Page 65 - Pie It Forward: Pies, Tarts, Tortes, Galettes, and Other Pastries Reinvented

4
. Lightly dust your work surface with flour and gently flatten the
dough with the palm of your hand. Roll it out into a rough 10- to 11-

inch (25- to 28-cm) round between ⅛ and ¼ inch (3 and 6 mm)
thick. Don’t worry if it’s not perfectly round . . . or even barely round.
Just make sure that it’s of a uniform thickness, even if it’s the shape
of a beaver tail.

5
. Sprinkle a pizza peel with cornmeal and transfer the dough to the
peel. If you don’t have a peel, use the back of a sheet pan instead
(use the back so the dough slips off easily and isn’t impeded by the
lip of the working side).

A NOTE FROM THE SWEETIE PIE

Why a Pizza Stone?

Well, you could use a baking sheet coated in oil or covered with
parchment. Either works as a surface for baking the pizza dough
and keeping it from sticking. However, the point of a great pizza
crust, like any great pie dough, is that the stuff actually bakes

through. With pizza, it’s best when the dough gets a nice crisp to
it. Pizza stones distribute heat evenly and extract excess
moisture, producing the perfect crust. If you’re going to take the
time to make the right dough, do some legwork and get a pizza
stone so that it bakes right too. (The cheap ones work just as well

as the expensive ones—or you can use a large unglazed or
untreated terra-cotta tile.)