The Pizza Therapy Forum and Pasta Therapy Forum

[pizza]

Chad asks:

The family enjoyed the pizza but the crust didn't brown. I tried a pizza
oven for the kids and they loved it and then I tried the home oven and the same thing and would not brown the crust.

Over all I would say it taste
good but wanted more crunch. How do you do it?


My response:

I'm glad you are making pizza!

Here are two suggestions:

1) Make sure the oven is pre-heated to 500+ F. for 45 minutes (an hour if you are using a pizza stone). Get your oven as hot as possible.
If it will go to 550-600, that's great. Mine will only get to 500 F so the preheating is essential.


2) Although #1 should work, if number 1 does not work, you can try to pre bake your custs for 4-5 minutes. Again use a very hot ovenn.

Make sure you give the oven plenty of time to pre-heat.

Anyone else have any suggestions for Chad?

crusty pizza on earth,

albert
_________________
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[dfandreatta]

Par-baking (or "pre-baking") might be a solution. But Albert's comment on pre-heating the oven bears consideration as well.

In another life, I was an appliance technician. One thing I learned (from manufacturers) is that the "pre-heat" setting on ovens is a little deceiving. When you set that electric oven to "bake", there is a pre-heat time, usually about 7 or 8 minutes. This means that when the temperature sensor, usually located in the upper left corner of the oven cavity, reaches the set point, the control will beep and tell you the oven is "ready." But the manufacturer will tell you that you need to give the oven a good 30 minutes (or more) to pre-heat so that the entire oven cavity reaches that temperature, not just the sensor. When you open the door to put your pizza in, much of the heat escapes, and the oven temperature drops.

Another consideration might be the calibration of the oven. Be sure the temperature indicated is accurate. When you set the thermostat to 500 degrees, the oven should maintain an AVERAGE temperature of 500 degrees, with a swing of about 10% to 12% either way. The oven cycles on and off to maintain the average. At 500 degrees, the high point should be about 550, and the low around 450. This is because, if the element, or burner, stayed on continuously, the oven would overheat. So it turns on and off to maintain an average within the 10 to 12 percent range. That is why you hear that "clicking" sound as the thermostat cycles, to maintain the average.

With pizza, hotter seems to be better. I make pizza pretty much exclusively on a charcoal grill. I get the coals as hot as possible. The dough goes right on the grate, for about one minute. I turn the grate a quarter turn every 15 seconds or so, because every grill has "hot spots". That is enough to cook it on one side almost to the point of scorching. I take the dough off, brush olive oil on the baked side, place the toppings, then put the uncooked side back on the grate. Another minute or two, and the pizza is done, to perfection.

When I reheat the leftovers, I pre-heat the oven to 450, and put the pizza in, right out of the freezer. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes, max, to be ready.

Be sure you have your oven set high enough, and adequately pre-heated. Many home ovens don't have a setting above 450 or 500 degrees.

And consider using a pizza stone, preheated for about 45 minutes. That can help as well.

Hope that helps.

Pizza on Earth!
_________________
"Papa Don"
Apollo Beach, Florida

[GOOMBA]

CHAD:
Good afternoon. One of reasons why dough will carmelize (Brown) after baking has to do with a sweetner such as MALT, sugar & or honey. Read your flour bag it should say that it has MALT as an addition. If not, add honey in your mix about 7% in weight of the weight of the flour.
There are flours milled in America without malt...but most have it.
I hope this info will help you.
Good luck & enjoy the rest of the day.

~GOOMBA.