PLACE YOUR PIZZA INSIDE THE OVEN

This step always seems quite tedious, at least for me, but can be simple if you do it right! Because you’re using semolina, you don’t have to worry about your pizza sticking to your surface while you place the ingredients and similarly you can flour your peel, lightly, to ensure no sticking! However, be sure to wipe the excess semolina that may have clumped onto the peel before transferring your pizza to the oven

Pressing down on your surface, inch your peel underneath the dough, slowly moving it up and using your hands to pull it forward if needed. Once you have your pizza on the peel, place the edges on the base of the Ooni’s pizza stone. Using the same motion you used to get the pizza onto the peel, inch the pizza off the peel into the oven. This motion is more swift and shouldn’t require your hands for help.

Pizza making is hands on, don’t be afraid to get a little messy!

Cook Your Pizza

“There is little to no time for your dough to dry out when using an Ooni oven” says Singh. The size and temperature of the oven allows the crust to remain soft and airy. Therefore, this pizza is considered “Napoli style” pizza, originating in Naples, Italy. If you buy or use a regular oven, such as the one you’d have at home, it will dry your pizza quicker, and subsequently take longer to cook. The pizza that we know and traditionally make in North America is more commonly known as “Boston Style” pizza.

Pizzas cooked in an Ooni must be turned regularly. Most commercial pizza ovens will turn on their own allowing equal cook time on all sides. If your temperature is right, 2-3 minutes is the sweet spot for cook time. Due to the speed of cooking, be sure to stick around once your pizza’s inside, to avoid risk of burning. Making your own pizza is interactive and tactile, adding to the overall fun and experience.

HOW DO I KNOW WHEN IT’S DONE?

The colour and the underside of the crust will be your key indicators. Golden edges and charred bubbles both along the edges and underneath the crust are best.

Using your peel, slide the base under your cooked pizza and pull it out, placing it back onto a cutting board or flat surface. In North America it’s common to see pizzas cut into 8 or even 12, depending on the size, however Italians say otherwise… their rule is six slices!