Shaping is where dough becomes pizza. Hand stretching is the traditional method: form the dough from the center outward, leaving the rim untouched to preserve the airy cornicione. A common technique is to "push the air to the edge," keeping the rim light and puffy. The slap and toss method uses the palm and a draped motion over the knuckles to stretch the dough with gravity. Rolling pins are avoided because they crush the gas pockets that give a good crust its texture. In cracker-thin styles, dough is sometimes pricked with a fork in a step called docking to prevent large bubbles from forming. Bench flour — or, more commonly, semolina, a coarse wheat flour with a non-sticky texture — dusts the work surface and peel so the dough slides freely. A pizza peel is the long-handled tool used to launch and retrieve pizzas; pizzas are typically launched on a wooden peel (less sticky) and retrieved on a metal peel (which slides under the crust easily).
Heat is the other half of the equation. A traditional wood-fired oven uses direct flame and radiant heat from a burning fire; modern gas-fired ovens reach similar temperatures with more convenience. At home, the oven's max temperature is usually 500 to 550°F, which is why a baking stone or baking steel is essential — both retain and radiate heat to crisp the bottom. Steel has higher heat conductivity than stone and is the preferred choice for home ovens, with a quarter-inch thickness being common. A specialized home pizza oven, like the popular Ooni or Roccbox, can reach 800 to 950°F and produce true Neapolitan results. For everyone else, a steel plus the broiler for top heat — sometimes called a "broiler boost" — can approximate Neapolitan-style char, and on a steel a 4 to 6 minute bake at 500 to 550°F is typical. Cast iron skillets, which conduct heat well, are excellent for pan and skillet pizza styles, producing a crispy bottom.
Whatever the setup, preheating matters enormously. A stone or steel needs 30 to 60 minutes at full oven temperature to soak up enough heat to crisp dough on contact. The typical baking surface must be at full temperature before launching. For the launch itself, the pizza must be dry underneath — wet dough sticks to the peel — and toppings should be applied quickly so moisture doesn't soak through into the dough. Some styles par-bake the crust before topping. Once the pizza is in the oven, "the turn" — rotating the pie — corrects for uneven heat, and a fast oven recovery is important because some ovens drop temperature significantly when the door is opened. With good flour and consistent technique, even a modest home setup can rival a pizzeria.