If you’re a fan of Neapolitan-style pizza, then you know that the key to a great pie is the oven. Traditional Neapolitan ovens reach temperatures of up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit, which is why they produce such amazing results. If you’re interested in purchasing or building your own Neapolitan pizza oven, it’s important to understand how hot these ovens get.
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In this blog post, we’ll explore the heat dynamics of Neapolitan pizza ovens and answer the question: how hot are they?
What Temp Does Neapolitan Pizza Cook At?
Neapolitan pizza is cooked at high temperatures, typically between 800 and 900 degrees Fahrenheit. This allows the pizza to cook quickly, resulting in a thin crust that is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.
If you’re using a wood-fired oven, it’s important to get the temperature as close to 900 degrees as possible. This can be tricky, as the temperature in a wood-fired oven can fluctuate based on the amount of wood that is being used.
Due to this, to get an accurate reading of the oven temperature, it’s best to use an infrared thermometer.
Why Are Neapolitan Pizzas Cooked At A High Temperature?
The short answer is that high temperatures are necessary to produce the signature Neapolitan pizza crust. Bricks normally transfer heat much more slowly than metal, so to get the oven hot enough, it needs to be fueled by a lot of wood.
Once the oven is up to temperature, the pizza only needs to cook for 60-90 seconds, which helps to prevent the cheese from burning.
What Type Of Oven Is Used For Neapolitan Pizza?
Traditionally, Neapolitan pizza is cooked in a wood-fired oven. This is because the high temperatures required to cook the pizza can only be achieved with a wood fire.
Nowadays, you can also find electric and gas-fired ovens that are designed to mimic the conditions of a wood-fired oven. These ovens typically have a stone floor and reach temperatures of up to 900 degrees.
If you’re interested in making Neapolitan pizza at home, we recommend investing in an electric or gas-fired oven. While they may be more expensive than a wood-fired oven, they are much easier to control, a perfect type of home oven, and will give you consistent results.
That said, you can cook Neapolitan Pizzas on other oven types as well. Take a look at each of them.
1. Brick Ovens
Brick ovens have been used for centuries to cook all sorts of food, including bread and pizza. A brick oven is made up of a firebox where the wood is burned and a baking chamber where the food is cooked.
2. Conveyor Pizza Oven
Conveyor pizza ovens are a type of commercial oven that is typically used in pizzerias. These ovens have a conveyor belt that moves the pizza through the cooking chamber, ensuring that it cooks evenly.
While conveyor pizza ovens are not traditionally used to make Neapolitan pizza, they can be used if you don’t have access to a wood-fired or gas-fired oven.
To make Neapolitan pizza in a conveyor oven, you will need to cook the pizza at a higher temperature than you would normally cook it at.
3. Pizza Deck Oven
It contains hot stone decks that can be helpful in cooking the pizza from underneath. It is a great option if you want to cook multiple pizzas at once.
They can be a great long-term investment as they will help your pizzeria to produce a higher volume of pizzas.
4. Convection Pizza Oven
A convection pizza oven is a type of oven that uses hot air to cook food. These ovens are typically used in restaurants and pizzerias as they can cook large quantities of food quickly and evenly.
While convection pizza ovens are not traditionally used to make Neapolitan pizza, they can be used if you don’t have access to a wood-fired or gas-fired oven.
To make Neapolitan pizza in a convection oven, you will need to cook the pizza at a lower temperature than you would normally cook it at. This is because the hot air circulates around the food, cooking it more quickly.
Can A Home Oven Get Hot Enough For Neapolitan Pizza?
The short answer is yes, but it can be tricky. While most home ovens can reach the high temperatures required to cook a Neapolitan pizza, they can be difficult to control.
This is because home ovens typically have a much smaller firebox than commercial ovens, which means that the temperature can fluctuate quite a bit.
If you’re interested in making Neapolitan pizza at home, we recommend investing in an electric or gas-fired oven. While they may be more expensive than a wood-fired oven, they are much easier to control and will give you consistent results.
Alternatively, you can try cooking the pizza on a pizza stone. Pizza stones are designed to absorb and retain heat, which will help to regulate the temperature of your oven.
If you don’t have a pizza stone, you can also try cooking the pizza on a baking sheet. Just be sure to preheat the baking sheet in the oven before you add the pizza.
Can A Pizza Oven Be Too Hot?
Yes, it is possible to have an oven that is too hot for Neapolitan pizza. If the oven is too hot, the pizza will cook too quickly on the outside while the inside remains doughy.
To avoid this, we recommend cooking the pizza at the prescribed temperature. Also, be sure to monitor the pizza closely so that you can take it out of the oven as soon as it is cooked.
For normal Pizzas, we recommend cooking at a temperature of around 350-400 degrees Fahrenheit. For Neapolitan Pizzas, we recommend cooking at a temperature of around 900 degrees Fahrenheit.
A too-hot oven might burn the crust in no time without the Pizza being actually cooked from inside. Also, the Neapolitan Pizza might take a bit longer to cool down similar to ooni Pizza. This is how you end up with a well-done Pizza with a burnt crust and uncooked toppings.
Final Notes
We hope you found this article helpful. Neapolitan pizza is a delicious and unique type of pizza that can be made in a variety of ways.
While it is traditionally cooked in a wood-fired oven, there are many other options available. Just be sure to use the right cooking method and temperature for your particular oven.