Store-bought dough (please don't shoot me...)

[enchant]

Since the discussion of dough recipes seems to be about 75% of the topic of conversation, I have to figure that buying pre-made dough won't put me on the fast track to hanging out with the cool kids on this forum.  But my pizza has several problems to overcome.  I'm unhappy with my sauce and unhappy with my cheese.  The dough is about the only thing that is working for me.  Once I get what I consider a great pizza, I'll start making my own dough.

My brothers and I will buy (and split among us) a case of 30 frozen 1 lb doughs at the Piantedosi bakery in Malden, MA.  At 65 cents each, you can't beat the price, and they really make a tasty pizza dough.

The day before pizza day, I take a dough out of the freezer and put it in the fridge.  On pizza day, I take it out of the fridge and put it on the counter about an hour before pizza time. At pizza time, I empty the sticky dough out of the bag onto flour and start shaping my pizza.

I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions what I *should* be doing.  Should I be taking it out of the fridge hourS before shaping it?  When I take it out, should I flour it and shape it into a ball, (rather than let it sit in the plastic bag)?

One minor problem I've had is with the shape.  When I dump it out of the bag, it's always strangely shaped, and my final pizza looks much more like a random major continent than a circle.  I know that this isn't important, but it doesn't seem like it should be a lot of work to get a round pizza. I've bookmarked a video that someone posted at the Taunton Press site.

Yes, I know I should make my own dough and I promise that I will, ultimately.  But at this point in my pizza journey, I'm busy tweaking the sauce.

Thanks for any help.

[Fio]

On pizza day, I take it out of the fridge and put it on the counter about an hour before pizza time. At pizza time, I empty the sticky dough out of the bag onto flour and start shaping my pizza.
 
One minor problem I've had is with the shape.  When I dump it out of the bag, it's always strangely shaped, and my final pizza looks much more like a random major continent than a circle. 

These two facts are related.  If your dough starts round, it will have a better chance of ending up round.

When the dough is thawed, but before it's final room-temperature proofing, form it into a domed ball by holding it in both hands and tucking your fingers underneath it over and over until it resembles a mushroom cap.

This is important: NOW PUT IT INTO A ROUND PLASTIC CONTAINER smeared with olive oil or PAM. You can also drizzle OO in the container before the dough, roll the dough ball in the oil to coat.

Let it proof and come to room temp for 1-2 hours.  When it is ready, gently slide/dump it into a small pile of flour without distorting the shape.  If you do, it will collapse the gluten.   Maintain roundness every step of the way.

Gently cover the dough with flour and start pressing it out, rotating as you do, to maintain uniformity of thickness and roundness as you go.  Stretch and toss etc.

That should help. 

In summary:   Start round to stay round.  Get the dough round, then let the dough rise in a round container and keep it round as you press it out.

[enchant]

When the dough is thawed, but before it's final room-temperature proofing, form it into a domed ball by holding it in both hands and tucking your fingers underneath it over and over until it resembles a mushroom cap.

I'm assuming you mean without flouring it, right?  At this point, it's exceptionally sticky.  Is there anything I can do to keep it from sticking to my hands?  Oil on my hands perhaps?

When it is ready, gently slide/dump it into a small pile of flour without distorting the shape.  If you do, it will collapse the gluten.

If I do... "gently slide/dump it" or "distort the shape"?  I'm guessing that distorting the shape collapses the gluten.

This is great info.  Thanks!

[Pete-zza]

enchant,

The following piece should help get you from the frozen dough ball stage to the processing stage: http://www.pmq.com/cgi-bin/tt/index.cgi/noframes/read/16954.

Peter