Stretching the dough
This is, perhaps, the most intimidating part of making pizza for the first time. Here are some tips to remember, and with a bit of practice, you’ll be stretching dough like a seasoned pro in no time. For detailed instructions and tips, check this how-to guide (and video).
Cold dough is hard to work with. If your recipe calls for cold-proofing your dough, give it about four hours outside the fridge before you try to stretch it.
On the flip side, dough that’s too warm can get sticky
Get plenty of flour on your hands and work surface
If you get a hole or two, you can pinch them together to close them
A generous sprinkling of semolina flour on your peel should keep your dough from sticking
Don’t forget about the Recovery Calzone
Tips for topping
Heed our advice: Less is more. Overloading the dough makes it much harder to launch and retrieve your pizza.
Go light on the toppings (at least until you get the hang of things)
Be careful when you spread out your sauce. A few drops of sauce or other liquid on your peel can make your pizza stick.
Preparing to launch
Confidence is key. You want to move quickly and decisively when launching your pizza. The longer the dough sits on the peel, the more likely it is to stick. Check out this guide for more in-depth tips and tricks.
Use the “hovercraft technique” (there are instructions in the guide linked above) to create a pocket of air between the dough and your peel.
Angle the peel towards the back of your oven, then quickly and confidently start shimmying the peel away from the pizza
Now, you’re cooking.
Your pizza’s in the oven. Now what? Keep these tips in mind:
Keep your Ooni Infrared Thermometer handy!
Hotter is not always better. We find 400-450 °C to be ideal for cooking Neapolitan-style pizza.
At those temperatures, your pizza will cook in 60 to 90 seconds. Use your peel to turn the pie every 20 to 30 seconds for an even bake. A turning peel works well here but takes a little practice.
Once the crust is looking nice and crisp and the cheese is bubbling, carefully use your peel to retrieve the pizza.
Slice it up and enjoy!
Congratulations, you just made your first pizza with Ooni! Now it’s time to make another, and another and another after that. The more pizzas you make, the better you’ll get at it. We’ve got plenty of recipes for you to try. But for now, take a big, cheesy bite to celebrate.