How to use the online timer
Twelve minutes is a realistic bake in a domestic oven turned up as high as it will go, which is nowhere near the heat of a wood-fired oven that finishes a pizza in ninety seconds. Since the temperature cannot be matched, the time has to stretch instead. Preheating matters more here than in almost any other bake: give the oven a full twenty minutes at maximum, and longer again if a stone or steel is going in with it.
Position changes the outcome more than people expect. A shelf low in the oven throws heat at the base, which helps if the crust usually comes out pale and floppy, while a higher shelf browns the cheese and toppings before the base has caught up. Loading the pizza quickly, without leaving the door open while you fiddle, keeps the oven from losing the heat it spent twenty minutes gathering.
Look for a crust that has puffed and taken on dark blistered spots rather than an even pale gold, and cheese that has melted fully with a little colour on it. If the top is finished before the base has crisped, sliding the pizza straight onto the oven floor or onto a preheated stone for the last minute usually closes the gap.
Common questions
Why is my base pale and soft?
The oven was probably not hot enough for long enough, or the pizza sat on a cold tray. Preheat at maximum for twenty minutes, use a low shelf, and consider a preheated stone or steel.
Can I get closer to a wood-fired result at home?
Not exactly, since a domestic oven tops out far below. Getting the base onto something already very hot and using the highest setting is the closest practical substitute.
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