To punch or not to punch...?

Does punching down your dough really matter? Yes, this is a total geek question. A lot of folks have heard of punching dough, but don't really know what it is. And a lot of us who make pizza know and don't bother. But it finally occurred to me, after hearing a baking expert talk about the importance of the punch, maybe I should try this. So I did. 

OMG! You can barely tell the difference! But...it's there. 

Both of these dough balls came from the same batch. However, one was "punched." (It's a dangerous word, because really, no actual punching is involved. It is gently turned in on itself to re-form the ball.) They proofed for quite awhile--four days. The punch occurred on day 2. On day 4, we made pizza. 

In the accompanying photo, the crust on the left is from the punched dough. The crust on the right is from the un-punched dough. There is a noticeable difference, both in appearance and in taste. The structure of the punched dough is more consistent. The bubbles in the crust are more uniform. In taste, the crust isn't quite as dense as the crust from the un-punched dough ball. Here's the problem...

They're both pretty darn good. 

At the end of the day, it seems that whether to punch or not to punch is personal preference. We'll try this some more and see if anything changes. But with a well-proofed dough, which has plenty of character and yields a really nice crust, the difference is marginal. (Your mileage may vary.)