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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. Low-moisture, high-fat cheese exposed to very high heat for too long

    Generally accepted

    Cheese · from Cheese burns

    Cheeses with less water to evaporate first reach browning, and then burning, temperatures faster.

    Why it fits
    • Recorded cause of "Cheese burns", ranked 1 of 2 by PizzaHQ's editors.
    How to tell it apart
    The burning is spread across all the cheese, which is a dry, aged or low-moisture type, after a long or very hot bake.
    Rescue it now
    Not fixable once burnt; scrape off visibly burnt patches if the rest of the pizza is otherwise fine
    Next time
    Match cheese choice to bake temperature and time, and watch closely rather than relying on a fixed timer near very high heat

    Cheese burnsHow to get more char without burning the pizzaHow to get cheese to behave betterUsing the grill or broiler for pizzaPizza in an air fryerHow cheese melts, stretches and releases oil

  2. Cheese placed too close to a very hot top element (e.g. a broiler)

    Generally accepted

    Bake environment · from Cheese burns

    Direct proximity to intense top heat accelerates browning past the point of control.

    Why it fits
    • Recorded cause of "Cheese burns", ranked 2 of 2 by PizzaHQ's editors.
    How to tell it apart
    The burning is worst on the highest points and appears quickly, with the pizza on a high rack or under a grill.
    Rescue it now
    Not fixable once burnt; scrape off visibly burnt patches if the rest of the pizza is otherwise fine
    Next time
    Match cheese choice to bake temperature and time, and watch closely rather than relying on a fixed timer near very high heat

    Cheese burnsHow to get more char without burning the pizzaHow to get cheese to behave betterUsing the grill or broiler for pizzaPizza in an air fryerHow cheese melts, stretches and releases oil

Also possible

  1. The element is directly above the basket with very little headroom, so the top of the pizza — the cheese and anything mounded on it — takes the most intense heat and browns far faster than in an oven at the same setting.

    Generally accepted

    Bake environment · Pizza in an air fryer · from Cheese burns

    Why it fits
    • Applies only if you are using "Pizza in an air fryer".
    How to tell it apart
    The cheese has blackened on the highest points within the first few minutes, while the base underneath is still pale.
    Rescue it now
    Turn the temperature down and continue; do not lay loose foil or paper over the top, because the fan can lift it towards the element.
    Next time
    Use a lower setting for longer, keep cheese and toppings spread flat rather than piled, and choose a pizza or slice thin enough to sit well below the element. For packaged pizza, follow the pack's air-fryer setting if it gives one.

    Cheese burnsHow to get more char without burning the pizzaHow to get cheese to behave betterPizza in an air fryerHow cheese melts, stretches and releases oil

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.

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