Cooking Temp with deck oven

Pizza Shop Talk The Think Tank
1

I am using a hand tossed dough and cooking on silicon paper. I have Blodgett STEEL deck ovens. What is a good temp to cook with? We are having difficulty with bottoms or tops not always getting done. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you

2

We set at 450, 9 to 15 minutes depending on size and ingredients etc., star with screens and finish off screens for a nice brown bottom crust. (thin crust)

3

Keep in mind that the steel deck ovens are not really made for baking pizzas. The thin steel deck cools off way to quickly, resulting in a light bottom bake on the pizzas. As you are also having difficulty getting the desired top color, your oven tempetature might be set too low. Typically we bake at 500 to 525F in a deck oven. Just to be on the safe side, you might also buy an oven thermometer from a local hardware store to check the accuracy of the oven thermostat. If you find that it is not in calibration, use the oven thermometer to adjust the temperature, then let us know how your pizzas bake. We need to get the top of the pizzas baking correctly first, then, if necessary, we can manipulate the dough formula, through the addition of sugar, to get the bottom bake closer to where you want to be.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

4

Thank you Tom. I will crank up temp. We have it set at 450 now.

5

Tom,
Just so I understand, what does sugar have to do with the bake process?

6

Hi Idlehour:

As always Tom has given some good advise.

Let me add that the gadget on your ovens called the thermostat is a wishostat. You just wish your ovens were at that temperature.

The oven thermometer Tom recommends is best hung in the oven somewhat above the height of the pizzas. That will give you the temperature that is acting on the top of your pizzas.

In addition to the oven thermometer you should have a thermometer that shows the temperature of the baking deck it self. You can get a grill thermometer which is in the shape of a hockey puck the bottom is flat and sets down on you oven deck. The top has a temperature dial.

If your experience is like that of others you will find your deck and oven temperatures varying over a wide range.

George Mills