Pizza error

Willie Lump Lump

Usually I am satisfied with my pizzas but I made another mistake tonight. I chalk it up to not enough patience, and running low on fuel on other cooks.
I put the first pizza on when the temp gage read 700 degrees. I peak through the top chimney with a flashlight for a visual for doneness.
Well it looked done but the bottom was not cooked. I should have waited for the stone to come up to temp. Fortunately I made two pizzas so Domino’s was not called for this pizza night.
Next time I will let it come up to temp and then give it fifteen before the first pizza.
The one thing I have learned about the Egg is that it rewards patience, even on a hot cook!
TTFN WLL

PhilsGrill

Yes, wait for the stone to heat up and you really don't need to go above 450 degrees for pizza.

Darnoc

You must have put that puppy right in when the temperature read 700 degrees.Normally at that temperature if it was a medium to thin crust pie it would have been done in ten minutes.Always allow the stone to come up to your cooking temperature for at least 15 minutes before putting the pie onto the stone.

Mainegg

I always cook at 450-500 for our pizzas. always crispy on the bottom and done perfect. but I load in the plate setter and stone as soon as it is going good. Julie

Willie Lump Lump

These are Neapolitan style pizzas. The high temp is part of the process.
The Eggs ability to go to high temps and cook Pizza was one of the reasons I bought it.
It's been a goal to try for a Neapolitan style Pizza at home, sometimes more successfully then tonight.
If you have not tried this style of pizza I recommend it. I know it's not available in all parts of the country kind of like BBQ used to be.
TTFN WLL

Bama Boy

I make pizzas all the time and the hardest thing for me to do is to wait on the stone to get hot. I put it on as soon as I get the fire going.

Mainegg

True, but I don't think that a stone that is not preheated is as hot a 500 degree stone that is? the temp you loose to heating the stone and reheating around it is going to mess up the primo crust you are going for. that would be crucial I would think.

Grillin&Chillin

It seems that the concensus is to cook pizza at 450 - 500 degrees. I can't argue with success but why is it that most commercial pizza ovens cook at a much higher temperature?

Zippylip

I think it is because speed is money, & when you are cooking 100 or more pies a day in a pizza joint, you have a rythm down. You can certainly go over 500 in your egg, I have done pies at 600 & 700 without a problem, you just have to be much quicker to check & remove it because at those temps, it'll burn faster. If you are looking for the crispiest possible dough, go higher (700 or more). When you go at 450, the longer bake time does allow the dough to have some residual rise in the egg, so it will be a little fluffier than a pie that is subjected to blast furnace temps, giving it no time to rise any more. Just play around with the temps & you'll get it right no matter what temp you use

70chevelle

WillyLL - You are correct on all counts! You really need to let that stone heat up, if you have a IR therm, it should read 550*+ for Neapolitan style pizza. I normally use my platesetter, feet down with the grate on top and then my pizza stone on that. To do this properly, your dough should be very basic, flour, salt, yeast, high hydration (>63%) and the crust stretched thin. No sugar or oil, as they will brown/burn the crust due to the high temps. I built a wood fired oven this summer for neopolitan style pizza's. The internal ambiant temp is over 1000* while it's heating up. The floor is normally around 750* when I place my first pizza and they take between 90 seconds and 2 minutes. The dough I make is very thin and the sauce & cheese are just enough for great flavor. You have to be frugal with your toppings since they can moisten the crust and also weigh it down. Thicker crust pizzas definitely need to be cooked at lower temps and longer times. The basic makeup of the dough itself lends itself to more sauce, cheese & toppings. Good Luck.