Have you ever wondered, like many other cooks have, about how long you cook pizza in the oven? Does your pizza either come out soggy and undercooked or overcooked and dry? Well, today we’re going to see if we can help you with that.
Pizza restaurants cook their pizzas at temperatures of 700 to 800 F, which of course, you definitely can’t do in your home oven. However, If you want to cook the perfect pizza at home, the higher you turn the heat up, the better. Why? Well, because the higher temperature will give you a perfectly browned crisp pizza. Be sure to put your pizza on the lower oven rack to keep your cheese from burning.
Bake in a 450 to 500 F Oven
OK, look at it this way. You’re probably used to set your oven at a temperature of between 350 and 375 F when you bake cookies or bread, which is good. However, pizza crust is an altogether different story. You want your crust to be cooked quickly, making the outside beautifully crisp and the inside pleasantly chewy. So, start by preheating your oven to a temperature from 450 to 500 F. Allow your oven to reheat for some 20 or 30 minutes before putting in your pizza.
Set Your Timer
The actual length of time for cooking your pizza is actually dependent upon the following:
- Whether your pizza is fresh or frozen,
- Your pizza’s size,
- The crust thickness,
- The overall weight of your chosen toppings.
That being said, the majority of pizzas require from 8 to 15 minutes for baking. Naturally, a thicker or larger pizza takes a bit longer than a small thin-crust pizza with minimal toppings.
And, as with any other frozen food, a frozen pizza requires more baking time than a fresh pizza.
Be sure to keep a close watch on your pizza because, when you’re cooking at a high temperature, there’s a really thin line between nice and crispy and scorched.
So, your best bet is to set your timer for 8 to 10 minutes, then add just a few extra minutes, if necessary.
A Pizza Success Strategy
When you’re baking pizza at home, you have two goals and they are delicious melted cheese with equally delicious toppings and a crust that is evenly browned.
So, after putting your pizza in the middle-to-lower part of your oven for getting the bottom of your crust to the perfect doneness, continue by rotating your pizza to your top rack for browning the cheese.
If you want a lot of toppings on your pizza, bake it for approximately ten minutes before adding your toppings. This will ensure that your crust gets cooked completely.
And, for some extra added flavor, saute your vegetables for your toppings in some oil (preferably olive oil) prior to adding them to your pizza.
Pizza-Making Tools
Your homemade pizza will start with dough that is yeast-based and topped with your choice of fresh toppings. After you have that covered, then is the time for thinking about your pizza-baking equipment.
The pan you use also affects how long your pizza will take to bake. The majority of restaurants are using a pizza “peel” for their pizza.
This is a big wooden paddle designed for sliding pizzas directly onto a pizza stone or their oven racks. This is a good method for quickly baking pizzas.
For an approach that is somewhat similar, you could also roll your pizza crust out on a parchment paper sheet, sliding the parchment paper into your oven and then removing the paper as your pizza bakes.
When you bake your pizza on a metal pizza pan, it will take longer. Also, if you do have a pizza stone, put it in your oven prior to turning it on.
This is because putting a cold pizza stone into a hot oven could end up cracking it.
It’s Pizza-Eating Time!
When your pizza is done, take it out of your oven and set it on a cooling rack, allowing it to cool for ten minutes to let the cheese set up. In the majority of cases, you can easily slice your pizza directly in the pan.
However, if it’s a nonstick pan, just transfer your pizza to a good-sized cutting board to avoid damaging the pan’s surface.
Sprinkle the top of your pizza with grated parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes (if you like spicy). Or, if you prefer, put shakers of each on the table and let everybody top their own.
Another pizzeria accompaniment that could make your pizza extra special is to make little bowls of garlic butter for dipping and serve one to each lucky recipient of your yummy perfectly baked pizza.
Adding a few hot peppers on the plate can also please those who like a little extra heat with their hot pizza.
My family loves all of that plus a side of Litehouse chunky bleu cheese dressing and an icy cold root beer float in a well-chilled glass. Yum!