I recently did an informal poll among my cooking buddies, asking them how hot they heat their ovens when making pizza at home. They blinked at me and universally responded, "As hot as it will go." That's when I realized I've been falling a little short in the pizza department.
I've been baking my pizzas at 450° Fahrenheit for years. It's the temperature recommended in many pizza recipes, particularly the ones I followed when first learning to bake, and I've just stuck with it. Of course, I've heard that brick pizza ovens will reach a mind-boggling 800° or more and cook pizzas in minutes, but I always assumed that 450° was as high as home cooks could hope for.
As one of my friends said, "If your oven wasn't made to go hotter...it wouldn't." Still, like the mystical 11 on Spinal Tap's amp, I was skeptical. And scared. Of what, I'm not sure. Setting the house on fire? Damaging the oven in my rental apartment? My friends dismissed all my worries with a wave of the hand.
There was nothing left to do but give it a try.
I made my standard pizza dough and settled on a few different toppings. I pulled out my trusty Silpat as well as some pieces of parchment. And finally, I turned up the oven as high as it would go.
The dial on my oven says the maximum temperature is 550°. But I also know that my oven tends to run hot, so I wouldn't be surprised if it got up to 600°. (My trusty oven thermometer only reads up to 500°, and the dial had pushed far beyond that into unknown territory by the time the oven was officially heated.)
No smoke alarms went off. The pizza didn't burn to a crisp. In fact, the only scary moment was pulling out the pizza being baked on parchment and seeing that the parchment had completely blackened. It showered my kitchen floor with brittle black flakes as I transferred the pizza to a cooling rack. The Silpat emerged from the experience completely unscathed.
And the pizza? I can honestly say that this was some of the best homemade pizza I've ever made. The crust was crisp on the outside and chewy in the middle. It was charred in spots, giving the whole slice that slightly smoky flavor that I love from brick ovens. The toppings cooked beautifully and took on some char of their own. This pizza was awesome.
I'm a convert, albeit still a slightly fearful one. I'm not as worried about fire or smoke (though I think I'll stick to baking on Silpats when possible. Edited 12/14/11 to add - Silpats are oven-safe only to 480°, so it looks like parchment it is!). But I am concerned about the possibility of shorting out the oven, however remote that may be.
Not concerned enough to go back to cooking at 450°, however. Good homemade pizza is worth it. If you've been nervous about turning the heat all the way up, as I have been, give it a try once and see what you think.
How hot do you turn up your oven when you make pizza? Anyone ever actually shorted theirs out or likewise other high-heat disasters? Or are all our fears totally unfounded?
Pizzas Pictured Above:
• Southwestern Pizza with Black Beans and Corn
• Sweet Potato, Ricotta, and Arugula Flatbread
Related: Beyond Pizza! Five Other Ways to Use Pizza Dough
(Images: Emma Christensen)
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how long do you cook at that high of a temperature?
If your oven is self-cleaning, it will reach temperatures far greater than you can ever reach on any other setting. What are you worried about?
I don't think silicone products are meant to be heated much beyond 450F. Are you sure that's ok for the silpat? I've read things online (elsewhere) that say the materials break down over time...
Thank you for this. I've always wondered what temp to bake my pizzas at. My next experiment will have to wait though... I'm out of toppings :-(
I used to work at a pizza shop and the oven was set at 508 degrees, so I've always cooked my pizzas hot!
My oven goes up to 500, and that's where we always cook our pizza. The resulting crust (and browned parchment, for us) is definitely worth it. Glad you've made the discovery!
I just discovered this too--I've always cooked my pizzas at around 400 degrees, and last time I jacked the temperature up to 500 (as hot as my tiny little rental oven goes) and the pizza was fabulous. I love a thin, crispy crust and I finally achieved it at home!
Up until now, I've done mine at a measly 425. Not anymore. Now, using a pizza stone (and with the pizza directly on the stone), how long should I leave it in there at 550?
In the grand scheme of things, 550 degrees isn't really that hot. As your friend said, if it wasn't meant to go that high, it wouldn't be on the dial. I'd wager if you could get the inside of a typical oven up over 1500 degrees everything would still be fine.
There's absolutely no more risk from shorting out at 550 than there is at any other temperature. The way most (if not all) electric ovens work is by turning the heat element on and off to heat the oven appropriately. If you want it hotter, it just leaves it on longer. It's not pushing more power through or something like that. If you have a device you can watch power consumption with (an ammeter) you can actually watch the cycles happen. The meter will peg out near the oven's maximum draw rating for a few seconds, then settle down to a lower level, then peak, etc...
@mfitz625 - The pizzas cooked in about 8-10 minutes.
@smushedcrayon - Oh, good point! I checked the Silpat site and it looks like silpats are safe up to 480°. Looks like it's back to using parchment after all!
@ mfitz625: 10 min cook time for 550 degrees.
I also find that preheating the oven and pizza stone for 45 min to an hour is pretty essential.
This is how I make mine
I remember the story of the guy in Atlanta who was rigging his ovens to go up to self-cleaning temps without latching and cooking pizzas in the 800-1000 degree heat, and doing well. He also destroyed ovens quickly with the repeated prolonged use at those temperatures.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111479872
I've been tempted to try and get those temps by preheating my stone, and then preheating it more under the broiler. Then use the hot stone and the broiler to cook the pizza. Should work. Now that it's winter we'll see. Do need to find an oven thermometer that goes up to 1000 degrees.
I've noticed many posts here are something along the lines of, "I was afraid of this without any reasl reason, but then I tried it, and it wasn't that bad."
It's food. Food is probably one of the most exciting things right now. And this is a food blog. I think it's time to be less conservative and assumptive and just have fun.
Can't wait to try this @500+. Been making homemade pizza for 30+ years almost every Sat. night. We always cook @425 for 13-16 minutes. I like 16, but my wife says I burn em. We use round porcelain coated pizza pans (like the cowboy coffee pots) b/c they hold heat. Use corn meal to prevent sticking. In a rut...
This is why grilled pizza is so awesome... High temps and delicious pizza!
At 550 deg, my pizzas (very, very thin) take 6 minutes to cook. I preheat for at least 30 minutes, often more like 45 & bake directly on a stone. Cornmeal on the pizza peel make it slide right off.
Love the sweet pot/ ricotta/ arugula idea!
I used to work at a pizza place that was family owned and run. Our ovens were so old that the numbers had worn off the dials but we all knew to just turn the knob till it wouldn't turn anymore! Wait till the oven is FULLY preheated before putting the pizza in!! (This took a full hour at our shop!)
As for how long to cook--it all depends! How thick is your crust? How loaded is the pizza? How cooked to you like it??
The bottom of the crust should be golden brown, use a pair of tongs to lift up the pizza and look at the underside. Many things factor into how long this will take so every pizza is different.
I say ditch the parchment and cook directly on a baking stone. I certainly get better crusts this way. Be sure to preheat your stone for ~30 min with the oven.
The cheap oven in our rental doesn't state its maximum temperature, it goes from 220C (430) and the next setting 'MAX'. I use the MAX setting to cook pizza but will have to do some research to work out what it is.
I've always known this. This is actually why so many people grill pizzas in summer- take a look at your grill if it has a thermometer next time. On high, it probably is near the 600s. Pizza is meant to be cooked on incredibly high heat. I know a few people who actually broke the lock on their ovens so they could set it to self clean (most ovens lock down in this setting to be safe) so they could cook a pizza way hotter than the oven temps would allow.
As for how long to cook it? It's pizza- cook it til its done! If the crust is brown and the cheese is melted, you're done. Pretty easy.
I second the parchment-ditching idea. You don't need it. Just slide the pizza directly onto a stone, and then slide it back off with a peel. Investing in a stone and peel really isn't expensive, and it's much better than dealing with black parchment paper shards all over your oven and kitchen floor.
I successfully shorted my oven by cooking several batches of cookies and cakes, and then turning it off and then back on to 500F for a pizza.
Luckily, we moved from that apartment five days later.
I third the recommendation to ditch the parchment and just use a peel to slide the pizza onto a preheated stone. Use more cornmeal than you think you need. Once you get the hang of it, you will be able to transfer the pizza quickly and won't lose much heat to the open oven door.
For those without a stone: I use a heavy iron skillet for my pizzas. Just heat the oven up to max, get the skillet really hot on the stovetop, then get the thin dough on it, spread tomato sauce, throw toppings on top, turn up the broiler and get it in the oven.
If I'm not baking mine at 550, I'm using the broiler element for extra heat. I'll preheat the pizza stone at 550 for a while on the top rack, then switch to the broiler for a while to get it even hotter. By the time I slide my pizza onto the stone (no parchment or Silpat, I use a peel), it cooks in 5-6 minutes and is damn good for a home pie.
I also use a cast iron skillet....but I find it easier (and less risk of ruining the pizza/a serious burn) to put the pizza together in the cold skillet and then heat on the stovetop for 3-5 minutes--by the time the crust on the bottom is browned the skillet is pretty hot. The pizza then goes under the broiler for another 5 or so until the crust gets nice and brown with a few charmed spots. Perfect crust on the bottom and perfectly cooked pizza on top.
Wow! Thanks for this!
there is a fabulous pizza place in baltimore that has a "take and bake" option. they put the pizzas on parchment, and the directions very clearly say to preheat your oven as hot as it will go! delicious every time.
I've been considering making my own pizzaz but with wheat flour. Has anyone tried this? I LOVE pizza but I've got to go healthier.
500 degrees ... if I'm using a very wet topping (sauce, pesto, barbecue sauce) I'll put that on, then put the pizza in for 5 minutes, then put on toppings and cheese and bake longer. Eliminates that uncooked slimy layer 'tween bottom and top yet the cheese doesn't burn.
Also, check out recipes on King Arthur Flour web site for whole wheat and many variations of crust. Posters' comments to the recipes and blog are worthwhile reading as well.
Careful, parchment can burn above 450-- if it doesn't catch on fire, that blackening can create lots of smoke. (I know, I set off the fire alarm this way at the school where I teach.)
Until I get a pizza stone, this method works: I use a pan covered in corn meal (which also burns) and then slide the pizza off the pan onto the racks about halfway through to cook the bottom of the crust.
I have a propane stove (I live in an RV). I haven't used a thermometer, but the highest setting claims to be about 650 degrees. That's where I set the dial when I make pizza. It takes just a few minutes to cook perfectly and tastes like it came out of a woodburning oven.
I have always done mine as high as it will go, with a lengthy preheat to make sure the stones are nice and hot. I also cook directly on the stones, and am not sure what purpose parchment paper would serve?
I don't use a peel either. I top my pizza directly on the stone, then I like to bake my crust for a minute or two before adding my toppings. I think this allows the crust (mine are very thin) to "puff up" a bit more without the weight of the toppings.
Home made pizza is much, much better compared to delivery pizza (and I won't even mention frozen pizza -- ok, just did -- far superior to awful frozen pizza). I preheat my oven at 500ºC for about 20 minutes before putting the pizza inside it. The pizza is placed on a cookie sheet and the left hand side edge always scorches but that's alright because the rest of the pizza is deliciously crispy. Sometimes instead of using tomato sauce for the base I like thinly sliced tomato, crushed garlic, salt, pepper, fresh basil leaves and olive oil. But I always use part skim mozzarella and Parmesan cheese before scattering the toppings. Currently the favourite toppings include hot capicolla, thinly sliced onions and red peppers and pineapple chunks. Oh I want pizza now!
Oh I forgot to mention that I also use the lowest rack in the oven to make sure the entire bottom of the pizza cooks to a crisp. Closer to the heat source helps prevent a soggy crust in the middle of the pizza.
550... on a preheated stone bottom rack. I make very thin crust pizzas and they're done in just about 5 minutes.
... and parchment paper ever since the nasty event trying to get the pizza off the peel. woo-eee... what a hot cheesy mess that was!
Ooh! Tomorrow is pizza night at our house...can't wait to try this!
When I was using my big oven, I always used a stone with cornmeal sprinkled on it.
Now that I'm only using a Breville Smart Oven, I use a mesh pizza round that I found in a restaurant supply store. I leave it in the oven while it's preheating, then just slide the pizza onto it. It's certainly not as hot as I would like, but I don't want to use the big oven for just a pizza (I make small pizzas). And I can also move the rack to better cook/brown when needed.
I tried this the other night, and am so so thankful for the tip! Hooray for homemade pizza!
I always cook my pizza's at 525 or 550. I have a ceramic baking sheet that I use for the pizza - I put the pizza on cold and add all the toppings. When the stone is cold, the pizza takes about 13 minutes for a thicker crust pizza. We found we prefer dark rye flour to whole wheat crust - we don't like how sweet tasting the whole wheat flour is, but love the nutty rye flour - we mix about 50/50 with white or whole wheat. I also find a bit of parm on the top of the pizza makes the cheese brown better.