The Neapolitan "Slap" Technique for Stretching Dough

[pizza dr]

That last video was really cool.  The skin looked like silk when he finally got it fully opened. 

[andreguidon]

thanks Guys!

[Kermit]

Thanks to this thread for having me dreaming of the neapolitan slap last night. Unfortunately in my dream I completely ruined the dough, and therefore had no dinner. Bummer huh? Do any of you ever make practice doughs using cheaper flours just to get a hang of technique or what?

[Pizza Napoletana]

Do any of you ever make practice doughs using cheaper flours just to get a hang of technique or what?

Dear Kermit, check out the following link:
http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,14506.msg148961.html#msg148961

I hope it proves useful to you. Good day!

[dohboy]

Neapolitan Pizzaiolo, Rosario Granieri, visited my shop yesterday.

He said it's been about 2 months since he last made a pizza, but his slap technique is still blazingly fast.  He'll be working next at the RossoPomodoro inside of Eataly NYC.  He told me he had worked at their Rome and Milan locations after learning pizza at his family's Pizzeria Miracoli in Napoli.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3QIljjK4Fg" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3QIljjK4Fg</a>

[Jet_deck]

...... He told me he had worked at their Rome and Milan locations after learning pizza at his family's Pizzeria Miracoli in Napoli.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3QIljjK4Fg

Respectfully, I was unimpressed for someone with that much training and experience.  Maybe the dough was the culprit, but when he flops it onto the table he straightens out one of the wrinkles of the skin on his left.  Then smashes the other wrinkle with his right hand.  The skin looks a bit thick to pass VPN, if that is what he was intending when he finished.

Just my opinion though.

[pizzablogger]

Jet Deck, I have to agree.

Was it fast? Yes.

Have I mastered this technique yet? No. (but working on it).

Speed means nothing if the finished product is not up to snuff. Less showboating with the air toss and more quality finished skins! 

Ankur, a very good friend of mine whose taste in pizza I trust explicitly was very happy with his initial visit to your pizza joint. I'll drop by in January for a look....excited to see your place! 

[dohboy]

To be fair, we should've filmed his whole process when he made 2 pizzas for himself and I. This particular stretch was just for showing off to my staff, hence the air spin.

But he did it like I've seen many others from Napoli - slap to about 7-8 inches, sauce and top, stretch while pulling/rotating onto the peel, stretch again to about 12 inches around, and fire in the oven.  I personally go to 10", then stretch to 11" while loading onto on the peel.

PB - awesome, that is wonderful to hear and I look forward to finally meeting you! 

[Jet_deck]

To be fair, we should've filmed his whole process when he made 2 pizzas for himself and I. This particular stretch was just for showing off to my staff, hence the air spin.

Fair enough.

I love your logo with the Pupatella/ Pulcinella riding the Buffalo, with the peel and pizza in hand.  Very original.

[dimitrios]

I have always pondered on this : is the counter being of marble a big deal in opening the dough? why is marble almost always used in the pro restaurants? It's not just prestige and cleanliness is it?

[Bill/SFNM]

I have always pondered on this : is the counter being of marble a big deal in opening the dough? why is marble almost always used in the pro restaurants? It's not just prestige and cleanliness is it?

I've seen plenty of pizza places with work surfaces made of granite, wood, stainless steel, etc.   

[dimitrios]

I can never seem to slide my dough off the counter on the peel, my dough would tear. was wondering if having a marble countertop avoids this from happening since it's so smooth.

I've seen plenty of pizza places with work surfaces made of granite, wood, stainless steel, etc.   

[Bill/SFNM]

I can never seem to slide my dough off the counter on the peel, my dough would tear. was wondering if having a marble countertop avoids this from happening since it's so smooth.

I guess the smoothness of the surface can make a difference in the amount of friction between the pizza and the counter, but the tearing you describe sounds like it is more of a symptom of a dough without adequate structure or too sticky or that it has spent too much time on the counter, etc. It could be you need more bench flour or other dry lubricant, but that should be a last resort since it can effect the qualities of the crust. Some people use a SuperPeel or parchment paper.

Since we are on the Neapolitan forum, are you specifically referring to a Neapolitan style dough? What is the hydration level? Would you say your dough is on the sticky side?

[dimitrios]

I guess the smoothness of the surface can make a difference in the amount of friction between the pizza and the counter, but the tearing you describe sounds like it is more of a symptom of a dough without adequate structure or too sticky or that it has spent too much time on the counter, etc. It could be you need more bench flour or other dry lubricant, but that should be a last resort since it can effect the qualities of the crust. Some people use a SuperPeel or parchment paper.

Since we are on the Neapolitan forum, are you specifically referring to a Neapolitan style dough? What is the hydration level? Would you say your dough is on the sticky side?

Yes, I am after Neapolitan. Hydration about 63%, yes, pretty sticky. I use a lot of bench flower to make it workable, and I press the dough with my finger tips do make the pizza flat and round, sprinkling flour again, and turn around. If I stretch, always get tears, hence a press on the counter. Not sure how I can avoid tearing.

[David Deas]

63% hydration is too high for 00 flour.  Bring down between 55% and 60% for best results.  Having a smooth stone certainly helps.  If you don't have a smooth stone bench then go and buy a 14 by 14 inch tile from Home Depot to work on.  Do you reball properly?  Is you skin topped too heavily?  Is your workflow fast enough?  Are you using a sourdough?  All those factors go in to stickiness.

You should not be sprinkling any flour.  The dough ball gets dipped into the flour bin once and that's it!  Sprinkling flour will make your pizza taste bitter.  Are you making the mistake of fully stretching your skin before it hits the launching peel?  The dough should not yet be fully stretched while it is being dressed on the bench.

I honestly don't get to use slapping and stretching tecchniques very often if at all.  My dough *usually* turns out like a cotton ball.  I've found the Anthony Mangieri style pat down to be pretty much all I ever needed.   The dough just pats into a flat skin after just a few strikes without much extra help going into it.