Summer may be winding down but that doesn’t mean the outdoor pizza party has to stop! We get loads of questions on tours about using ovens made by Ooni, Gozney, Blackstone, and other high-temp oven companies. That’s why Amy invited the whole pizza tour guide gang over to her backyard for some experimentation on her Ooni Karu 2 (12 inch model). We made a bunch of dough and pushed the oven to its limits so we can better answer those super nerdy questions on tours!
1. Unless you’re an experienced home pizza maker, stick to ovens that use propane or natural gas. You don’t need the added complication of regulating a fire while you cook.
2. Preheat at least 30 minutes with the highest flame. You don’t just want the surface of your stone to be hot, you want it saturated. Otherwise the only good pie you make will be your first one.
3. Under-stretch your dough! You can always pull the edges out before you launch, but a dough stretched too thin will be more likely to stick to the peel or stone. Building your pizza on a lightly floured surface before sliding the peel under it will also help with these issues.
4. Babysit the pizza! Do not walk away. Keep your eyes on your pies. These ovens promise high heat and fast bakes but that means you’ll need to move the pizza before it burns. Give it 20-30 seconds before the first rotation, then keep your eyes on the spots closest to the flame. Keep turning it for an even bake.
5. Use the flame control knob! Just because your oven can reach 900 F doesn’t mean you need it. Lower temp = longer, crispier bake.
6. With smaller ovens, you don’t really need to use the turning peel. Better to use the large loading peel to pull the pie out and rotate it with your thumb.
7. Make more dough than you need! The more pizzas you make, the better you’ll get. If you have leftover dough, you can always make a bunch of pitas like we did!
