How Long to Cook Homemade Pizza at 350: All the Tricks in One Article

Those of you who enjoy eating homemade pizza have probably questioned for how long to cook homemade pizza?

The answer depends on how you want to cook your pizza. For a golden brown crust, it will take a little too long to cook homemade pizza. For this purpose, it is better to use a hot pizza stone.

At a temperature of 350-400 degrees Fahrenheit, pizza can be cooked in 20 minutes.

Most pizzas take 10-15 minutes to bake. Of course, if the pizza is large or with thicker crust, it will take longer than for a thin crust pizza.

Frozen pizza will also take longer to cook than fresh homemade pizza.

Brush the dough with olive oil and poke holes in it with a fork. Bake the pizza crust without filling on a hot stone or pizza pan, about 5 minutes. Add pizza toppings of your choice and bake for another 10 minutes until cheese is melted.

How Long To Cook Homemade Pizza at 350?

Italian homemade pizza is baked quickly and at a high temperature. If you want to get as close to the “original” as possible, do the same when making pizza: heat the oven and the baking sheet on which you will bake to 430-460 degrees Fahrenheit for yeast pizza crust and up to about 390ºF for puff pastry pizza.

How to cook homemade pizza

Cook your first homemade pizza on an evenly thick (or thin) base without thick edges: this way it’s easier to keep track of the quality of baking. In about 10 minutes at maximum temperature, pizza laid on a hot baking sheet will be baked and the filling will not have time to dry.

Try to eliminate “optional” conditions first. For example, the first pizza does not have to be round. Do not start with complex, multi-component fillings. Do not bake several pizzas on different tiers at the same time, especially if you do not have convection oven.

Keep a reasonable balance between the thickness of the base and the amount (layer) of filling.

In order to bake homemade pizza well and not to “sag” from juice or tomato sauce, send the prepared pizza to the preheated oven immediately, do not keep it assembled on the kitchen table.

Be realistic about your goals and build on what you have at your disposal and don’t hesitate to ask more experienced chefs for advice.

Pizza base and filling can be prepared in advance – before dinner, grease the crust with sauce, lay out the filling and bake at a temperature of 440 ° C for 10-15 minutes until a golden crust forms.

A thin base with a minimum amount of filling should be baked for 15 minutes at 400 ° C, and with a large amount of 10 minutes at a temperature of 400 degrees, then 5 minutes at 440.

Yeast dough with juicy and raw filling must be baked for 50 minutes. Ready and dry 30-40 minutes.

In order not to overdry the cake, you should grease the edges and baking sheet with vegetable oil, and also do not exceed the recommended temperature and time.

In order for the dish to be baked and covered with a golden crispy crust, you should place a baking sheet on the lower level of the oven, and raise it to the top 5-10 minutes before the end.

How Long To Bake Semi-finished Pizza Crust?

For those who think that homemade pizza takes a little bit too long to cook, grocery stores sell special ready-made pizza dough. The finished product is baked quite quickly, 10-12 minutes will be enough. At the same time, it is desirable to prepare the pizza toppings beforehand to avoid undercooked toppings.

How Long To Cook Homemade Pizza Depending on Toppings?

The filling can be quite voluminous and juicy, such as minced meat, tomatoes, raw meat, mushrooms, or more dry: cheese, smoked sausage, olives.

It is enough to bake crust with dry filling in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, provided that the dough is thin. Homemade pizza on a traditional dough will be baked for 20-30 minutes.

A product with a juicy filling takes more time to cook, as excess liquid must evaporate. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and cook homemade pizza for 20 minutes.

How Long To Cook Homemade Pizza on Yeast Dough

The most common dough to cook pizza is yeast dough. The yeast base turns out to be lush and airy, but such a pizza should also be baked longer than on a thin dough. The best for it will be the filling of raw products, as moist and juicy as possible, so that during the cooking process it does not lose its taste.

At 400 degrees, it will take 40-50 minutes long to cook homemade pizza on yeast dough.

Puff Pastry Pizza

You can make puff pastry yourself or buy it in the store. It is either yeast or yeast free. It is advisable to cook homemade pizza on yeast puff pastry, so it turns out tastier. 12-17 minutes will be enough for cooking. The oven temperature is 400 degrees.

Many pizza cooks use a little trick – a couple of minutes before cooking, they increase the oven temperature to 450-500 degrees. At the same time, the filling cooks better, and the homemade pizza turns out to be more beautiful and ruddy.

Just look at the tactics Jamie Oliver uses when making a puff pastry pizza.

Useful tip

If you are afraid of the overcooked toppings and raw pizza dough, divide the process into two parts: first, bake the pizza dough until half cooked and only then garnish with sauce and other products and bring to readiness. So you are more likely to get a good result. This tip will also come in handy if you cook pizza on a frozen basis.

Topping

The filling traditionally uses products that can be eaten without additional heat treatment. Most often it is cheese, sausage, ham, canned or fresh vegetables, herbs, tuna, anchovies. If you cook pizza with chicken or mushrooms, you will definitely pre-boil the breast or stew the mushrooms. To heat up, melt and fix ready-made products on the basis, 3-5 minutes are enough in a well-heated oven 390-430 degrees Fahrenheit.

If a lot of filling is expected, then this process can be divided into 2 parts. Put more delicate products on an almost ready pizza – a couple of minutes before cooking.

If the ingredients that make up the filling differ significantly in cooking time, try to resolve this discrepancy by slicing: instant food is larger and vice versa.

The longer the yeast pizza dough “rests”, the better it will bake. The one and a half to two hours indicated in the recipes for live yeast is the minimum time. If you are making your own dough, knead it the night before and let it sit overnight.

How To Reheat Pizza in Oven?

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
• Place the pizza on a piece of foil and place the oven on the grate
• Warm up 10 for minutes

Another great way to reheat pizza is to use an air fryer.

So Is It Possible To Cook Pizza at 350 Degrees?

For delicious pizza, with evenly baked crust and toppings it is not enough. Even 400 degrees is not hot enough for pizza, it is better to increase the temperature to 450-500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Real pizza ovens heat up to almost a thousand degrees, which is impossible with a home oven, but don’t be afraid to use the maximum when you bake a pizza.

For How Long Do You Cook Pizza at 375?

20 minutes. Prepare the dough and spread it with the filling, sprinkle with cheese. Rotate the pan when half the time has passed.

Should I Pre-bake Pizza Dough First?

Yes, bake the dough for 5 minutes without filling. Then add the filling and bring to readiness. So you get an airy dough and a crunchy crust.

What Temperature Should a Wood Fired Pizza Oven Be?

They can heat up to 900 degrees, but when using a commercial oven, it’s best to stay between 600-800 degrees. Use your outdoor pizza oven carefully, they can heat up to very high temperatures.

What Is The Best Way To Bake Pizza?

Cast iron pan or skillet

This is a great choice for baking pizza. They spread the heat all over the bottom of your pie and give the pizza a crisp golden crust. It is one of the best options for evenly cooked pizza. They can last you a very long time, unless you wash it in the dishwasher.

Aluminum baking pan with non-stick coating

Another great way is to use a round, high-sided pizza pan. To get rid of the need to use pizza wire or a baking tray, you can purchase a perforated pan. This method will make your pizza crispy and the filling will be tender.

Pizza stone

Place the pizza stone in a cold oven, and heat the oven until the stone becomes hot. Form a pizza on a baking sheet and place on the hot pizza stone. Heat the pizza stone along with the oven.

Baking sheet

If that’s all you have, then you can get away with it, just brush it with a little olive oil before you place the dough on it. Transfer the paper with pizza onto a sheet pan.

Pizza steel needs care, we are ready to share Highlights On How To Care For Pizza Steel.

How To Cook Pizza at 450 Degrees?

For pizza dough:

In a standing mixer or large bowl, combine dough ingredients, warm water, yeast and sugar. Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes until it begins to bubble.

Once the yeast is active, stir in the flour, olive oil and salt. Mix thoroughly so that all ingredients are combined with each other.

Add flour until the dough is no longer sticky to your hands and bowl.

Knead the dough for a couple more minutes until it becomes firm and soft, place it on a floured surface and form a ball.

If you are making the dough in advance, you should cover it with wrapping film and leave it overnight in the refrigerator, otherwise cover the fresh pizza dough with a towel and leave for 15 minutes until it begins to increase in size.

To bake pizza:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Dust your hands with flour, form the dough into the shape you need, which will fit your pan. Stretch the dough and roll it out, and if it does not lend itself well, let it lie down for another 15 minutes.

Spread the sauce of your choice, tomato or any other sauce, generously sprinkle with cheese and brush the edges with olive oil or melted butter.

Bake the pizza for 10-15 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted.

Two cooking options for crispy crust

In order to get a pizza with a crispy crust with a thin base, there are 2 cooking options:

Pizza with a juicy filling on top – this should be baked in the oven at a temperature of 400 degrees for 10 minutes, this is done to evaporate excess liquid from the filling. Then the temperature is increased to 460 degrees and baked until cooked, an indicator of which will be a fragrant blush.

If a dry filling is supposed, then the temperature in the oven can be immediately set to 450-460 degrees. With this mode, the pizza will be ready in just 15 minutes!

For such a pizza, a moist topping with raw ingredients is often chosen. In this case, it will need to be baked at a temperature of 350 degrees, and the process of bringing to readiness will take 50-60 minutes. If you use raw meat you should be extra careful and make sure it is cooked properly, whether it is beef, chicken or pork.

If the filling contains already finished products that have undergone preliminary processing, then the baking temperature is set at 380-390 degrees, and this will take about 40 minutes.

There is a difference between a gas and an electric oven.

As a rule, gas ovens usually have only bottom heat, which makes it more difficult to control the baking temperature. In electric ovens, both upper and lower heating are provided, so that products in such ovens always fit perfectly and get a beautiful and appetizing look.

It also prevents painful and, at times, problematic selection of the installation of the product in the oven.

You can be sure that by placing the dish to bake in the middle of the oven, you can avoid a work of culinary that is burnt on the bottom and absolutely raw on top.

General cooking advice

The most delicious pizzas are made with yeast dough. After kneading, the dough should be infused for 60 minutes, and only then it is laid out in a mold. So that it does not stick to the hands, it is lubricated with oil;

It is not necessary to roll out a layer of dough with a rolling pin – it is enough to gently stretch it with your fingers in a form or baking sheet. But in case of excessive moisture of the dough, roll it out with a rolling pin through parchment or baking sheet;

The round shape should be generously oiled around the edges and sprinkled on top with flour or semolina;

If the dough is too thick, and the filling may burn during its preparation, there is a way out. The base can be baked separately until half cooked and after that, put the filling on it;

The raw filling must be laid out with the top layer and covered with grated cheese;

On a thin and loose dough, the filling is laid out in one layer. Ham, vegetables, boiled chicken, vegetables and cheese are best suited for such a dough;

Filling ingredients must be fresh, thawed products are often devoid of taste;

So that the tomatoes do not have time to let the juice in, pizza should be put in the oven immediately after laying out the filling;

The pizza pan is placed in the preheated oven;

If the top layer of the pizza starts to burn while the middle is not cooked yet, cover it with a wet paper towel.

Are your pizzas soggy shortly after they are fresh, hot and crispy? What can you do to get a consistently crispy cake that your guests won’t complain about? This is a common problem. Pizzas can get soggy shortly after baking for a number of reasons, but let’s discuss the most likely causes.

Steam cooking

Failure to let pizza “evaporate” after baking is probably the most common cause of loss of crisp. Immediately after removing the pizza from the oven, you can place it on a cooling oven rack or pizza rack. This will allow the steam to come out of the pizza instead of going back into the crust, causing the pizza to lose its crispy crust.

Leave it on the oven rack for 30 seconds to one minute.

Why pizza dough is raw and soggy?

The most urgent problem is why the pizza was not baked? The most common mistakes:

• The dough is very thick;
• A large number of toppings, sauces;
• The temperature and time were set incorrectly;
• The dough is cooked incorrectly;
• The baking tray in the oven is always located at the bottom.

Pizza can lose its crispiness if baked at excessively high temperatures. In this case, the pizza crust will have a very thin layer of crisp; as soon as this thin layer absorbs moisture, its crunchiness is rapidly reduced or completely lost.

Too much sugar

The third most common cause of raw pizza is the use of too much sugar in the dough recipe. Excess sugar affects the preservation of the crispy crust of pizza in several ways. First, it produces a crust that colors faster, resulting in a shorter baking time, which definitely affects the crispness.

In addition, there is a problem of residual sugar in the crust, especially in the toasted part, where the sugar becomes more concentrated due to the lower moisture content.

In this case, sugar, being hygroscopic (meaning it absorbs or draws moisture from the air), readily draws moisture from both the inside of the crust and from the environment around the crust, which is very moist immediately after baking, which again leads to loss of crisp!

In this post, Imperial Sugar Company reveals sugar chemistry and explains why sugar promotes browning.

Cooling down

The dough may get soggy if you didn’t let the pizza cool down a little after it was taken out of the oven. Wait at least five minutes before cutting it. No need to cut it too hot, whatever the temptation. Allowing the pizza to cool will prevent moisture loss.

To avoid soggy crust, cook the dough at 450 degrees, not lower.

How To Keep Pizza Warm in The Oven?

There are times when you can’t eat pizza right away, but you want to keep it warm. The easiest way is to wrap the pizza in foil and leave it in the oven at a very low temperature.

The easiest way is to cut the pizza first, so it will be easier to wrap it in foil.

Oven or microwave?

The oven temperature and type of dough directly affect the cooking time of pizza in the oven. So, if you are cooking pizza on a thin yeast dough, it is recommended to use hot preheated oven and bake the pizza for about 10 minutes so that all excess moisture comes out of the juicy filling.

Next, increase the temperature and cook until the crust and cheese become golden brown.

When preparing a pizza on a thick crust, the main task is to ensure that the dough is evenly baked on all sides.

To bake a pizza cooked on a yeast-free dough, the oven is heated to a temperature of 390 degrees and the dish is kept there for about 20 minutes. Next, lower the temperature to 350 degrees and cook for another 5-10 minutes until golden brown.

Pizza can also be baked in the microwave, but instead of degrees, you need to set the power – use 750-800 watts. And if the device is equipped with a grill mode, then you can turn it on 3-4 minutes before cooking – so that a pleasant crunchy crust forms on the cheese.

How long to cook pizza in microwave?

The microwave oven is a great helper for preparing quick snacks when guests are literally knocking on the door. You can also bake pizza in it. You need to choose the most powerful mode for its preparation, the preparation itself takes 5-6 minutes. After this period, the pizza is checked for readiness with a wooden skewer. It should come out dry. If the pizza is not baked, then the cooking time can be increased by 1-2 minutes.

Cooking pizza in a bread machine

This smart technique will not only bake a wonderful and delicious pizza, but also knead the dough for it on its own, it will be enough just to load all the necessary ingredients into a special container. On average, a bread maker kneads pizza dough for about an hour. During this time, you need to prepare the pizza sauce, choose the topping and prepare it.

The pizza dough is rolled out to the desired shape, covered with the necessary ingredients and sent to the oven for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees. Cooking time depends on the thickness of the pizza crust.

How To Defrost Homemade Pizza Dough Quickly?

When making pizza, it happens that we have very little time, but the frozen pizza dough is already waiting for us in the freezer.

There are several quick defrosting methods.

First method: soak in warm water

It’s not the fastest way, but it’s very efficient. Only use warm water, hot water can ruin your dough.

Step-by-step instruction:

• Take the frozen pizza dough out of the freezer and wrap it in plastic bag if it’s not already in it.
• Fill a bowl or pan halfway with warm water.
• Place the dough in water and leave for a couple of hours. The process will speed up if you change the water as soon as it cools.
• Take out the dough bag and unroll the dough. Put it in a dry bowl and leave for an hour to bring to room temperature.

Second method: microwave

Use a microwave instead of water. And again, try not to cook part of the dough during defrosting.

Most microwaves have a built-in defrost feature to help keep your dough from overheating.

Step-by-step instruction:

• Remove frozen pizza dough from freezer and remove from plastic wrap.
• Spray an ovenproof dish with olive oil before placing the frozen pizza dough in it.
• Spray the cling film with cooking spray and cover the pizza dough with it. Place in the microwave and heat for 20 seconds.
• Remove the plate with the dough, remove the film and turn the dough over.
• Microwave for another 20 seconds.
• Take out the dough, set the defrost mode and defrost the dough for 5 minutes.
• Set the dough aside for 10 minutes and you are ready for the main cooking process!

Secrets of delicious pizza that is cooked perfectly

Ingredients

If you want the pizza to be soft and airy, use high-quality yeast – it must be fresh and properly stored. If you have doubts about the quality of the yeast, opt for a dry product.

If there are tomatoes in the filling, then after you have laid them out, immediately send the pizza to the hot oven, otherwise, if exposed to room temperature for a long time, they will release juice and the dough will remain wet.

Overcooking

If you’ve overcooked your homemade pizza and the dough is too tough, place a bowl of water in the oven – the steam will help soften the dough a bit. But keep in mind: with this method, the temperature will drop a little, so you have to add degrees.

Dough

For the first experiments in the kitchen, it is better to use the classic yeast dough. It is more convenient to work with it, it is more pliable, it burns less. But it is better to refuse puff, as it tends to burn.

It is not necessary to use a rolling pin to roll out the dough. It is enough just to stretch it with your hands and give it the desired shape.

It is important to protect the pizza crust from overdrying, so you should not spare the toppings.

Baking

First, the baking dish must be greased with oil. This will help the pizza not burn, a beautiful and crispy crust forms on the bottom of the product.

You need to spread the topping on pizza immediately before the products go into the oven. If the topped pizza is left on the table for a long time, the dough will become wet, and all efforts will be in vain.

If the pizza dough turned out to be too thick, and there is a risk that the filling will burn during baking, you must first bake the cake until half cooked (about 20 minutes), then remove it from the oven, put the sauce and filling, send the pizza back for about the same time .

If the dough is loose and thin, then the filling should be laid out on it in one layer, next to it. Multilayer filling is allowed only with a thicker crust.

When the topping on the pizza starts to burn, and the dough itself has not yet baked, the situation can be saved with a wet paper towel, which is covered on top of the pizza.

Homemade Pizza Recipe at 350-400 Degrees Fahrenheit

Ingredients:

• Water
• Flour
• Yeast
• Sugar
• Salt
• Tomato sauce or any pizza sauce
• Cheese that melts well
• Any other filling of your choice

Crust

The base is the most difficult element in making homemade pizza. If, for example, the oven is not preheated properly, the pizza may remain raw or soaked from the toppings. And the filling itself will begin to burn, although the base has not even baked. To do this, first bake the dough for a few minutes.

Step 1

Preheat the oven and place the pizza on a tin, skillet, baking sheet, baking pan or stone. Brush baking sheet with olive oil if cooking on it. Bake the dough for 7-10 minutes. Place the dough exactly in the middle of the oven so that it bakes completely and evenly. Remove the dough and raise the temperature to 350-400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 2

At this time, prepare the filling and all the necessary ingredients. Spread the filling evenly over the dough. Bake until the dough turns golden. Be careful about the quantity and quality of yeast, it is a key ingredient in homemade pizza.

Step 3

All ingredients that come into contact with the yeast should be at room temperature. Ingredients that are too hot will kill the yeast, and ingredients that are too cold will not activate.

Step 4

Yeast must be activated in warm water with sugar. When they are ready, you will see bubbles, it takes about 15 minutes. Knead the dough with your hands until it becomes elastic. Let it rest and rise, especially if you want a fluffy crust.

Step 5

Roll out the dough and brush it with enough sauce so that it does not come out dry, but not too much to avoid soggy middle of the pizza.

Step 6

Place the dough on your chosen baking dish or baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Wrap the edges of the pizza so that the topping stays where it belongs.

FAQ

Conclusion

The temperature and time of baking pizzas depend on whether you want crunchy pizza with a thinner crust or you prefer thick pizza rather than thin crust and what kind of oven you have. For example, a convection oven will cook homemade pizza much faster.

You should also make sure your topping isn’t too complicated to be baked alongside with the crust, otherwise cook it in advance.

Grease the crust sides and baking sheet with olive oil before baking pizza. Do not place the dough on a hot stone. Put a cold stone in a hot preheated oven.

If you want keep your cooked pizza warm for some time then leave the pizza in the oven wrapping it in aluminium foil before.

Cook with pleasure for family and friends. Pizza is a versatile dish that adults and children are delighted with. By following the recommendations described in the article, your homemade pizza will turn out amazing.