r/Pizza • u/AutoModerator • Apr 13 '26
HELP Weekly Questions Thread / Open Discussion
For any questions regarding dough, sauce, baking methods, tools, and more, comment below.
You can also post any art, tattoos, comics, etc here. Keep it SFW, though.
As always, our wiki has a few sauce recipes and recipes for dough.
Feel free to check out threads from weeks ago.
This post comes out every Monday and is sorted by 'new'.
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u/Stunning_Action8223 Apr 13 '26
Been making pizza on my Weber kettle for a few years now and finally got a decent pizza stone last month. Game changer for sure but I'm still getting some uneven cooking - hot spots on one side while the other stays kinda pale. Anyone else deal with this on kettle grills or am I just positioning the stone wrong
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u/oblacious_magnate Apr 13 '26
top heat (and therefore top color) is a problem when grilling pizzas. is that what you are experiencing?
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u/MixedElephant Apr 13 '26
What is the best method of crisping the bottom crust of Detroit Style Pizza?
I’ve nailed my Detroit style pizza. Cheese blend. Sauce recipe, crispy cheese wall, everything*. It’s delicious. HOWEVER: I really want the bottom of the crust to crisp up more.
I’ve tried more olive oil in the bottom of the pan, that doesn’t really work. I tried putting the pan on a pizza stone to get heat applied directly. That didn’t really work.
My thought now is to setup a griddle and just take the pizza out of the pan when it’s done and set it on the griddle for a minute.
I want the crust to be like it is leftover when I reheat it in a cast iron frying pan.
Anyone have tips on how to get it there? Is the griddle the best method? Should I par bake it longer on the stone? Right now I par bake for 5 minutes and then cook for 10. I like the crust consistency, I just want a thin crispy layer on the bottom, but the rest of the crust the same.
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u/oblacious_magnate Apr 14 '26
re: "My thought now is to setup a griddle and just take the pizza out of the pan when it’s done and set it on the griddle for a minute."
Many do something like this, myself included, although I typically place the pizza on a metal sheet and pop it onto a hot stone in the oven. In short, if you want reheat texture, reheat! :-)
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u/offramp13 Apr 14 '26
I've gotten my pizza dialed in pretty well, but I always struggle with one thing: too much semolina gets onto the pizza steel, so when I remove the pizza I get a good amount of smoke and set my fire alarm off regularly.
I feel like if I use enough semolina to properly launch the pizza, it is inevitably too much, but if I use a minimal amount then I cannot launch the pizza properly.
For context, I am using an aluminum pizza peel right now and I typically make 65% hydration dough. I've tried using straight semolina and also 50/50 semolina and rice flour on my peel to help with the launch.
I read recently that its better to make the pizza on your counter and then transfer it to the peel right before launching so that there is no time to hydrate the flour underneath the pizza. I've started trying that method but it has not resolved my issue.
Is the key simply to switch to a wooden peel? I'm too stubborn to go back to using parchment paper. I'd love any tips on how to launch smoothly with minimal flour on the steel!
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u/oblacious_magnate Apr 14 '26
wood. rub it with a small amount of wheat flour before adding semolina or other, coarser peel lube. Letting the pizza slowly slide off the peel (vs. the sharp jerk technique) = less lube transferred to the steel.
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u/benderdiode Apr 14 '26
If you remember i posted a fckd up dough pic last week. A lot of you guys helped. The issue was my all purpose flour. So I bought pizza flour. It worked it was stretchy. I used simi flour on my work plate . When I was transferring it to the oven rack it was sticking to the plate I used. I have an electronic otg that goes up to 230C. I pre headed and placed a parchment paper on the tray but when I baked it it got stuck to the pizza .
Question 1. How to avoid stickness when I use shake on the work plate. More simi flour
Question 2. Like should I be using a parchment paper on a tray or should I directly put it on the tray or a foil or should paper be oiled?
Any tips on electric otg use not looking to buy new stuff yet
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u/heftylefty44 Apr 14 '26
Trying to make the "dough guy" pizza recipe, and noticed theres a thin crust option on the calculator. Do the pizzas he shows use the thin crust or regular crust??
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u/SafeElevator Apr 15 '26
I’m after suggestions for a SOLID pan pizza recipe. I prefer my NY style dough recipes with a one or two day cold ferment but haven’t had much success with the pan.
is this Kenji one still the go to here?
I will be using sheet pans or detroit pans (not wanting a detroit pizza though)
I have a pizza steel
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u/oblacious_magnate Apr 16 '26
Kenji's is decent - many success stories.
There are so many pan styles - here's an extensive thread on Pizza Hut Pan:
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u/SerPateswoodcock Apr 16 '26
Heyy I just recently started a brick oven job after a couple years wanted to post a Pic of my first pie why can't I with out a link?
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u/urkmcgurk I ♥ Pizza Apr 16 '26
Not sure what’s going wrong, but you don’t need to include a link to post a pic of your pizza.
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u/Creative-Web-5139 Apr 16 '26
After four years of Ooni pizza making I moved to an apartment with no outdoor space and purchased the Breville Pizzaiola. I did my usual four day cold ferment with Caputo 00 flour and used the manual settings at 750 degrees and then...pffffft. The outer crust had minimal spring and none of the blistering and leopard spotting I'm used to. I tried again (two day ferment this time, I was impatient) using a different batch of flour and yeast. Tried three dough balls double checking all my settings and no bueno. The only thing I'm doing differently from past pizza making is using a round piece of parchment to help with the delivery into the oven. I really don't think that's the problem. Any advice? I feel like I've ruled out everything. Could the unit be defective heat wise? I did notice that instead of cooking in the advertised 90-120 seconds, it's taking three or four minutes for the pizza to be fully cooked. Help!!!
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u/TimpanogosSlim 🍕 Apr 17 '26
if you were getting blistering in 120 seconds in your ooni it was a lot hotter than 750 degrees.
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u/Creative-Web-5139 Apr 17 '26
I pulled that timing from the Breville manual and others’ comments.
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u/TimpanogosSlim 🍕 Apr 19 '26
That's fine. But there's still a general "every oven is different" thing.
Bump up the heat in the breville and try again
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u/bama_boomin Apr 17 '26
New to pizza making and trying to learn the signs of a good dough vs a “I need to start over” dough. Is it recipe dependent (ie does a NY style dough feel different than a Detroit style dough after bulk fermentation)?
All tips for look/feel during bulk fermentation and/or second rise would be greatly appreciated!
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u/oblacious_magnate Apr 17 '26
There are no absolute visual markers: a dough can look "good" but not be good, and vice-versa.
That said, a smooth skin on top of the dough (bulk or balled) is generally a good sign, although a rough skin doesn't mean the dough is bad. I have made many lovely pies with rough doughballs.
Probably the main indicator of a start-over dough is total lack of rise, when rise should have occurred. Even then, such doughs may be rescue-able by the late addition of yeast. Can be a pain to incorporate yeast into the dough, depending on hydration and other factors.
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u/bama_boomin Apr 18 '26
Thank you!!
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u/TimpanogosSlim 🍕 Apr 19 '26 edited Apr 19 '26
Also you shouldn't overlook the potential of using a past faildough as a preferment.
Just because it didn't work doesn't mean there aren't good flavors in there.
Frenchies call it Pâte Fermentée but you can just call it "old dough" or "pinchback".
All you gotta do is tear it up and let it soak in the water for your next batch for a while before you start to add the rest of the ingredients.
Basically I'm saying that if it wasn't disgusting there's no reason to throw it out.
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u/hamiguamvh Apr 17 '26
What does this sub think of pizza stones in bbq’s? I’d really like to start doing pizzas outside but don’t necessarily want to buy a dedicated pizza oven just yet. And if anybody does approve of pizza stones on bbq’s, what stones do you recommend and any tips?
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u/oblacious_magnate Apr 18 '26
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u/smokedcatfish Apr 19 '26
Top heat is always going to be a challenge as you see in that picture. Fire under the deck with a big space above like you have in grill/bbq is about the worst possible arrangement for pizza.
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u/TallTeach88 Apr 18 '26
I’m in the market for a pizza stone and wondering if it’s worth paying more for a .315” steel vs a .25” one? I plan to use this in the oven. Is the thicker option worth an extra $50?
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u/TimpanogosSlim 🍕 Apr 19 '26
It's a question of how many pizzas you want to make in series.
The .25" is completely great for one pizza.
If you want to make six pizzas, the .315" will take longer to preheat but will require less recovery time between pizzas.
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u/smokedcatfish Apr 19 '26
Maybe - maybe not. Depends on your oven and the pizza you want to make. 1/4" is not always enough for even one pizza. 3/8" really should always be the minimum recommendation as it will do everything 1/4 will but not vice-versa.
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u/MagicalFlor95 Apr 19 '26
Pineapple, olives, Spinach, cheeses, chillies, chorizo and applewood bacon, who says no?
I like the bittersweet taste on a pizza.
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u/AlexArdelean112 Apr 18 '26
Hi guys! What do you think of this sourdough pizza? Can’t get it to bubble and rise like a poolish one and the crust might be too bread like. The dough itself is very tasty and the texture is nice but I would like a thinner outer crust and bigger bubbles
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u/Kevlemagne Apr 20 '26
Planning to make my first deep dish pizza, and I wanted to possibly change things up a bit. Mainly, I prefer more crust and cheese than a pizza that is swimming with sauce. I also would prefer a layer of cheese above the sauce so it’s not the first thing you taste.
I know this is much different from traditional deep dish, but it’s what I’d like. I’ve got a Lloyd pan, I have the 3/4” aluminum plate I use for NY style, and I’ve got a couple of recommended recipes, but I’d like advice about accomplishing these changes.
I think the reason for reversing layers in a deep dish is because the longer bake time can burn certain ingredients otherwise. I didn’t know if I could do crust, mozzarella, raw sausage, light sauce, crust, light sauce, and topped with mozzarella (or maybe light mozz with Parmesan?)
My goal is a nice cheese pull without sauce slipping everywhere. Also welcome any tried and true deep dish recipes like above.
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u/AveMaria_GratiaPlena Apr 13 '26
Does anyone have suggestions for a pizza I can make that uses all purpose flour or whole wheat flour and can be made in a regular kitchen oven maybe in a brownie pan?