We can tell Americans love to eat pizza just too much. Only in the US do people spend more than $14 billion on pizza every year. That’s many people ordering pizza! You might also be one of these pizza lovers who get excited even at the mention of pizza and wants to order right away.
But are you ordering your pizza, right? Or, if you prefer to make one at home, could you make it even better than your usual recipe?
Yes! You can make your pizza well done at home or place an order at your favorite local pizza shop with a simple request. Ask them to make your pie “Well-done”!
Don’t know what it is? No worries, I have got you!
Well done means to overcook your pizza a little just as you love to sear your steak for the sake of brown crust. You leave your pizza for longer in the oven or put pizza halfway back for the crisper crust, extra toasted cheese, and delightful browned spots.
Whether you order a pizza “well done” from some big names like Papa John’s and Pizza Hut, OR make it at home using a simple trick.
Here is a complete guide to your well-done pie, and is it better than a normal baked pizza? What’s the main difference between the two, and does it change how the pizza tastes?
Let’s dig in!
What is a Pizza “Well done”?
A well-done pizza is a regular pizza left in the oven to cook a bit longer.
Well done is a term you might have used for your steak (that means a bit of overcooked beef). But guess you have your pie this way with toasted cheese and a bit more crispy crust.
You might ask, Why bother to order toasted cheese? What makes toasted cheese so tasty than your regular uncooked white mozzarella? The answer is an amino acid (glutamate) and our 5th flavor, umami, which tickles our taste buds into experiencing the unique flavor of toasted brown mozzarella on the crispy pie.
Well-Done vs Crispy Pizza
Well-done and crispy, both pizzas are made crispy using slightly higher temperatures, so what is the major difference between both?
The key to crispy pizza is to bake at a high baking temperature that gets rid of water. On the flip side, Well-done pie can be baked at average bake temperature but with more time.
Well Done, means a bit overcooked pizza, and that works by putting the pizza halfway back into the oven again to cook it a bit more.
Baking time and temperature play an essential role in the type of dough and toppings you use in both kinds of pizzas.
The essential part of making crispy pizza is using a hot baking surface and increasing the temperature of your oven to full range. The hottest your oven is, the quicker and crisper the pizza will bake.
If you think your home oven can’t reach the same temperature as restaurants, you can opt for a pizza stone and steel readily available at Target, Walmart, or Amazon.
Well Done vs. Normal Bake Pizza: Time and Temperature Explained
Normal bake is your regular pizza that gets baked at 500 to 600°F oven for about 10-15 minutes. In comparison, the “well done” needs some more time than usual to make the crust more crispy and cheese browner.
When you dine at your favorite pizza place or bake at home, you only bake it until the cheese is melted and the crust gets brown. And there is nothing wrong with it. Some people (I mean most people) are used to eating like this, and they never complained.
But maybe they didn’t know better, but you now know! Leaving your pizza for a few minutes will turn it into delightful browned spots with toasted cheese.
How to Bake Pizza Normal?
Everyone uses different procedures to make pizza at home. So use your recipe as you like, but let’s look at some basics:
Prepare the pizza dough: You can prepare your dough according to your favorite recipe and rest it to proof. If you’re new to making pizza at home, you might wonder how long can pizza dough sit out. You’ll need to follow the perfect time and temperature.
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celsius and put rolled or spread the dough in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Then put pizza sauce, toppings, and cheese. Last, bake it at 400 to 500-degree celsius for about 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese gets melted and the crust gets brown.
Tada, you are delicious regular baked pizza done!
What is Well Done, Good Pizza?
I prefer pizza to be overcooked a bit- you might not like it. It all comes down to personal preference and how you like your pizza. Still, I think overcooking your medium or large pizza a bit adds extra flavors, crispness, and antioxidants to your pizza.
Asking for your pizza to be well-done is the key to leveling up the eat pizza experience you’ve ever had.
With just a few more minutes in the oven, you get crisps, soggy toppings, crackling the edges of pepperoni, toasted brown cheese, and putting earthy char on slices of onion.
Guide to Well Done Pizza Making
You have the option to order your pizza well done from your favorite pizza place, or you can do it at home using these simple steps.
A few things that are important for making the best and perfect pizza at home are:
1. Use a homemade base, but make sure it is not cold if you are using a ready-made base.
2. Don’t roll the dough; instead, stretch it with your hands.
Other important things to remember are:
Factor 1: Oven
Home ovens are not usually equipped with high heat temperatures like convection toaster ovens or stone ovens. The metal conveyor in our home oven doesn’t cook the pizza crust evenly and doesn’t retain heat like the stone slab.
What next?
You can use a pizza stone or pizza steel.
The best way to make restaurant-style pizza is by using a pizza stone. It helps the dough rise and makes it more crispy.
Bakeable trays or metal pans are inconsistent heat retention compounds. On the flip side, pizza stones distribute and keep the heat evenly.
Factor 2: Dough
How well you make your dough defines how crispy your pizza will turn out.
Pay proper attention to tools, temperature, and time for the dough proofing process. The crust will not get brown or crispy if the dough remains underproof. And if the dough gets overproof, the crust turns out flat because no live yeast is left to lift the dough.
Making the perfect dough is an art; it takes time to perfect the process.
How to Make a Pizza ‘Well Done?’
Start with following the same process as making normal baked pizza.
Then add an extra 4 to 7 minutes of cook time on a standard bake time in the oven. And that’s it! Your pizza will be ready to devour!
Try not to put too much pizza sauce; it’ll make your pizza soggy instead of crispy.
Generally, the “crust” on the pan of a well-cooked pie is darker and crisper, and the center is adequately cooked.
You should try it; you also might find it delicious.
Cooking Temperature and Baking Time for Well Done Pizza
Temperature and time vary according to the type of oven you are using to bake a well-done version of pizza.
A good pizza oven at a pizza place takes only 2–3 minutes at 700F plus to bake perfect medium pizza. However, In your home oven at 500F, it will take 7–9 minutes.
According to the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service), 40-140°F is the “danger zone” for bacterial growth. So your temperature should be an internal temperature of over 140°F to ensure it’s safe to eat.
Unlike roasts or steaks, pizza is not edible rare. It’s like bread; it should not be undercooked. The cheese should be toasted but not burnt. The bottom of the dough should be crisp, not floppy and soft.
Does the Burnt Pizza Have Fewer Calories?
Well, it depends! All kinds of food are burned to an extent. How long you overcook makes all the difference.
According to a study from The University of Cambridge, burning pizza can reduce its energy content.
How? According to the post, the energy you might digest otherwise goes up in smoke and flames when you burn food. So the black carbon we see after the food gets burnt gets less energy than the original.
In simple words, cooking can reduce the calories or energy content of the food, whether it is a pizza or a gravy dish.
Is Well-Done Pizza Healthy?
Well-done pizza is healthier than a normal baked pizza.
According to the American Chemical Society, cooking wheat pizza crust at a high temperature for a bit longer can increase its antioxidant content.
In the research, dough using two wheat pizza crust verities baked at 400 to 500-degree temperature. The one has as much as 82% antioxidant content, while the other dough bakes for an extra 7 to 14 extended times and has 60% boosted antioxidants.
Higher temperatures and more prolonged cooking and fermentation increase wheat’s antioxidant content because more nutrients are released from the wheat’s bran coating.
FAQS
Why is my pizza not cooked in the middle?
The reasons your cooked pizza is undercooked from the middle are: overtopping. too low baking temperature, too short baking time, too much pizza sauce, or not a thin pizza crust.
You either get cooked, overcooked or undercooked pizza, depending on how you bake it.
The pizza cooked properly is good. The overcooked, also known as “well-made” pizza, is safe to consume; but you should never eat undercooked pizza.
why?
Raw dough (undercooked flour) can contain bacteria such as E. coli that cause diseases, according to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
Is well-done pizza better?
Yes! In terms of taste and health, a well-done pizza is much better than a regular baked pizza.
It tastes more crispy, has more flavors, and has more antioxidants.
Is well-done pizza crispy?
Yes, well-done pizza is supposed to be crispy from the side and well cooked from the middle.
What is crispy pizza called?
A crispy pizza is called a Well-done pizza that is cooked for a bit longer in the oven.
How do you order a well-done pizza from Domino’s app?
in domino’s app or website, you can choose the option well done for your pizza order.
Or put “well-done, please” in the special instructions field. You can request it on the phone as well.
What is a well-done Papa John’s?
Papa john’s offers pizza to be well done. You can be able to choose whether you want your pizza to have a “normal bake” or be “well done.” on the Papa John website.
How to order pizza well done at Papa John’s? Go to Papa John’s website to check the option of well done or you can just request on the phone.
Wrapping up
No rules have been etched in stone to make the perfect well-done pizza. Pizza is an “open source” dish, and it’s your choice to make it a bit longer to get those extra crisps or just baking at the normal time.
Foodies avoid ordering anything “well done,” but if you like extra crispy slice pizza, order one standard delivery pizza well done and try it out.
A well-done pizza takes a few extra bucks and a little more time to prepare and with, but those extra minutes in the oven make a big difference. Your pizza gets an extra crispy slice with more thoroughly cooked toppings.
So next time when you have a craving to get your hands on scrumptious pizza from pizza hut, Papa John or your local pizza shop, ask them to make it well done for you.
Enjoy every pizza cut of your well done pizza no matter if you get a free pizza through Domino’s Piece of the Pie Reward!
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