target as" if left clicking doesn't work (5.23mb mpg file)

First, toss the doughball in flour. Flatten the dough out with your fingertips on a smooth, floured surface (stainless steel, marble or countertop). Place the edge of your left hand on the edge of the flattened dough so the side of the tip of your littlle finger is at the 12:00 position. Place your right fingers so the tips are touching your left little finger, holding your fingers together with only about 1"(2.54cm) of your fingers actually on the dough. Now, use your left hand turn the dough counter-clockwise, keeping your right hand stationary. When your hands get out of each other's way, bring your left hand fingers down onto the dough the same way that you initially placed your right fingers. Then, let your fingers on both hands spread apart and stop when your hands are about 1" apart. For subsequent stretches, you won't need to start with your hands as close together and you'll end up with your hands further apart. Just be sure you are stretching out the edge of the dough between your hands mostly, not stretching across the middle; you'll end up with a nasty thin spot in the middle. Stop when the pizza is either the thickness you want, or when you can't stretch it further. Generally, 1 ounce of pizza equals 1" of pizza.

-If you end up with some spots that are thicker than you want, use the finger-spreading technique with your hand directly on the thick spot.

-If you watch the video, you'll see the guy pick the dough up and slap it around. This is not a necessary step; more than anything else, he's shaking off excess flour.

-Starting out reasonably slow with medium pressure on the dough would probably be a good way to start.

-If this feels uncomfortable to you, it may be because I'm left-handed. Just switch which hand is doing what and the direction you rotate the dough.

-credit for visual aid: http://www.verapizzanapoletana.org/vpn/index.html

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Dear mymnaejoe: I tried to connect to the media for the visual aid, somehow it lasted 10 seconds and almost no movement. For the Pizza making, the guy just has not started working with the dough yet....is it supposed to be so? or it is my computer?

Kindly let me know