Peculiar issue - Sunday night's pizza - floor was hotter than normal.

[MarkJerling]

Peculiar issue - Sunday night's pizza - floor was hotter than normal and undersides of pizzas burnt easily.
No change to anything else. Same wood, same pizza base recipe, same amount of fire, same amount of time. It was quite cold out, but other than that no different parameters.

I did not have my infrared thermometer out, which, yes, I should have, but we only made 5 pizzas, so by the time I realized we had a problem it was all done.

What's the best way to cool the floor down a little, should I strike this problem in future?

[Chach]

I had this problem before. I always do a test pizza. I only make individuals ones anyway so it only around 10" I had the floor hot like that and I use a damp towel not wet to wipe the floor clean so that helps a little and if I burn the bottom of the first one I just make sure I keep my fire to the side and the flame going and I just wait about 30 minutes. I also have a stainless pan I can put the pizza on and cook it almost to doneness then slide it off the pan and let the bottom cook up a touch and keep picking it up and manicure sure not to over do it. Usually after the first one in my oven when it's that's hot the floor kind of regulates a little more and I'm good to go but I'd say time is your best bet or a Dutch oven full of water to absorb some of the floor heat that may work as well.

Ricky

[MarkJerling]

Ah yes, the damp towel trick. I forgot about that. And the dutch oven full of water sounds like a plan too.
I wonder why this time though? Why would the floor have been hotter than normal?

Thanks Ricky!

[Chach]

Ah yes, the damp towel trick. I forgot about that. And the dutch oven full of water sounds like a plan too.
I wonder why this time though? Why would the floor have been hotter than normal?

Thanks Ricky!

Maybe the wood was dryer than normal and created more heat??

Ricky

[david s]

I think the floor for every oven is too hot for the first pizza. You could try the semolina test. I just cook the first pizza closer to the entry where the floor is a bit cooler and then push subsequent pizzas in deeper. Maybe your oven has purged itself of underfloor moisture which results in faster heat up times and a hotter floor-

[Chach]

I think the floor for every oven is too hot for the first pizza. You could try the semolina test. I just cook the first pizza closer to the entry where the floor is a bit cooler and then push subsequent pizzas in deeper. Maybe your oven has purged itself of underfloor moisture which results in faster heat up times and a hotter floor-

I was thinking about the moisture under the floor as well. I also do the same with the first pizza closer to the entry. I agree with your thoughts on this.

Ricky

[MarkJerling]

Maybe the wood was dryer than normal and created more heat??

Ricky

All my wood is dry, but, come to think of it, I did use more olive and less of the other fruit trees, so maybe that's it.

[MarkJerling]

I think the floor for every oven is too hot for the first pizza. You could try the semolina test. I just cook the first pizza closer to the entry where the floor is a bit cooler and then push subsequent pizzas in deeper. Maybe your oven has purged itself of underfloor moisture which results in faster heat up times and a hotter floor-

Could very well be. I have been doing some maintenance to the oven so previous moisture ingress points have now been sealed. Should be plenty dry under the floor now.
Thanks for the good idea to cook the first few pizzas closer to the entry. I'll certainly try that.

[hillscp]

Olive wood is full of oil and burns hot. We have lots of it in Northern California. Another really hot wood is Manzanita. I use Almond wood. It burns just right and leaves very little ash