Potentially the most common setback when baking pizza is that the bottom can often burn – no matter what you try, it can feel as though this burning is something that is just part of the experience. But the opposite is true. There are several reasons why the bottom of your pizza might be burning, and in this article, we will share the best way to avoid this and get a perfect and evenly cooked pizza every time.
The most obvious reason that your pizza bottom is burnt after it has been cooked is that the pizza was placed too close to the heat source – this hot temperature can cause the food to cook unevenly.
How To Stop Your Pizza From Being Burnt On The Bottom
There is nothing more frustrating than coming to make a tasty batch of pizzas only to bite into them and find that the middle is raw and the bottom is burnt.
One of the first ways to prevent this home cooking disaster is to prepare your pizza dough on a surface that has been generously coated with flour. When you do this, you are essentially putting a protective layer on the base of the pizzas, which will burn away during the cooking process, rather than causing a nasty scorch like you would see when this method is not used.
Furthermore, using flour to coat the bottom of the pizza will help it not stick to the pizza stone, which is another way that those burns may occur.
However, too much of a good thing can also cause potential problems. If you use too much flour on the base, this could cause the bread to burn – therefore, it is important to make sure that you find the right balance.
Additionally, before you even come to bake the pizza bread dough, you may find that you are using too much of a particular ingredient. Most notably, sugar is a problem, and this can cause a problem when you cook it. For a great pizza that doesn’t burn, you should always try to use as little sugar as possible.
Finally, and potentially the most common reason your pizza dough will burn when you cook, you have put it too close to the heat source. While the food does need to be exposed to a hot temperature to get the best result, it doesn’t need to close.
When you place your pizza stone in the oven, you may want to try to lift it away from the bottom, as this can cause the bread to bake more evenly. It may seem counterproductive to move the pizza away from the heat source and closer to the top of the oven, but if you want to make sure that it doesn’t burn, there is no better way.
Why Does My Oven Keep Burning The Bottom Of My Food?
In some cases, your oven may not be correctly calibrated – this will often show in pizzas and other food being burnt around the edges but not cooked on the inside. It would be best to recalibrate your oven; however, this is not as common as other things.
Your oven is likely not to blame for the pizza bottoms being burnt during baking; as we have discussed, the problem usually lies in how you cook them.
If you have tried all of the above points but still see a blackened bottom after the cooking process is over, you might try to use a second pizza stone.
You might also consider lowering the temperature of the oven, which will allow the pizza dough to cook more slowly – this may take more time, but it will certainly help with the burning. What’s more, if you like a perfect pizza with a crispy crust and evenly cooked toppings, it is worth investing a little more time.
Summary
There are various reasons why your pizza could get burnt on the bottom; most commonly, the oven is too hot, and if you lower the temperature, you will notice a difference. Another frequent error that home pizza chefs make is that they put the pizza stone too low down when baking, this can cause an incredible amount of heat to quickly reach the bottom of the pizza, but the toppings and other layers do not cook as quickly.
To stop your pizza bottoms from burning, you should move the pizza stone higher up in the oven, coat your pizza dough with flour before cooking, and ensure that you never use too much sugar.
