Pizza Temperature and Time: The Ultimate Cheatsheet

Pizza Temperature and Time

---

To bake pizza to the “T” requires the correct pizza temperature and time.  

The recommended temperature for an oven pizza is between 250 to 260 degrees C or 450 to 500 degrees F.

It takes about 10 to 15 minutes to bake a pizza whose crust is beautifully browned with golden, melty cheese. 

The right pizza temperature and time prevent making pizzas that are raw in the middle, which is an indication of undercooking.

The homemade pizza temperature and time it takes to bake a pizza depend on various factors. Consider your oven’s optimum pizza temperature and time. 

How much thickness and layering do you want on your pizza? Do you have a fan-supported oven? 

Is your pizza on the top, middle, or bottom rack in the oven? 

Are you using a pizza stone to bake pizza at home? 

These factors are considered when picking a pizza temperature and time.

So let’s find the specific pizza temperature and time for your pizza.

Let’s get started!

Best Pizza Temperature and Time

The best temperature for pizza is between 250 to 260 degrees C or 450 to 500 degrees F for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Do You Have to Preheat the Oven for Pizza?

Can you remember a time when you skipped the critical step of preheating your oven before baking? 

Well, many have. 

However, preheating is the first step when making pizza.

Changing the oven’s temperature from room temperature to the baking temperature is essential for the quicker baking of the pizza. 

Contrary to popular belief, not preheating your pizza may result in extended cooking periods.

Preheating the oven is a significant food safety rule as it eliminates the chances of food poisoning from the pizza. Pizza only takes 10 to 15 minutes to cook. 

The longest time food can be in the oven and kill all microbes is 2 hours. Does that work for our pizza? No, it does not. Thus, ensure to preheat your oven before baking at all times.

How Long Do You Have to Preheat the Oven for Pizza?

Preheat your oven to between 375 degrees F( 10 to 15 minutes) and 500 F(30 minutes to 1 hour) before spreading the dough on the pizza pan or baking sheets. 

The temperature depends on how thick your crust is. 

For instance, a deep-dish style pizza will require 30 minutes of oven preheating compared to thinner crust style pizzas. 

Cooler or colder ovens do not provide the right temperature to melt the cheese. Not preheating the oven causes cold spots all over the pizza top.

Significant Factors to Consider When Baking Pizza in An Oven

Pizza Temperature and time are essential in the baking of pizza. Different ovens transfer heat in various ways. 

An electric oven will go above 450 degrees F while a wood surface reaches up to 900 degrees F. The amount of heat produced sets the pace for baking time.

Humidity within the oven affects how heat is transferred and the rate of moisture evaporation in the pizza. 

Spray your pizza with water or spread it across a damp cloth( do not leave it in the oven) on the floor of the oven before baking for the right amount of humidity.

Steps to Follow When Setting a Pizza in the Oven

When setting a pizza in the oven for baking, one can opt to use a pizza stone or not. A pizza stone is a flat solid object made of stone or ceramic. You can also use a baking sheet.

It is positioned on the oven rack to absorb and retain heat. 

Uncooked pizza dough is directly placed on it, just like when one uses traditional wooden ovens.

Pizza stones are essential in passing heat to the dough, thus producing a crispy crust. 

How to Set Pizza with a Pizza Stone

Here are steps to follow when using a pizza stone:

1. Position the pizza stone in a cold oven.
2. Preheat your oven to 500F to heat the oven and the pizza stone.
3. Position the pizza on the pizza stone
4. Bake until no cold spots appear on the top of the pizza. Aim for lightly browned cheese.
5. Remove the pizza from the oven, then turn it off.
6. Let the oven cool before brushing the pizza stones. Do not wash the pizza stone.

How to Set Pizza Using a Pizza Stone and Parchment Paper

Baking pizzas on a pizza stone using parchment paper goes as follows:

1. Preheat the pizza stone to the highest possible temperature for about 40 minutes. Do this on the rack about three-quarters up into the oven.
2. Spread the homemade pizza dough on a surface cut, fitting pieces of parchment paper for the pizza to avoid excess paper waste.
3. Position the pizza above the parchment paper and add your toppings and cheese.
4. Open the door of the oven. Retrieve the oven rack holding the pizza stone. Hold the edges of the parchment paper to aid in placing the pizza in the pizza stones midsection.
5. Here, you can take out the parchment paper if you want to. Bake for 3 minutes for firmness, and then turn it to 180 degrees C for the other side to bake. Baking pizza directly on the baking stone yields crispier results.
6. Continue baking for 6 minutes before taking it out.

How to Set Pizza Using Parchment Paper

Baking pizza using parchment paper/foil on the oven racks follows the steps below:

1. Preheat oven to the highest temperature for about 10 minutes.
2. Spread the pizza dough on a surface. Pick out enough parchment paper to hold the pizza without waste.
3. After placing it on the foil, add cheese, toppings, and tomato sauce to the pizza dough.
4. Brush your crust with olive oil and add your favorite toppings.
5. Retrieve the racks positioned either second or second to last on the oven. Place your pizza and toppings above the rack.
6. Bake the pizza for 4 minutes till it is firm. Spin it around for the other side to bake. Remove the parchment paper and foil below it.
7. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes till the edges are crispy and the cheese looks bubbly.

Best Pizza Temperature and Time by Pizza Styles

Pizza Temperature and Time

Pizza Style	Temperature	Cooking Time
Neapolitan	950°F (510°C)	2 Minutes
New York Style	700°F (370°C)	7 Minutes
Thin & Crispy	500°F (260°C)	5 Minutes
Pan Pizza	450°F (230°C)	18 Minutes
Frozen Pizza	375°F (190°C)	15 Minutes
Reheat Pizza	350°F (175°C)	10 Minutes

Homemade Pizza in Electric Oven

• Cooking homemade pizza in an electric oven takes a crispy crust between 400 to 500 degrees F. A softer and chewy crust is produced at 350 degrees F. 

Neapolitan-Style Pizza

• Neapolitan pizza requires between 900 to 950 degrees F for 2 minutes to bake the dough thoroughly and prevent burning. These temperatures are best achieved with a wood fired pizza oven.

Using fresh tomatoes as your toppings may require an extra 1 minute of cooking. Using pepperoni would take about 1 to 2 additional minutes.

Deep Dish Pizza or Pan Pizza

• Deep-dish pizza requires a relatively low temperature of about 450 degrees F. It allows for a crispy crust on the pizza edges and a soft cheesy, and melty inside.

Depending on your use, toppings need approximately 2 to 5 extra minutes to cook homemade pizza.

New York-Style Pizza

• New York-style pizza takes about 650 to 700 degrees F to cook correctly. The high temperatures make a crispy crust with juicy toppings.

Adjust the temperatures when it is time to cook the toppings. Constantly watch the crust while in the oven to avoid burning.

Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza

• Chicago deep-dish pizzas require a temperature of 400 to 450 degrees F to cook. It results in a golden-brown crust with hot juicy toppings.

Raise the temperature to above 450 degrees F to cook the dough and toppings.

Frozen Pizza

• Frozen pizzas are pre-cooked before consumption for health and safety purposes. Cook frozen pizza at a temperature between 375 and 400 degrees F to cook the crust and toppings.

Pizza Temperature and Time

---

Oven-specific pizza temperature and time significantly differ when making homemade pizza. 

Best Pizza Cooking Time by Oven Temperature

Temperature	Cooking Time
350°F – 400°F	20 Minutes
425°F – 500°F	15 Minutes
525°F – 600°F	10 Minutes
625°F – 700°F	5 Minutes
725°F – 800°F	3 Minutes
825°F – 1000+°F	90 Seconds

Wood-fired Pizza Oven

• Wood-fired pizza ovens require 900 degrees F for the pizza to be cooked well enough not to break upon lifting. 

Pizza in Electric Oven

• Cooking pizza in an electric oven takes a crispy crust between 400 to 500 degrees F. A softer and chewy crust is produced at 350 degrees F. 

Pizza in Convection Oven

• A convection oven takes between 325 to 350 degrees F. It is specifically advantageous since it does not heat the kitchen during cooking. 

Pizza in Gas Oven

• Pizza making in a gas oven takes about 350 to 400 degrees F for a crispy crust and evenly cooked toppings.

How to Identify a Perfectly Cooked Pizza

There are a few significant indicators to know if your pizza is done.

• The crust should be slightly golden brown, with no cold spots that lack cheese.

• Toppings should be juicy and evenly cooked. 

Pizza Crust Color

The major setback in using crust color to determine how well a pizza is done is that different ovens provide varying results. You have to know how your oven makes pizza before identifying the crust color it produces.

Pizza Crust Texture

• Your pizza crust should be firm to the touch and very crispy.

Test this as you turn the pizza during cooking. Once taken out of the oven and the cooling begins, the crust should soften a little, so being very crispy in the oven is not a problematic issue.

A perfectly cooked pizza should not be soggy. It shows that the toppings were pre-cooked before adding to the pizza dough.

Extremely chewy pizza indicates that the pizza dough was not rolled enough, thus making a thinner inner center.

Too much kneading and rolling of the homemade pizza dough could produce a chewy feel.

The Last Slice

Pizza temperature and time are the critical determinants of how well your pizza will appear. It is important to always work with a preheated oven, for as we have seen, it has both quality and health safety advantages. 

Pick ovens based on what style of pizza you want to bake since different ovens have different temperatures, just as different pizzas take other times and temperatures to cook pizza. 

We hope that this guide addresses any questions you may have about pizza temperature and time. Practice these tips and be the best pizza maker to grace this world for better results. 

Additional Resources on Pizza Making

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