9 Ooni Pizza Oven Tips that Will Make You a PRO!

Ooni Tips and Tricks from the PROs

Are you ready to take your Ooni game to the next level?

We’ve been using Ooni pizza ovens for a while now and have picked up some amazing Ooni pizza oven tips and tricks along the way. And we’re here to share them with you! From preheating techniques to dough recipes, we’ve got you covered.

Because we understand that dealing with an Ooni pizza oven is a learning curve and can sometimes be challenging, but don’t worry; we’ve got you covered, and you will make great pizza in no time!

Here are nine innovative Ooni tips and tricks to enhance your pizza-baking experience.

So sit back, grab a slice, and get ready to learn some seriously impressive Ooni hacks. Trust us, you don’t want to miss out on this.

Keep reading to discover the 9 Ooni pizza oven tips and tricks that will take your pizza game from good to great!

Let’s check them out!

Ooni Pizza Ovens Tips and Tricks

The most important thing is to practice making pizza dough and cooking pizza – with a little effort, you’ll be cooking fantastic pizzas in no time! To help you hit the ground running, we’ve come up with some essential Ooni tips.

Our team has vast experience and has used Ooni pizza ovens extensively, and we’re here to share some of the best practices and insider knowledge we’ve picked up along the way. These tips and tricks are based on our hands-on experience with Ooni Koda 16, Ooni Karu, and Ooni Fyra and are designed to help you get the most out of your Ooni pizza oven.

Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out, you’ll find plenty of helpful information in this guide. So fire up your Ooni and get ready to make some delicious pizza!

Ooni Pizza Oven Tip #1

Use the Best Flour

One of the essential pizza oven tips for home pizza making is using the best flour. Using the best quality flour is essential for making delicious pizza as it affects the texture and overall flavor of the crust. For instance, Caputo Pizzeria is suitable for temperatures above 700F. 

Caputo Pizzeria flour has a higher gluten content (13%), making the pizza dough strong. For fermentation, the dough can stay in its original shape for about a day or two.

It will also help if you use flour with high-strength properties to easily stretch the pizza dough without tampering with the delicate texture.

An alternative flour would be King Arthur Bread Flour.

Moreover, don’t forget about the need for bold tastes and flavors. This pizza flour offers just that and much more to enhance your baking experience.

While there are many flour options in the stores, this one will yield the best results, especially if you’re an amateur.

Avoid using a rolling pin, as this will result in greater destruction of the air pockets your dough has developed while fermenting.

We like to lift the dough from the edges while rotating the disc and let gravity do the work – the weight of the dough will gently stretch the dough evenly. Once you have reached the desired size, quickly lay the dough on a floured surface and set the toppings.

Ooni Pizza Oven Tip #2

Go Easy with the Sauce and Toppings

Your final pizza product’s texture and flavor depend on how you add the sauce and the toppings. While you can choose your ingredient and tastes, we recommend not overdoing it.

More spice and toppings will only add unnecessary moisture and weight to the dough. You can follow a specific order of layering the pizza to avoid tasting raw, mushy, and tasteless ingredients.

What Order Should You Use When Adding Sauce And Toppings To The Pizza?

Please follow the below procedure:

Following this order helps create bold tastes and flavors. The cheese coming in between the sauce and the toppings will allow it to bubble and turn brown.

The toppings coming last will expose the ingredients to direct heat, making them crispy. Depending on the pizza you’re making, there are some exceptions where the order of ingredients may change.

In that case, referencing reliable recipes and guidebooks will always save the day.

Ooni Pizza Oven Tip #3.

Oven Placement

This tip applies to those using an Ooni Karu or Ooni Fyra with charcoal or wood pellets. The Ooni Koda 16, which is the one we own, is gas, and as long it has gas, it won’t extinguish.

When placing the oven, make it perpendicular or away from airflow, as it can either increase the flame or extinguish it. An overheated oven will likely produce overbaked or burnt pizza.

Conversely, if the oven extinguishes in the middle of the baking process, it will yield mushed and semi-cooked toppings. Such a pizza will be hard to ingest unless you like raw vegetables.

Important Note:

It is also important to note that Ooni pizza ovens are for outdoor use only. Their design doesn’t make these pizza ovens safe for indoor use.

The hard work of making a homemade pizza lies in preparing the dough and adding the sauce and toppings.

You don’t want to waste all that at the last moment when you should wait for a few minutes to serve your pizza.

Ooni Pizza Oven Tip #4

Use Low Hydration Dough at 55% to 60%

Use Low Hydration Dough at 55% to 60% and keep it at room temperature (68-72 degrees F). 

Caputo Pizzeria pizza flour will give you an easy time with dough preparation. It is suitable for low-hydration doughs, and you’ll hardly find yourself struggling to balance the portions of the ingredient.

After fermenting the dough, it is time to stretch it out to your desired shape. We recommend stretching at an optimal room temperature to have an easy time.

An optimal room temperature means the environment is neither hot nor cold, usually from 68 to 72 degrees F.

Some people love to prepare the dough a day earlier and refrigerate it. You’d want to leave the dough in the opening for at least four hours to gain room temperature.

Kindly note that cold dough is hard to work with as it springs back to itself whenever you try to stretch it.

Conversely, if the dough is too hot, it will sweat as the trapped moisture tries to escape. You’ll end up with a sticky dough that peels as you try to stretch.

Moreover, a hot dough will often stretch too far, outside your desired shape.

Ooni Pizza Oven Tip #5

Preheat the Oven for 30 Minutes

Preheat the oven for 30 minutes or until the pizza stone center reaches 750F.  Ooni suggests that you preheat the oven for between 15 and 20 minutes. 

We’ve found that preheating it for a little longer gives better results because there is enough time for the stone to preheat evenly.

The pizza stone is the last component that gives your pizza an excellent taste and look. It will help if you preheat the oven for about half an hour and let the pizza stone gain high temperatures of up to 750F.

A preheated pizza stone will give you that crunchy crust and well-cooked toppings.

Most importantly, it ensures that the pizza cooks evenly and the toppings are fully cooked.

Even so, ensuring that the pizza stone is in the proper condition is essential. Like other oven parts, it can also be inefficient due to repeated use and general wear and tear.

In that case, you’d want to replace it for a better cooking experience.

Ooni Pizza Oven Tip #6

Be Fast!

Be fast when assembling the pizza.  The process of assembling the pizza is more vital compared to heating it.

There are no automatic settings, which will depend on your hands’ speed. A fast assembly process allows you to handle the dough while still soft and at the right temperature.

It also means you can get the shape together without using excess flour to prevent sticking.

Please, don’t let the pizza dough sit around for long.

Also, be keen not to punch some holes while assembling. Gaps will allow the sauce and toppings to filtrate into the pan and leave you with a sticky pizza.

When assembling the pizza, don’t forget to drizzle olive oil on the top to allow the toppings to cook well.

The amount of olive oil you add depends on the pizza’s size and the number of toppings.

Vegetarians like to go a little extra with fruit and vegetable toppings to replace meat ingredients.

In that case, you need enough oil to cook the vegetables well.

Ooni Pizza Oven Tip #7

Use a Perforated Pizza Peel

The temperature of the Ooni pizza oven is extremely hot; wooden peels are not recommended for this application.

Since you’ll be working around a surface full of flour, using perforated pizza peels will help.

This trick will reduce the flour trapped beneath the pizza dough, especially when placed in the oven.

Excess flour on the dough will always yield brownish and bitter-tasting pizza. The last you want is to serve a pizza that everyone will frown at when tasting.

Moreover, perforated pizza peels will also give you an easy time by stopping the dough from sticking.

A sticky dough will deform the shape you put in a lot of work to achieve.

 You can always use two peels if it is hard to use a perforated peel.  A wood peel works better for launching the pizza into the oven, and a metal peel to turn it and remove it from the oven.

Ooni Pizza Oven Tip #8

Set a Timer

Set a timer and turn the pizza at 90 degrees every 15 seconds for about 2 minutes.

Set the timer depending on the type and size of pizza you’re making. Let your pizza cook as you turn the pizza quarter every 15 seconds. 

This process will let the heat spread around the pizza at the same rate.

Hence, it will cook evenly. Turning the pizza frequently allows the olive oil to burn evenly and cook the toppings without overheating.

Ooni Pizza Oven Tip #9

Finish Your Pizza

After your timer ticks off, it is time to get the perfect pizza out of the oven. To protect yourself from heat, kindly use tongs or a spatula to pull the pizza from the oven.

 

You can place it on an upside-down baking sheet or a plate. You can plate it on a wooden peel or a slate platter to make it nicer.

Let it settle for a minute; use a clean-cut pizza cutter and garnish your beautiful pizza. You can enhance the flavor with a finishing salt like truffle salt, Malden salt, or black salt. You can add parsley or basil for color. Serve in desired shapes.

FAQs

How do you not burn pizza in Ooni?

Make sure that the pizzas are placed on the side closest to the flame and at a distance away from it. Use the Ooni Turn Peel for quicker turning of pizzas. Reduce fire intensity before launching.

How do you get the bottom crispy on Ooni?

For a crispy crust, please follow this advice:

1. Apply low and fast techniques from above.

2. Don’t overfill the toppings

Why is my OONI pizza raw in the middle?

When a pizza looks undercooked, close to the fire or raise the heat slowly; continue turning the pizza every 15 seconds until you have a uniformly cooked dish. It doesn’t take more than 90 seconds to make pizza in an Ooni pizza oven.

The Last Slice

All the Ooni pizza oven tips shared above will help you prepare a high-quality home pizza that rivals any restaurant around your neighborhood.

We have had a pleasurable experience using the Ooni Koda Pizza Oven, and we believe you’ll also find it amazing. Check out our review of the Ooni Koda pizza oven. Propane fuel provides very even cooking.

The size is around 2 feet in length and width, while the interior is about 16 inches. It’s easy to move from place to place. You could even take it to a friend’s house or beach for a pizza party. There is an L-shaped flame that runs along the left side and back of the unit.

As you practice these Ooni pizza oven tips, don’t forget to factor in the cooking environment’s outdoor temperature and humidity. These factors will always influence the outcome of your pizza.

Lastly, don’t beat yourself up if the pizza doesn’t turn out as perfect as you expected. There is still a next time and room to improve your skills to make the perfect pizza.

Do you have any questions or opinions about the Ooni pizza oven tips above? Also, let us know if you have any other tips we can share with our community; we genuinely appreciate the sharing of your experience.

Check Out these Ooni Must-Haves

Ooni Additional Resources

Enjoy!

Related Posts

Newsletter

Subscribe to our Recipe of the Week newsletter and receive our partners’ latest recipes, tips, and discount offers.

Keep in Touch!

info@homemadepizzapro.com