Pizza Bottom not Browning

[rjplourde]

I'm using a wood fired pizza oven with the chimney over the front of the oven. I'm able to get the temp of the floor to 700f but for some reason the top of the pizzas seem to be cooking faster than the bottom. I have a flue control in my chimney which I keep full open. Would this have anything to do with my problem?

Thanks in advance.

[Novaslo]

Re: Pizza Bottom not Browning

I am not an expert but have read that one of the big problems with this is that the floor was not properly insulated and can wick heat.

Do you know how well insulated the oven is?
It sounds like the temp at 750 would be fine, how long are you firing the oven before cooking?
It could be that it is hot at the surface but not hot underneath.
How long does it take you to fire it, to get to 700?

[boerwarrior]

Re: Pizza Bottom not Browning

if your floor is 700F you shouldn't;t be having any problems. Are you 'clearing' your dome? i.e. the heat has had time to saturate the bricks?

[pfhlad0]

Re: Pizza Bottom not Browning

We are having the same problem. We have the Casa2G90 oven, so I assume that it came with all of the proper insulation. We had it built on top of a bricked stand.

Any other suggestions?

[applor]

Re: Pizza Bottom not Browning

That seems very odd given that normally your base should be charring prior to the top, given it makes direct contact with the bricks.
In fact oven you need to lift the base off the deck and 'dome' the pizza to give the top more time.
This is the norm for Neapolitan style pizza though, which is cooked at 950f or so and the only style I have cooked in my WFO.
I am not sure how much the dynamics change for a 700f bake though but I can suggest:

1) check your temperatures are even on all surfaces
2) maybe your dough recipe is not right?

Got any pics you can attach?

[v12spirit]

Re: Pizza Bottom not Browning

We are having the same problem. We have the Casa2G90 oven, so I assume that it came with all of the proper insulation. We had it built on top of a bricked stand.

Any other suggestions?

I have heard of others having modular ovens like yours which came with the proper insulation but have the very same problem. It turned out that the reason was moisture wicking up through the stand, in your case bricks are porous and you should have waterproofed the slab under the hearth insulation. Now that you can't do it, you would better run the oven several times each for several hours to let the moisture escape.

Waterproofing the hearth is something I couldn't hear of without these people facing that problem with the hearth. It should have been referred to in the plans being for outdoor ovens. I think this is an explicit feedback to update the plans.