How To Get Crispy, Wood-Fired Style Pizza In Your Home Oven

Making pizza at home can be a fun dinner activity and a simple way to save money on delivery or takeout. Still, there's no doubt it can be challenging for those trying to get top-tier results like those from professional wood-fired ovens. For help, we turned to an expert, Anthony Carron, CEO of JRS Hospitality, which operates Alexxa's, Beer Park, and Cheri Rooftop in Las Vegas. He provided a few straightforward tips for getting that restaurant-quality pizza experience in your ordinary home kitchen.

Carron concedes that it's very difficult to recreate the crispiness and char of a wood-fired oven. He suggests that those looking to get as close as possible should ditch the typical baking sheet or pan and use "a well-preheated pizza stone, with your oven set to the maximum temperature, ideally 550 degrees Fahrenheit, and if it has a convection mode, even better." This latter tip involves using your oven's fan to create a current of moving hot air, a process that provides extra crispness to the exterior. Those without convection baking settings aren't entirely out of luck, though. "Finishing under the broiler can also help you achieve the characteristic char," notes Carron.

Other critical steps for replicating wood-fired pizza at home start long before the pie enters the oven, and no special equipment or techniques are needed. Many pizza chefs allow their dough to age for several days to develop more complex flavors before baking. "Make your dough at least 24 hours before using it, ideally 72," Anthony Carron advises. It's important to store the dough in the fridge for this period to slow the fermentation process. Rushing this step is likely the biggest mistake you're making with your homemade pizza dough. 

Let the dough reach room temperature over approximately two hours before stretching. What should you look for when shaping your dough before it hits the oven? According to Carron, it should be "thin with a puffy cornice," which he says will help in achieving crispness and char. No matter which delicious homemade pizza recipe you prefer, keep these tips in mind, and you may be surprised what your humble home oven can produce.