Should I use flour or semolina on a pizza peel?

Either works well — flour is finer and slightly more prone to burning at very high heat, while semolina is coarser and holds up better in a screaming-hot oven. Pick one, use a generous amount, and avoid mixing the two.

Why does my pizza stick to the peel?

Almost always because it sat too long before launching, giving moisture time to work into the flour underneath and glue the dough down. Build quickly once the dough is on the peel, and give it a test shake before you commit to launching.

How do I launch a pizza without ruining it?

Angle the peel toward the stone, get the leading edge just touching the surface, and pull the peel back in one quick, confident motion. Hesitating partway through is what causes folded or torn pizzas, not lack of skill.

Guides & How-To

How to Use a Pizza Peel Without Losing Your Toppings

By Dad·5 min read·Updated September 8, 2026

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To use a pizza peel, dust it generously with flour or semolina before you build your pizza, work quickly once the dough is on it so it doesn't have time to stick, and launch with one confident, quick forward shake rather than a slow, hesitant push. Most peel disasters come from waiting too long, not from bad technique. Here's how to launch like you've done it a hundred times, even on your first try.

Dust It Before the Dough Ever Touches It

Flour or semolina (coarse ground corn, similar to cornmeal) both work, and each has a fan club. Flour is finer and burns a little faster on a screaming-hot stone; semolina is coarser, acts almost like tiny ball bearings under the dough, and holds up better at very high heat. Either way, use a generous, even coating across the whole peel — a thin dusting in the middle with bare wood at the edges is asking for trouble.

Don't mix the two together thinking it'll work better; pick one and use enough of it. If you're using a metal peel for launching (common with high-heat ovens) rather than a wood one, the same dusting rule still applies.

Work Fast Once the Dough Is On

The number one cause of sticking isn't a bad peel or bad flour — it's time. The longer stretched dough sits on a peel, the more its moisture works into the flour underneath and starts gluing it down. Build your pizza (sauce, cheese, toppings) as quickly as you comfortably can once the dough is stretched and on the peel, and launch promptly.

Before you launch, give the peel a gentle shake or two to confirm the pizza actually slides freely. If it doesn't move, lift the stuck edge and dust a little more flour underneath rather than forcing a launch and hoping for the best.

The Launch: Commit to the Shake

Angle the peel slightly toward the stone, get the leading edge of the pizza just barely touching the surface, and pull the peel back toward you in one quick, confident motion while the pizza stays put. Hesitating halfway through is exactly how pizzas end up folded, torn, or half on the stone and half in the air.

Your first launch might not be pretty, and that's completely normal — we call those "chef's snack." By your third or fourth pizza, the motion starts to feel automatic. Practicing with a plain dough round (no toppings) before your first real pizza night is a great, low-stakes way to build the confidence.

Dust It Before the Dough Ever Touches It

Work Fast Once the Dough Is On

The Launch: Commit to the Shake

Dad's FAQ