Why Won’t My Pizza Oven Get Hot? (Explained) 2022
Last updated on October 26th, 2022 at 05:21 pm
The best pizza is made with a perfect oven, homemade or not. To make good pizza, you need your oven to be hot enough.
However, your oven may not get as hot as it needs to be or hot at all due to certain factors.
For a traditional wood-fired oven, the most common reason it won’t get hot is poor insulation in the dome. In contrast, a gas or electric oven will not heat up if the baked ignitor loses continuity of power if any electrical heating elements are defective or burnt out.
How Long Does It Take For a Pizza Oven to Heat Up?
The pizza oven’s time to get hot depends on the starting temperature.
The starting temperature is how hot or cold the oven was before use.
The size of an oven, the design, type of wood, and weather also contribute to its heating speed. Larger ovens take a longer time to heat than small ovens.
Starting the oven from a low temperature takes two-three hours for a small oven and a big one three-five hours. Some small ovens take about 40-60 minutes.
Outdoor ovens take a shorter time to heat up. From a low temperature, it will take about two hours. But, if it’s been previously used, it takes 15-20 minutes.
How Do You Know if Pizza Oven Is Hot Enough?
To know If your pizza oven is hot enough, all you need to do is observe the dough.
If the oven is not hot enough, the dough will not rise, and the pizza will end up being soggy and undercooked.
All the toppings may be well done, but the bottom will be undercooked and vice versa.
When that happens, you know that you are meant to increase the heat of the pizza oven.
Whenever your pizza starts to burn in the oven, it’s only natural you know that the oven is too hot for the pizza.
You can use many other methods to know if your oven has heated up enough for cooking.
The most convenient method is by using an infrared thermometer. It’s also known as a temperature gun or laser thermometer.
This thermometer works by inferring temperature from a part of the heat radiation given off by the object that is being measured.
The method is non-contact and is relatively easy and fun to use. Also, it’s fast and efficient.
All you need to do is point the thermometer at the center of your oven to get instant reading and to know just how hot it is.
After measuring with the temperature gun a few times, you will become an expert.
Other Methods of Checking.
You can check how hot the dome is by observing the color as the fire burns for a wood-fired oven.
In the beginning, the dome is covered in black soot, and then it turns gray. Finally, when the dome and the oven walls are entirely white, it is hot enough for cooking.
This next test Is quite simple. Throw a handful of flour on the floor, and if it changes to brown in about 10 seconds, it is up to the required heat. If it takes longer to turn brown, it isn’t hot enough.
However, if the flour goes in flames (ignites) immediately or burns within 10 seconds, it means the oven floor is too hot.
Doing this will make your pizza crust end up burnt or crunchy. Instead, you can reduce the embers to make it less hot. The flour method can also be applied to a gas or electric oven.
The difference here is that if the flour only turns brown on the oven floor, it is not yet ready for baking.
You can also use the infrared thermometer to check if it is at the right temperature.
Though gas and electric ovens preheat to a particular temperature, sometimes the pizza still comes out half-cooked.
This result is a common problem that is not hard to rectify. When preheating, use your thermometer to check the temperature at intervals.
It could be every 10 or 20 minutes, depending on the size of the gas oven. Doing this will ensure you get the correct temperature when preheating time is over.
How Hot Does a Pizza Oven Need to Get?
As I have said earlier, you have to bake your pizza at the correct temperature.
This will also ensure that the cheese melts perfectly all over the pizza and prevent cold spots. It will also give you a nice crust.
A conventional oven typically has a temperature range between 150 degrees Fahrenheit to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, and this is too low to cook your pizza fully to bring about a delicate crust.
Gas ovens are more popular and can heat up to 700 degrees Fahrenheit, ideal for fast and even cooking.
The traditional wood-fired pizza oven can surprisingly heat up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit. Commercial ovens have a temperature range of 700F -900F.
The temperature for cooking will depend on the type of pizza you’re making.
For Standard homemade pizzas, the recommended temperature is 450F to 500F.
Neapolitan pizza and New York-style take between 700F to 900F to cook.
How Do I Make My Pizza Oven Hotter?
When heating your oven, you need to maintain the correct temperature, and in doing so, you have to ensure every part of the oven is in order.
If you notice, the pizza oven isn’t as hot as it should be; you can do a couple of things to make it hotter.
If you’re using an electric pizza oven, make sure the baker and the broiler’s electric oven elements are working correctly.
When they are running well, they glow bright red. So it is easy to tell when they are burnt out or have stopped functioning.
Also, to avoid inaccurate reading, ensure that the temperature sensor is not touching the oven wall.
For a wood-fired pizza, make sure the door is designed not to let heat escape and keep it closed so the oven can heat evenly.
You can add a fire blanket around the outside of the walls if they are not thick enough.
Ensure the flue is appropriately designed and works well without letting too much heat escape.
In addition, the wood must be seasoned hardwood.
Conclusion
To get a very nice and fully baked pizza, you will learn to use your pizza oven properly.
The oven must be preheated to the right temperature, within the correct time, and also regulated so that the pizza can cook well.
Also, a wood-fired oven should be more insulated to absorb more heat. Operating a pizza oven comes with its peculiar challenges.
However, with several attempts and frequent use, you’ll get the hang of it.
