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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. Insufficient flour or semolina between the dough and the peel

    Generally accepted

    Shaping · from Pizza sticks to the peel

    Without a dry, low-friction layer, dough gradually bonds to a wooden or metal peel, especially once wet toppings are added.

    Why it fits
    • Recorded cause of "Pizza sticks to the peel", ranked 1 of 2 by PizzaHQ's editors.
    How to tell it apart
    The dough grips as soon as it is placed on the peel, or patches of bare peel show beneath it when lifted.
    Rescue it now
    Shake the peel gently and use a bench scraper to release stuck edges before attempting to launch
    Next time
    Use enough semolina or flour under the dough, and top and launch as quickly as practical

    Pizza sticks to the peelCooking on a pizza stonePeels and launchingUsing bought pizza dough and pizza kits

  2. Pizza left sitting on the peel too long before launching

    Generally accepted

    Workflow and timing · from Pizza sticks to the peel

    The longer wet dough and toppings sit, the more moisture migrates down and encourages sticking.

    Why it fits
    • Recorded cause of "Pizza sticks to the peel", ranked 2 of 2 by PizzaHQ's editors.
    How to tell it apart
    The pizza slid freely when first placed, but stuck after slow topping or a long wait before launching.
    Rescue it now
    Shake the peel gently and use a bench scraper to release stuck edges before attempting to launch
    Next time
    Use enough semolina or flour under the dough, and top and launch as quickly as practical

    Pizza sticks to the peelCooking on a pizza stonePeels and launchingUsing bought pizza dough and pizza kits

Also possible

  1. Metal is smooth and cool and dough adheres to it readily, and dough left dressed on any peel progressively wets its underside as sauce and moisture soak through.

    Generally accepted

    Equipment · Peels and launching · from Pizza sticks to the peel

    Why it fits
    • Applies only if you are using "Peels and launching".
    How to tell it apart
    The dough stuck to a smooth metal peel, or stuck after sitting dressed on the peel for several minutes.
    Rescue it now
    Lift an edge, blow or slide dusting underneath, and launch decisively — a hesitant, stop-start motion is what tears dough.
    Next time
    Launch from a wooden peel and retrieve with a metal one. Build fast, shake the peel to check the dough moves freely before topping and again before launching, and never let a dressed pizza wait.

    Pizza sticks to the peelPeels and launchingUsing bought pizza dough and pizza kits

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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