Pizza night & simple flatbreads

Lesson 2 of 4

Stretch from the center

Controlled pressure preserves a rim while thinning the center evenly.

Ingredients for this learning path

A complete sourdough pizza or flatbread formula
Flour for the bench
Modest portions of sauce, cheese and toppings

Equipment

Baking sheet, stone or steel rated for your oven
Bench scraper
Rolling pin, optional
Oven mitts

The lesson

Place a dough ball on a lightly floured surface. Press from the center outward, leaving a border if you want a raised rim.
Lift and stretch gently, rotating to avoid a thin spot. Stop if the dough tears and let it relax before a light repair.
For an evenly thin flatbread, use a rolling pin deliberately; recognize that it presses out more gas than hand stretching.

The baker’s note

Flour should prevent sticking, not accumulate as a thick raw layer underneath.

Practice

Stretch two portions to the same size and compare their thickness.

Technique lessons may require a separate complete formula. Read the full path before mixing.

LESSON 2 OF 4 · 6 min read

Stretch from the center

Controlled pressure preserves a rim while thinning the center evenly.

Go to guided practice & lesson check

Let’s work through it

Place a dough ball on a lightly floured surface. Press from the center outward, leaving a border if you want a raised rim.
Lift and stretch gently, rotating to avoid a thin spot. Stop if the dough tears and let it relax before a light repair.
For an evenly thin flatbread, use a rolling pin deliberately; recognize that it presses out more gas than hand stretching.

LEARN IT. TRY IT. MAKE IT YOURS.

Your practice bench

Read the whole lesson first, then work at your own pace. Check a step when you’ve practiced or reviewed it.

0 of 3 steps

STEP 1 OF 3

Place a dough ball on a lightly floured surface. Press from the center outward, leaving a border if you want a raised rim.

I’ve practiced or reviewed this step

MAKE THE BAKER’S CALL

How should you open pizza dough?Flatten every part as hard as possibleWork gently from the center while preserving the rimPull one edge until it tears

TAKE IT TO YOUR OWN KITCHEN

Your next small experiment

Stretch two portions to the same size and compare their thickness.

Record what happened in my journal

How do you feel about this skill?

Need another tryGetting thereReady to repeat

Practice works here. Sign in to save it between visits. Answers are for practice, not a graded certification.

Make it part of your practice

Stretch two portions to the same size and compare their thickness.

Previous lesson Next lesson

YOUR BAKING JOURNAL

Remember what the dough taught you.

Record your temperatures, timing, observations and one thing to try next.