What is the secret to achieving perfectly round dough balls? (pizza, bread)

[Jesse44]

When I am making dumplings, pizza crusts, or basic breads/chapatis/tortillas etc. I can get the dough to bake, boil, or fry to my liking, but when I roll them in to balls before use there are always imperfections. I always see photos of perfectly round balls, though.

Normally I just mix water and flour (yeast and sugar first if it's for baking) until I have something that is neither overly floury nor sticky, and then transfer to a flour-dusted surface where I roll it around and work it for several seconds. After it expands I continue rolling and kneading until it seems okay for use.

The question is basically solely about aesthetics. Anyone have any ideas how to improve?

[irlinit]

I always add extra flour to the surface where you are rolling it to make the dough more rigid, otherwise it just doesn't hold when you roll it into a ball

[Caligula1]

Fold the dough in on itself... no need to place it on any surface. .
I suggest you tube for a video demo...

[Bulldogdad]

No such thing as a perfectly round dough ball.

Practice makes perfect.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Those nice round dough balls in the pizza parlor are made by machine.

Although, my dough tends to smooth out as it rises.

[Caligula1]

In our local pizza places... no machinery touches the dough...
Exceptions would be in rare cases a dough sheeter to flatten.