Learning how to toss a pizza in Chicago

Hi, I just discovered this forum from a link from egullet.org.

Prior to coming to Chicago for a vacation earlier this year, I looked for a cooking school where I could learn how to throw a pizza. I've been making pizza in a bread machine for years, but have never thrown the dough. I used to roll it out with a rolling pin, but now I kinda push it, so it has a very uneven thickness.

Ideas?

Thanks in advance.

I meant to say that I was unsuccessful in finding a cooking class for pizza tossing when I was in Chicago last April and welcome ideas for what to do next.

Hi,

I go to youtube when I want to learn new techniques:

Thanks Cathy2, I found this and a couple of other videos too. Watching the same snip of video replay over and over doesn't tell me enough. I'm looking for somewhere I can communicate with the instructor. Or a much more detailed video.

Thanks for responding!

Hi,

Marie's Pizza on Lawrence usually has a guy up front tossing pizzas. You may want to order a pizza, then sit there admiring and asking questions. Plus you get a pizza to eat.

I'm sure others will pipe in.

Regards,

Gosh, Catherine, I should have looked at the video before I posted. I've seen (disappointing) videos from Tony Gemignani before. But this one is great, and I've bookmarked it. Thanks!

Cathy2 wrote:
Marie's Pizza on Lawrence

I've got in my list of things to do in Chicago.

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

Marie's Pizza on Lawrence usually has a guy up front tossing pizzas. You may want to order a pizza, then sit there admiring and asking questions. Plus you get a pizza to eat.

I'm sure others will pipe in.

Regards,

The guy in the window at Marie's uses a rolling pin for his pizzas. He doesn't hand toss them. Ditto for Vito & Nick's. Actually, they don't use a rolling pin. They use a sheeter.

I learned a lot from taking a class with Peter Reinhart. I didn't take it in Chicago, but he might be traveling somewhere near you.

Marmish wrote:I learned a lot from taking a class with Peter Reinhart. I didn't take it in Chicago, but he might be traveling somewhere near you.

Lucky you to have met Peter Reinhart, whose pizza dough recipe is discussed in other threads. I understand he is working with the Modernist Cuisine people on a bread book.

There is a lengthy thread on homemade pizza, which has a lot of tips. A lot of people here have had their personal pizza game upped by working their way through the suggestions.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:

Marmish wrote:I learned a lot from taking a class with Peter Reinhart. I didn't take it in Chicago, but he might be traveling somewhere near you.

Lucky you to have met Peter Reinhart, whose pizza dough recipe is discussed in other threads. I understand he is working with the Modernist Cuisine people on a bread book.

There is a lengthy thread on homemade pizza, which has a lot of tips. A lot of people here have had their personal pizza game upped by working their way through the suggestions.

Regards,

And I count myself among that group who got comfortable through the homemade pizza thread.

Reinhart, ooh lucky you, Marmish, Cathy2 can you get him to lecture?

OP- Lahey has great videos and CI of making fantastic pizza no tossing required.

The Chopping Block offers pizza-making classes. I don't know if they toss. You can call the Lincoln Square store at 773-472-6700, and the Merchandise Mart location at 312-644-6360. Their schedules are available here: http://www.thechoppingblock.net.

Yes, very lucky. It was a two, or maybe 3 day class series. Demo, but still. Very interesting to hear about how he came to bread and watch him work. There were only maybe 20-25 people jam packed into a little cooking store with a demo kitchen in Hudson, OH. My mom went with me on the pizza day, which was fun. I always use one of two of his recipes for my pizza dough and we have pizza usually once a week. I really should make more bread. His focaccia is amazing.

Cathy2 wrote:
There is a lengthy thread on homemade pizza, which has a lot of tips. A lot of people here have had their personal pizza game upped by working their way through the suggestions.

What thread would that be, please? (Google returned a lot of results, but I can't tell which one is the right one.)

I would travel to Chicago for a class with Peter Reinhart!

I'll look into The Chopping Block.

Thanks all.

My favorite, which I have spent hours upon hours on the forum is www.pizzamaking.com

This link shows all the topics on Cooking and Shopping with the word pizza in the subject line.

I highlight a few threads:

homemade pizza gallery

Pizza - More of a ritual than a recipe

Pizza dough

Regards,

TdeV I used homemade pizza gallery as the thread that helped me.

Tossing a pizza is like using a roof top bike rack: Looks hot but is not a good decision.

Twirling a a pizza up in the air more than once or twice inevitably results in a disproportionately thin center to outer edge thickness disparity--which inevitably results in a hole in the center (which try as you might, is really not repairable and means you just discard the dough ball). This might be a non-issue for thick crust style pizza, but its a poor outcome for thin crust, as most of us upon occasion have had the outer half of our slices sag into drippiness.

People toss and twirl a dough ball because its quick. But taking the time to work it with your two fists underneath will yield a more consistent overall thickness and a better pie.

(Riding around with bikes upright on your car roof rack almost always ends when you drive into a low overhang--like your garage!)