Step Two of Three
Shaping & Launching
You spent two days building a dough with real flavor. This is the step where most people undo it in the last thirty seconds — a tear, a fold, toppings welded to the peel. Totally avoidable.
Put the rolling pin away
It crushes out the gas that becomes your tall, airy, blistered edge (the cornicione). We stretch by hand and protect that rim.
Shaping
01
Flour generously
Flour the dough and counter generously — it should slide, not stick.
02
Press from the center out
Press from the center outward with your fingertips, leaving the outer inch untouched (that’s your future puffy crust).
03
Stretch, don’t roll
Lift and let gravity work, rotating over the backs of your knuckles, or stretch gently on the counter from the center out.
04
Aim for ~12″
Thin in the middle, defined edge. If it springs back, rest 60 seconds and try again.
Launching (the part everyone fears)
It’s 90% about not letting the dough sit long enough to stick.
01
Dust the peel
Dust a metal peel with semolina or flour — the ball-bearing layer.
02
Build on the peel, and work fast
Sauce first (less than you think), then cheese and toppings. An overloaded pie is a heavy, sticky pie.
03
Test that it’s loose
Small back-and-forth shakes. If a spot sticks, lift and add semolina.
04
Launch with confidence
Angle the peel down, one smooth forward-then-back motion. Timid launches fail; committed ones land.
Peter’s Rule
Practice with a bare dough ball
New to it? Practice with a bare, cold dough ball — no toppings — until the shake-and-slide feels natural.
Next: Step Three — Managing the Fire
Dough sorted, launch sorted. What’s left is heat — floor temp, flame, and the turn.
Go back to Step One: The Dough, or browse all guides.