Ooni Pizza Bottom, not Crispy? Top 7 Reasons & Their Solutions

Are you tired of failing to achieve a crispy pizza in your Ooni Pizza Oven? 

Do you find that the center of your pizza is always soggy? 

You’re not alone!

It’s the number one complaint received about Ooni Pizza Ovens.

Fret no more!

We won’t ask you to make modifications or additional purchases to get that perfect crispy crust.

All you need to do is find the reason and apply the relevant solution, and you’re good to go.

Keep reading to become a master pizza maker with your Ooni oven!

Key Takeaways

• Hydration matters: Aim for 60-70% hydration, as a key.
• Stretch it thin: Around 1/4 inch thickness is great.
• Top lightly: Too many toppings or raw veggies release moisture, keeping the crust soft. Pre-cook or choose dry ingredients.
• Use enough flour when shaping the crust to prevent sticking and absorb steam for a crispier crust.
• Don’t skip preheating! 15-20 minutes at the correct temperature (750-900°F for Italian, 500°F for American) is key.
• Spin like a maestro: Regular rotations avoid uneven heat and steam buildup, keeping your crust crispy all around.
• Cool it on a rack as air circulation helps eliminate excess moisture for a perfect, non-soggy bottom.

Top 7 Reasons for Soggy Ooni Pizza Bottom and Their Solutions

The secret to creating the ideal crispy pizza is to take your time and slow down. After all, isn’t pizza-making all about having fun? Don’t let hacks and quick fixes get in the way. 

Invest time in mastering your pizza-making skills and savor the process.

With the right techniques and a little patience, you’ll be whipping up irresistible homemade pizzas in no time! So, let us take you on a journey to create the perfect crispy Ooni pizza. Trust us, it’ll be worth it!

Here’s everything you need to know to make your Ooni pizza crispy:

1. Wrong Hydration level

To achieve a crispy crust for your Ooni pizza, the right hydration level for your pizza dough is essential. If your pizza crust is soggy, over-hydration may be the reason.

Over-hydration of pizza dough affects the pizza in two ways:

• Too much water weakens gluten structure, leading to a soggy crust that can’t hold its shape and browns poorly.
• Steam Production: Overly wet dough generates excessive steam during baking, preventing the bottom crust from crisping effectively.

Solution

Recheck your pizza dough hydration, and look for a recipe that includes a generous amount of water to help you achieve that perfect crispy texture. 

Generally:

• For homemade Neapolitan pizza, 60-70% hydration dough is good
• For Sicilian-style pizza, 65%-75% hydration is advisable
• For NY-style pizza, 60% to 65% hydration works great
• And, for Chicago-style pizza, 70% to 80% hydration is recommended.

Experiment with different dough recipes bravely until you find one that works best for you and your Ooni pizza oven.

2. Thick Pizza Crust

To get a crispy pizza crust, it’s essential to stretch it thin and evenly.

Excessive crust thickness hinders crispness in Ooni ovens due to two factors:

• Steam: A thicker crust traps moisture released from toppings and dough, preventing evaporation and leading to sogginess.
• Heat: The intense heat concentrates near the pizza’s back, potentially charing those areas while leaving the thicker front undercooked and damp.

Solution

Aim for a thinner crust. Stretch the pizza dough ball according to the size as the recipe mentions it. For instance, Neapolitan-style crust requires approx. 1/4 inch thickness for optimal Ooni baking. This allows steam to escape and heat to penetrate evenly, resulting in a crispy, golden crust.

3. Too many Toppings or Raw Toppings

Three common topping mistakes can make your pizza crust soggy:

• First, using too moist ingredients, like fresh mozzarella cheese, without removing excessive moisture properly; 
• Second, adding too many raw toppings means cooking them on pizza crust, which causes moist release from toppings to keep the crust moist;
• Third, piling the pizza up with toppings may prevent the crust from cooking and releasing steam.

Solution

Keep the toppings light and simple. 

If you want to load your pizza with more toppings, pre-cook them. 

If you’re using fresh mozzarella cheese, let the slices rest in a sieve with a bowl underneath to drip off extra moisture, or pat dry the slices with a paper towel. 

Taking care of the crust and toppings can make a significant difference in the overall quality of your pizza.

4. Not Using Flour Generously

Flour is an essential ingredient when it comes to making pizza. It helps prevent your pizza from sticking. It also aids in achieving that desired crispiness by absorbing steam released by the pizza crust during cooking. 

Your soggy pizza crust may also be because you avoid adding extra flour to the pizza peel before launching it. 

Solution

If you want your crust to be crispy, don’t be afraid to use extra flour when shaping your pizza crust. Yes, extra flour can also cause the pizza bottom to burn when it’s stuck with the bottom, but it happens when you add too much flour to the pizza peel before launching the pizza. 

Yet, while shaping the pizza crust, using flour in a fair amount is essential for your pizza. So, go ahead and sprinkle some extra flour on your pizza dough before adding your toppings.

5. Not Preheating your Ooni pizza oven or Cooking at the Wrong Temp

Cold pizza stone can cause the pizza bottom not to cook properly and leave it moist or undercooked. So, to achieve a delicious, crispy pizza, you need to learn how to preheat the Ooni pizza oven and when to cook the pizza at an advisable temperature.

Solution

Start by preheating your oven for at least 15-20 minutes until it reaches the temperature that your pizza needs to cook at.  Once it’s preheated, check the surface temperature of the pizza stone using an infrared thermometer exactly in the middle.

It should be according to your recipe for the specific pizza type: 750°F-900°F degrees Fahrenheit for Italian pizzas like Neapolitan pizza or Margherita pizza, or 500 degrees Fahrenheit for American-style pizzas. 

Remember to preheat the pizza oven each time for 5 minutes at least before launching every next pizza. Again, please check the temperature, then throw the pizza for cooking.

This step will help to cook each pizza evenly and prevent a soggy crust.

6. Not Giving Your Pizza a Spin

Have you ever observed pizza maestros spin pizzas vigilantly? It does wonders to make the pizza crust crispy.

Though not the sole reason, not spinning your pizza may prevent your pizza from achieving the crispy crust in two ways:

Firstly, uneven heat distribution. The intense heat in an Ooni oven concentrates near the back, potentially charring the crust in those spots while leaving the front, unrotated areas, undercooked and slightly damp.

Secondly, steam buildup. Without rotation, the moisture released from the toppings accumulates on the uncooked parts of the dough, preventing browning and crisping and contributing to a soggy texture.

Solution

Spin your pizza regularly: 

• For classic Italian pizzas, rotate your pizza every 10 seconds to 45 degrees
• For American-style pizzas, check and rotate it to 45 degrees after every 5-7 minutes.

7. Shifting your Pizza to a Flat Surface

Shifting your pizza to a flat surface with no grids can trap moisture underneath, leading to a soggy crust. Imagine a sponge wringing out water – the pizza dough acts like the sponge, releasing steam during baking. 

Conversely, a porous, meshed, or gridded surface acts like a cooling rack; the steam escapes through tiny air pockets.

Solution

Cooling racks are not for cakes only; they can be wonderful if used for everything that needs them.

And your Ooni pizza must be missing it to eliminate excessive steam that could make it soggy again. As soon as your pizza comes out of the oven, let it rest on the cooling rack for 3-5 mins. 

All extra moisture will evaporate, and the pizza bottom will no longer be soggy.

No-knead Pizza Dough Recipe For Making Crispy Ooni Pizza

We care about our beloved readers. This is why we have gone above and beyond to create the perfect recipe for you.

Ingredients

• 850 grams of flour
• 555g room temperature water
• 25g of salt
• 2g of instant yeast
• 10 g of olive oil

Directions

Get ready to feel like a pro pizza maker with these easy-to-follow steps:

• First, grab a big bowl and pour in the flour. Give it a good mix with a whisk or your hands and set it aside.
• In a separate bowl, pour in your water.
• Next, add in some salt and stir it until it dissolves.
• Then, sprinkle in the instant dry yeast. Let it sit for a minute, and give it another stir.
• Now it’s time to bring the flour into the mix. Using your hands, gently mix and pinch the flour together until it forms a rough dough.
• Cover the dough and keep it aside for a few minutes.
• Once it’s rested, it’s time to drizzle your olive oil over the dough.
• Fold and knead it for about 1-3 minutes.
• Cover it up again and let it ferment in a cool place for about 12 hours.
• Make some dough balls and cover them up using a wrapping sheet.
• And finally, put the balls in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
• Before baking, make sure to bring the dough to room temperature for about 30 minutes to an hour.
• And that’s it! With this no-knead pizza dough recipe, you’ll surely achieve a crispy crust.

Try it out today!

Note: If you want to create next-level moisture, puffiness, and crispiness in your pizza crust simultaneously, you can also make 70% hydration pizza dough. And when you have mastered this dough recipe, advance your pizza-making skill with artisan pizza dough.

Final Thoughts

Achieving a crispy Ooni pizza might not be that simple, but it’s not impossible! Making a delicious pizza with an Ooni oven takes practice and patience.

Don’t be discouraged!

Figure out the reason that hinders your perfect pizza crust and try the solution. See which one works best for you. 

So, are you ready to make some crispy pizzas using the Ooni pizza oven?