Why do pizza ovens need to be hot?
The temperature of a pizza oven is critical to achieve your desired pizza crust and consistency.
So how hot is a pizza oven, exactly?
In short, different pizza ovens can achieve different temperatures, but they all must have certain qualities to their heat.
● Heat capability – The ideal temperature for a pizza oven is around 750 degrees, with a cook time of about 3-5 minutes. This limited exposure to high heat ensures a crispy crust with chewy, gooey goodness.
● Heat retention and consistency – Pizza ovens don’t just get hot; they stay hot. The right pizza oven will retain heat, allowing a consistent temp throughout and for each delicious pizza to have similar cook times and consistency.
Do different styles of pizza need different cooking temperatures?
With pizzas from all corners of the globe having different characteristics, each style is directly impacted by the temperature it’s cooked. So what is the best temperature for each pizza oven recipe?
● Thin-crust – Thin pizza dough requires high heat but for a concise amount of time that depends on the volume and type of toppings. Neapolitan pizza, for example, cooked at the right temperature (900 degrees Fahrenheit) should only take about 90 seconds in the oven for a perfect crispy crust.
● Deep Dish – The thick, crispy crusts of pizzas from Chicago, Detroit, and Sicily take longer to cook (20-28 minutes) because of the nature of the styles, their toppings, and their lower baking temperature sitting at roughly 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
How does the temperature of a pizza oven compare to other ovens?
When it comes to perfect pizza, there are two categories to consider: commercial vs residential ovens and traditional vs pizza ovens.
Commercial ovens are utilized primarily in commercial spaces like restaurants and event spaces. These types of pizza ovens are larger than residential ovens and reach temperatures well above their residential counterparts. For example:
● Commercial conventional oven – These ovens are able to reach up to 950 degrees Fahrenheit, making them ideal for pizza cooking temperature. However, the functionality still makes for inconsistencies in its cooking consistency. Although more powerful than a residential oven, the door feature allows an abundance of heat to escape each time it’s opened.
● Residential conventional oven – This common type of oven varies in size depending on the space. With inside heating coils on the top and bottom, it can usually reach a maximum temperature of around 500 degrees Fahrenheit but drops quickly when the oven door is in use.
● Residential convection oven – Not far from the conventional oven, the convection oven has an additional fan feature that allows hot air to circulate. Although this feature lends itself to consistent temperatures, its inability to reach higher temperatures can be limiting.
Consider these compared with your two most common pizza ovens:
● Brick pizza oven – Where the conventional oven is large, with doored boxes that get hot, the brick pizza oven is domed and doorless, which allows the heat to circulate throughout the range. Additionally, the bricks hold onto and radiate heat up to 1000 degrees Fahrenheit without a door opening and closing.
● Wood-fired pizza oven – Wood-fired ovens can reach 850 degrees Fahrenheit by burning wood logs. Each type of wood burns differently and at different speeds and temperatures, which offers a smokiness that can add to the flavor of the pizza.
Cook pizza the smart way, with the Smart oven pizzaiolo
Learning how to make homemade pizza dough isn’t enough to achieve that flaky, gooey texture on your pizza. For that, you need the right pizza oven. Yet you don’t need a large fancy brick oven built in the backyard to get that delicious quality you’re desiring.
Breville’s Pizzaiolo is the first domestic benchtop pizza oven to reach 750 degrees Fahrenheit. With its Element iQ system, these hi-tech heating components ensure the ideal baking environment, no matter the style, so no topping gets left behind. And, you can even access live cooking classes and guided recipes using Breville+.
The Pizzaiolo handles everything from New York-style to frozen pizzas, all at a fraction of the cost of traditional pizza ovens. There’s no need to settle for average at home. Master every moment with Breville.
Sources:
1. Forno Piombo. How Hot Do Pizza Ovens Get & Why It Matters https://fornopiombo.com/blogs/news/how-hot-are-pizza-ovens
2. General Parts.THE IMPORTANCE OF AN ACCURATE TEMPERATURE IN A COMMERCIAL OVEN. https://generalparts.com/the-importance-of-an-accurate-temperature-in-a-commercial-oven/
3. Whirlpool. Convection vs. conventional ovens: what’s the difference https://www.whirlpool.com/blog/kitchen/convection-vs-regular-oven.html
4. USA Today. The most popular pizza styles in the U.S.—and what you need to make them. https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/reviewed/2023/02/09/national-pizza-day-2023-favorite-pizza-styles-and-how-make-them/11218595002/
5. Bob’s Red Mill. Secrets to Making the Best Deep Dish Pizza. https://www.bobsredmill.com/blog/healthy-living/secrets-to-making-the-best-deep-dish-pizza/
