Still don’t own a pizza stone? Though I might doubt your true love for pizza, I’ll still help you out and help you bake a great pie.
My mother once complained to the doctor that I don’t eat anything but pizza. The doctor said, “Feed it to her, eventually she will get tired of eating it.”
It’s been quite a while since that day and I’m still loving it.
For years I believed you can’t have good homemade pizza without a pizza stone. I extolled the virtues of the pizza stone. I even wrote a recipe for Grandma Pizza on Between Carpools saying, I quote: “So why should you make Grandma Pizza? Simple. I think this is the only homemade pizza that tastes amazing without a pizza stone or steel.”
Some time has passed and I realized a few things. Not everyone has a pizza stone. Even though I’ve written about them so many times, many people still haven’t bought one! (Buy one, it’s really inexpensive. Note: You should never remove a pizza stone from the oven while hot, even if it comes with a stand to remove it.) If you are real pizza fanatic then I can’t brag enough about the baking steel. It will never break and it will last you for years to come. Note: You can buy it on Amazon, however since it comes seasoned I bought mine unseasoned directly from the company and seasoned it myself for kashrus reasons. Ask your LOR.)
Where was I?
Ah yes, not everyone has a pizza stone. And occasionally I’ve had to make pizza in other people’s houses and I was at a real loss on how to get amazing pizza without a stone.
The trick is to bake the pizza directly on the rack. That’s all. You’ll get a crispy bottom without any fancy tools.
So let’s break it down.
Place your dough on a sheet of baking paper and top as desired.
If you have a pizza peel, you can trim the edges of the baking paper, since the paper burns easily on high temperatures.
If you don’t, it’s ok. You’ll just need some of the paper and an additional person to help slide the pizza into the oven.
Most important of all. Preheat your oven as high as it goes. We baked this pizza on 500ºF.
All ovens are different. So check when it gets close to the recommended time.
Bake for 7-9 minutes on 500ºF or 11-13 minutes on 475ºF. The bottom of the pizza should be crispy and brown.
For those scratching their heads as to why the pizza has to be baked at such a high temperature, I ask you. How high are the temperatures in the ovens of the pizza shop? Don’t be scared. Great pizza only happens in really hot places.
Miri says
Hi leah. I made your pizza dough recipe. The easy one. The dough comes out raw every time! What should I do?
Leah Schapira says
Hi Miri, there are a few reasons why this could be and it would be difficult to go through all the reasons without talking about it. Here are some ideas . 1. Your oven temperature is off, the way your oven distributes the heat.. you may want to try placing the pizza on a lower rack so that the bottom can bake before the top sets. 2. Your oven temperature is too high. 3. The dough might be too thick or to many topping not letting the dough cook properly. 4. Try using a pizza stone or this hack. 5. Pizza stone wasn’t preheated. 6. You used a disposable pan which blocks the heat from getting to the middle of the dough. 7. A toaster oven with a top element would have the top ready before the bottom. 8. Dough should be at room temperature..
Feel free to email Leah @ betweencarpools.com if you’d like any clarification.
Happy cooking!
Faigy says
I bake my dough on 400 for few minutes before putting anything on top.
Gittel says
Great hack! I wonder how you roll your dough in such a nice circle?
Leah Schapira says
I guess practice? Should I put together a post about it?
Gittel says
Yes please. I always struggle with it
Sarah says
I took your advice a while ago on the pizza stone. Life changing!!
Which dough recipe did u use here ? Looks amazing ????
Leah Schapira says
I used bought pizza dough for this photoshoot 🙂
Esther says
The baking steel is life changing- I must have bought it 2 years ago during the 9 days and have served homemade pizza once a week for supper since- I use your original pizza recipe from Fresh & Easy and make 5lb of dough at a time- It is well worth the $80 investment
Leah Schapira says
Love love my baking steel.
Rochel says
I bought a pizza stone about 3 years ago for 15 dollars when we got really into pizza from your fresh and easy pizza dough recipe. I have to say it was a great investment and pizza is our favorite dairy supper! I make it about once a week and got pretty good at it. I used to always have the raw pizza dough problem and I made 2 changes that solved it 1. I now use the thin crust pizza dough from the dairy made easy cookbook and I find the thinner dough bakes better 2. I preheat the pizza stone on a high temp (about 475) for a good hour before I put the pizza in. Hope this helps!
Tzivi says
I have been doing exactly as u say- with one change. After a few minutes, i remove the parchment paper & finish baking the pizza directly on the rack. Comes out even better that way. (Ask a rov the halachos regarding toiveling the oven rack)
Dinah says
My parchment paper (Kirkland brand) is oven safe up to 420 degrees? Can I ignore and use on 500? What rack should I bake on? Making mini beef pizzas and want them to come out just right? Ty
Leah Schapira says
I use kirklands brand. It does however burn at the edges. If you’re concerned bake it at 475.
Dinah says
Leah, this tip was life changing!
My kids never liked my home made pizza, they preferred the store bought (only Pizza Plus!!)
Since I started doing this tip, they can’t get enough of it!
I will sometimes roast some vegetables and put them in one corner for myself- this way I don’t feel so guilty indulging in a slice.
Thanks again!