Skip to content
PizzaHQ

Pizza troubleshooter

Choose what you saw — up to three things — and, if you know them, what you baked on, the style and the bake. PizzaHQ ranks the likely causes from its 57 documented symptoms, 137 recorded causes and 36 equipment-specific branches, and for each one says why it fits, how to tell it apart from its neighbours, what you can still rescue, and what to change next time.

2. What did you see? Choose up to 3.

1 of 3 chosen.

3. Context (optional — sharpens the ranking)

Ranked causes

Most likely

  1. Baking surface too hot or positioned too close to the main heat source

    Generally accepted

    Bake environment · from Base burns before the top is done

    A very hot stone or steel can transfer heat to the base faster than the top can finish cooking, especially in an oven without independent top/bottom control.

    Why it fits
    • Recorded cause of "Base burns before the top is done", ranked 1 of 2 by PizzaHQ's editors.
    How to tell it apart
    The whole underside is evenly dark or burnt, and the stone or steel sits low or close to the heat source.
    Rescue it now
    Move the pizza to a higher rack position for the remainder of the bake
    Next time
    Adjust rack position and preheat time to balance top and bottom heat, and stretch dough evenly

    Base burns before the top is doneHow to get more char without burning the pizzaHow to get better pizza on a BBQPizza in a domestic ovenCooking on a pizza steelHow heat gets into a pizza

  2. Dough stretched unevenly thin at the base

    Generally accepted

    Shaping · from Base burns before the top is done

    Thin spots cook through and can scorch well before thicker areas of the same pizza.

    Why it fits
    • Recorded cause of "Base burns before the top is done", ranked 2 of 2 by PizzaHQ's editors.
    How to tell it apart
    Only patches of the base are burnt, matching areas that were visibly thinner when the dough was stretched.
    Rescue it now
    Move the pizza to a higher rack position for the remainder of the bake
    Next time
    Adjust rack position and preheat time to balance top and bottom heat, and stretch dough evenly

    Base burns before the top is doneHow to get more char without burning the pizzaHow to get better pizza on a BBQPizza in a domestic ovenCooking on a pizza steelHow heat gets into a pizza

Also possible

  1. The pizza is over the coals rather than beside them. A charcoal fire directly beneath the pizza delivers far more heat to the base than the chamber delivers to the top, so the base carbonises long before anything else cooks.

    Strongly supported

    Bake environment · Pizza on a charcoal BBQ · from Base burns before the top is done

    Why it fits
    • Applies only if you are using "Pizza on a charcoal BBQ".
    How to tell it apart
    The base blackened within the first two or three minutes, in stripes or on one side, while the toppings were still raw.
    Rescue it now
    Move the pizza to the unlit half of the grill immediately and close the lid so the toppings can catch up on convected heat.
    Next time
    Build a genuine two-zone fire — coals banked to one side or split to both sides with a gap — and cook on the empty zone throughout. Rotate at least once, since the fire side still runs hotter.

    Base burns before the top is doneHow to get more char without burning the pizzaHow to get better pizza on a BBQPizza on a charcoal BBQHow heat gets into a pizza

  2. The kamado is running without a heat deflector. With nothing between the firebox and the stone, the stone sits directly in the fire's radiant path and reaches temperatures far beyond anything a base can survive.

    Strongly supported

    Equipment · Pizza in a kamado · from Base burns before the top is done

    Why it fits
    • Applies only if you are using "Pizza in a kamado".
    How to tell it apart
    The base was black almost instantly, and there is no heat deflector fitted between the fire and the stone.
    Rescue it now
    Stop and let the cooker settle. There is no way to rescue this configuration mid-session — the next pizza will burn the same way.
    Next time
    Fit the heat deflector above the firebox or fire ring with the grid and stone above it, and raise the stone as high in the dome as the setup allows so radiated dome heat reaches the toppings.

    Base burns before the top is doneHow to get more char without burning the pizzaHow to get better pizza on a BBQPizza in a kamadoHow heat gets into a pizza

  3. The steel is positioned too low in the oven. Steel transfers heat into the dough several times faster than stone, so a position that would be fine for a stone delivers far too much bottom heat before the top has had any chance to catch up.

    Strongly supported

    Equipment · Cooking on a pizza steel · from Base burns before the top is done

    Why it fits
    • Applies only if you are using "Cooking on a pizza steel".
    How to tell it apart
    The base is dark or blackened while the cheese is still pale and barely melted, and the steel is on a low or middle shelf.
    Rescue it now
    Move the pizza off the steel onto a cooler shelf or a bare rack for the remaining time, and finish the top under the grill.
    Next time
    Move the steel to the upper third of the oven, and expect a shorter bake than on a stone — check the base early. If it still runs hot, slide an empty tray onto the shelf below to intercept direct bottom heat.

    Base burns before the top is doneHow to get more char without burning the pizzaHow to get better pizza on a BBQCooking on a pizza steelHow heat gets into a pizza

  4. A pan preheated for crisping is being used for a bake that is far too long for it. Cast iron holds heat hard, and a 30–45 minute bake in an aggressively preheated pan cooks the base for the entire duration.

    Generally accepted

    Equipment · Pizza in a cast-iron pan · from Base burns before the top is done

    Why it fits
    • Applies only if you are using "Pizza in a cast-iron pan".
    How to tell it apart
    The base is dark and hard where it met the pan, on a long bake such as a deep-dish or a thick pan pizza.
    Rescue it now
    Move the pan to a higher shelf, with a baking tray on the shelf below to shield it from direct bottom heat, if the interior still needs time.
    Next time
    For long pan bakes, start from a cool or lightly warmed pan and drop the oven to around 220 °C. Save the hot-preheat-and-oil method for short bakes where crisping is the goal.

    Base burns before the top is doneHow to get more char without burning the pizzaHow to get better pizza on a BBQPizza in a cast-iron panHow heat gets into a pizza

  5. Most likely the stone floor's temperature has climbed through the session. If the burner runs high between pizzas it keeps charging the floor, so a floor that was correct for the first bake can be well past it a few pizzas later.

    Generally accepted

    Bake environment · Pizza in a gas pizza oven · from Base burns before the top is done

    Why it fits
    • Applies only if you are using "Pizza in a gas pizza oven".
    How to tell it apart
    The first pizza was fine and each subsequent one has been darker underneath, with the rim still colouring normally.
    Rescue it now
    Turn the flame down or off and give the floor several minutes to rest before the next launch.
    Next time
    Measure the floor with an infrared thermometer rather than trusting the oven's air temperature, and rest or actively cool the floor between pizzas. Roughly 400–450 °C suits a Neapolitan bake; above that, bases darken too fast.

    Base burns before the top is doneHow to get more char without burning the pizzaHow to get better pizza on a BBQPizza in a gas pizza ovenHow heat gets into a pizza

How this works

Every cause shown is one PizzaHQ has already documented, either on a symptom page or as an equipment-specific branch. The troubleshooter does not invent causes; it ranks the documented ones against what you told it.

A cause starts from its recorded evidence confidence and its editorial rank within its symptom. An equipment-specific cause for the equipment you used rises sharply, and causes for equipment you are not using are set aside. A kind of cause (bake environment, fermentation, toppings…) that also explains another thing you saw rises again — one explanation for two observations is more likely than two separate faults.

If you name a style, its recorded equipment fit, bake temperature and bake time are compared with yours; a bake far outside the style's range, or equipment PizzaHQ records as a compromise for that style, raises the heat and equipment causes and says why.

Assumptions

  • Causes are bucketed — most likely, also possible, less likely — rather than given a percentage; the underlying ranking is additive and every addition is listed under 'Why it fits'.
  • 'How to tell it apart' is the observation PizzaHQ records as distinguishing that cause from the symptom's others.
  • Bake temperature and time only count when a style is chosen, because they are judged against that style's recorded range.

Limitations

  • Only documented symptoms can be diagnosed. If what you see is not listed, the closest symptom page is the better starting point.
  • Equipment-specific branches exist where equipment genuinely changes the answer; most dough-stage problems have none, by design.
  • A ranking is a starting point for checking, not a verdict — the distinguishing observations are there so you can confirm or rule out each cause yourself.

Related