Glossary
Semolina dusting
Coarse semolina flour sprinkled on a peel so shaped dough slides off cleanly instead of sticking during the launch.
Semolina dusting refers to sprinkling coarse semolina flour, milled from durum wheat, onto a peel before placing shaped dough on it. It is used specifically to help a built pizza release cleanly when it is time to launch it into the oven.
The reason it works better than regular flour alone is texture: the coarse, gritty granules of semolina act almost like tiny rollers under the dough, letting it slide rather than drag or catch on the peel's surface. Fine flour can pack down under the weight of the dough and toppings and lose that sliding effect much faster.
Many bakers use a mix of semolina and regular flour rather than semolina alone, balancing slide with a lighter dusting on the finished crust so it does not taste gritty once baked. A common mistake is using too much, which can burn on the hot oven floor and turn bitter, or too little, which leaves the dough sticking right at the moment you try to launch it, often tearing the base as it goes.