How do you get the pizza off a peel?

[Annie]

Hi everyone!  I'm new and I'll apologise now for opening a topic which you have all no doubt thrashed to death! 

But before I thrash my Pizza oven to death with my pizza peel, what do you all use to help the 'transition' of the pizza from peel to oven?  I've read that semolina is quite popular and effective???

Also, I left my pizza on the peel for about 10mins before it went into the oven, is this too long?  If I put it on another surface first,  how do I get it off? 

Thanks for any tips!   

[brayshaw]

Hi Annie,

For me personally I prefer semolina, I found using flour that the pizza came out of the oven with raw flour stuck to it and I didn't like the taste.

I'd go semolina all day long.

Paul

[Jackie Tran]

Hi Annie, pizza sticking to a peel is something everyone experiences when they first start making pizzas.  It can be very fustrating mangling that pretty pie you just built.

If you do a quick search for "peel" or "sticking" you can read several different threads on the subject and get a good feel for the various solutions.   In the meantime here's some quick tips that have helped me.

Pizza sticking to a peel can be caused by several factors and also remedied by several solutions.  First off, YES 10 mins is way too long for a dressed pizza to be sitting on a peel.  Wet pizza dough will absorbed the flour or semolina on the peel within a few minutes and start sticking so that's about as long as you want it sitting there.

I usually try not to stretch the dough until I"m ready to load the pizza (which is when the oven is ready to receive the pizza).  When the oven is ready, I stretch the dough and rub a little flour into the peel.  I then sprinkle a tiny amount of semolina flour onto the peel (optional) and place the skin on.  Tug oh the edges quickly to get your round shape, sauce, and top pizza quickly.  Don't fool around here.  Focus and concentrate Annie!   Once the toppings go on, grab the peel and give it a quick shake back and forth to ensure the dough isn't sticking.  If it appears to be in a certain spot, grab that edge and blow some air under it to release it. 
  As you are loading the pizza into the oven, give it a shake and a shimmy as you are loading it onto the stone. 

Here's another method I use on occassion to help with the sticking issue.  If you happen to stretch your dough already before the oven is ready to receive the pie, then just let the skin sit on the counter (or your work area) for a few minutes until the oven is ready.  During this time, the top of the skin will begin drying out a bit and the bottom (surface touching the working area) will become more sticky.

When you are ready to dress the pizza, carefully flip the skin over so that the drier side will go onto the surface of the peel.  Now quickly dress the pizza and load it.  The drier side will help prevent the pizza from sticking to the peel. 

And as for your other issue of wetness, do a quick search for "wet" or "wet pizza" as I know that has just been discussed recently.

OK good luck and post some pics will ya?

[Bill/SFNM]

The stickiness of the dough can be dependent on how you combine the ingredients. You want to give the flour as much opportunity as possible to absorb the water. Things like autolyzing can go a long way to making a dough easier to handle without having to use a lot of extra stuff on the peel.

[Pete-zza]

Annie,

As Tran noted, there are a ton of threads on the forum on this subject. A recent one, which includes several links to other related posts, is at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,10778.msg96139.html#msg96139.

Peter

[Ev]

You did not mention what kind of peel you are using. In my experience, a wooden peel is much better to build a pie on and the metal is better for removing a cooked pie from the oven. Uncooked dough seems to stick to the metal peel much more, no matter what or how much flour you put on it. For what it's worth, I like white rice flour on the peel, though I'm sure other flours are equally as good.

[petef]

Also, I left my pizza on the peel for about 10mins before it went into the oven, is this too long?  If I put it on another surface first,  how do I get it off? 

To avoid pizza dough from sticking to the peel do the following:

* Dust the peel very lightly with flour.

* Sprinkle peel with corn meal then spread it evenly with the palm of your hand.

* Have all your toppings ready and close to your peel.

* Load the pizza dough to the peel and quickly apply all the toppings within
just a minute or so. DO NOT allow the pizza to rest any longer than a minute
or so or you risk it sticking to the peel.

* Before attempting to slide the pizza to the oven, hold the peel level
and shake it a bit to ensure the pizza is "rolling free" on the cornmeal.
If not, you must lift the sticking portion and get some cornmeal in
there to free it up.

* Once your pizza passes the "rolling free" test, angle the peel downward
onto the hot stone in the oven. Shake the peel gently until the back edge
of the dough just touches the stone (this anchors it) and pull back on the
peel to release the pizza to the stone.


NOTE: If making another pizza, check the peel for moist spots and scrap
them off clean, re-apply flour to the moist spot. Also re-apply the cornmeal
and spread it evenly with the palm of your hand.

WARNING: Failure to do these things above will likely cause your
pizza to stick and worse case your beautiful pizza and all it's
topping may wind up on the floor after you try to shake it free.
Oh boy, I know how that feels. It's not a pretty sight.

---pete---

[petef]

You did not mention what kind of peel you are using. In my experience, a wooden peel is much better to build a pie on and the metal is better for removing a cooked pie from the oven.

Good point about using a metal peel for removing the cooked pizza. I actually
use my aluminum pizza tray (dish) to scoop up the cooked pizza from the oven.
I use the aluminum pizza tray to lift the edge of the pie and then slide it under
the pie to scoop it up. Sometimes, the pizza hits the back wall of the oven and
kind of bounces back onto the tray.

---pete---

[Ev]

Also, if you can tell before hand that the dough is sticking, you can lift the edge of the pie and blow a big ol' air bubble between the pie and the peel. The pie should slide right off!

[Pete-zza]

Also, if you can tell before hand that the dough is sticking, you can lift the edge of the pie and blow a big ol' air bubble between the pie and the peel. The pie should slide right off!

Steve,

Since Annie indicated in Reply 1205 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,3944.msg96767.html#msg96767 that she plans to open a diner to sell pizza, I don't know if she wants to blow under her pizzas where her customers are likely to see her do it. Tom Lehmann commented unfavorably on this method at the PMQ Think Tank at http://thinktank.pmq.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=7874&p=53974&hilit=#p53957. I might use that method at my home for my own pizzas but I wouldn't do it for someone else's pizza.

Peter

[widespreadpizza]

Good point about using a metal peel for removing the cooked pizza.

Another thing i have not often seen discussed along with this topic is that I see a lot of newcomers and maybe even some veterans taking a cooked pizza out of the oven on a wooden make peel with raw flour and yeasties all over it then going so far as to cut it on it.  I can't stand a trace of raw flour on my crust.  Also,  maybe its because I use starters,  but even with commecial yeast,  I tend to treat dough much like raw meat.  You never know what these things could do to your system,  I am not saying they will do anything,  but who knows.  -marc

[Mad_Ernie]

I favor a wooden peel with semolina flour instead of cornmeal or regular flour.

-ME

[sear]

havent seen any one mention this, but i saw a vid on youtube where he lifted up a part of the dough and blew air underneath it and it was unstuck.  never needed to try this, however sometimes my toppings go flying when i put the pizza on the stone 

[Pete-zza]

James,

See Replies 8 and 9 above.

Peter

[sear]

James,

See Replies 8 and 9 above.

Peter

dunno how i missed that

pizza on a peel for 10 minutes with customers being a factor is a curve ball

[Pete-zza]

James,

No need to be concerned. I will sometimes miss posts because clicking on the "unread posts" link will take me to the latest post in the thread in question. If I don't look to see if there were any earlier posts, it is easy to miss them.

Peter

[Ev]

I agree, blowing under the pie in a commercial environment would be a no-no. I missed that part.

[Pete-zza]

I agree, blowing under the pie in a commercial environment would be a no-no. I missed that part.

Steve,

As I have reported before, I once saw a pizza maker at a LaGuardia airport pizza place do that. When he saw that I caught him in the act, he didn't look too happy and quickly turned away.

Peter

[pcampbell]

For a bit of a funny with Chris Bianco about blowing under the pie

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz1g1KSiqCU" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz1g1KSiqCU</a>

skip to 05:30 

[Ev]

That's how I learned it too. Right or wrong, it must be a fairly common practice.