A round pizza is a bonus. A base with a lovely rim is what we’re aiming for. Your hands are the most important tool for the job.
Start with the product instructions
Follow your dough’s storage and preparation instructions. How you prepare chilled or frozen dough depends on the product. So don’t simply copy a fixed resting time from another recipe.
A thin dusting of flour is enough
Lightly flour your worktop and hands. Add a little more if the dough keeps sticking, but don’t make a pile of flour. Loose flour that goes into the oven with your pizza can burn.
Work from the centre outwards
Put your dough down and gently flatten the centre with your fingertips. Leave a rim around the edge. Rotate the base a little and repeat. This spreads the thickness evenly without pressing all the air out of the rim.
Let the dough work with you
Gently lift the base and support it with your hands. Stretch in small movements and rotate regularly. Don’t pull at a single point. Is the dough springing back? Put it down, cover it and let it rest briefly within the product instructions.
There’s a small hole. Now what?
Put the base back on your worktop and gently pinch the edges of the small hole together. Avoid a thick, wet layer of sauce in that spot. And if your pizza ends up oval? That’s simply your shape.
A good pizza doesn’t have to be a perfect circle.