Can You Place Pizza On Oven Rack?

Pizza is the comfort food of most people, and you are probably one who enjoys it. Since you are here, we assume you are trying to make pizza and are curious whether you can place it on the oven rack. Good news! You have come to the right place since we have already researched the answer.

You can place the pizza straight on the oven rack to cook if it is a pizza with a pre-made crust, frozen pizza, or an already cooked pizza that you are just trying to reheat. On the other hand, it would be best if you do not directly place raw pizza dough on the oven rack because it will surely fall through the gaps unless you use a flat oven-safe tray or stone.

You don't want to make your oven messy, so you might want to consider the abovementioned things. And if you want to know more about cooking and placing your pizza in the oven rack correctly, please keep reading.

Why Shouldn't You Place Raw Pizza Dough On Oven Rack?

Pizza dough combines four primary ingredients: flour, yeast, water, and oil. But there is an assortment of pizza dough recipes available out there. You can even opt to put oil on the dough before baking. It is all about producing the perfect dough anyway.

Pizza dough is stretched and pulled until you achieve the right size and thickness you desire. It makes a shapeable, thin surface to place the toppings and sauce.

While the light, airy dough produces a beautiful pizza crust, it doesn't provide for a very sturdy surface when you put it directly on the oven rack. Yes, it will undoubtedly sink to the oven rack's gaps, and all the toppings and sauce will get messy; you will ruin the pizza!

Read more: "How Long Does It Take To Make Pizza Dough?"

How To Properly Cook A Raw Pizza Dough

To cook the pizza dough, we'll need a flat surface. Pizza bakeware, such as a steel plate, baking tray, or baking stone, would typically go on the oven rack. Because the oven has been preheating for a long time, the dough crisps and puffs up very quickly when it reaches the oven. Moreover, instead of drying out, the rapid cooking time offers a pleasant light texture.

Using A Pizza Steel

If you are using a home oven for your pizza, we recommend using a pizza steel plate when making one. It will add extreme heat from below, just like a brick oven. Steel baking plates are more conductive than stones, so they move more heat, don't shatter, and are more effortless to clean.

Check this pizza steel plate on Amazon.

Using A Baking Stone or Pizza Stone

If the pizza steel plate is too expensive for your price range, the other option you can have is a pizza stone. It is an affordable, efficient method to cook pizza on your oven rack.

Check out this baking stone on Amazon.

Use A Clean Ceramic Tile Or A Thick Baking Sheet

If you don't have any of the two mentioned above, you can use a thick baking sheet, clean ceramic tile, or anything conductive that has a bit of mass and can go into the oven.

Ensure that you preheat the baking sheet or the ceramic tile first before placing the raw pizza dough. Placing the dough on a cold surface won't cook it well. In addition, we suggest you use parchment paper, a wooden board, or a pizza peel to move the pizza dough to the oven.

To know more tips about preheating, read: "Should You Preheat A Pizza Stone?"

Cook The Pizza In A Frying Fan

Another option for your raw pizza dough is to cook it in a frying pan.

It would be best to heat the pan up on the stove, drop your dough and stretch it in. The bottom will quickly turn brown, and you will need to assemble your toppings. Then transfer the pan to the broiler after a few minutes and cook it there to provide direct solid heat. Plus, it cooks the pizza really quickly and provides it with a soft texture.

There is also a sheet pan you can use to cook the raw pizza dough effortlessly, usually for thicker crusts. You can also make larger pizzas with ease using a sheet pan. You have to place the raw dough in a well-oiled pan, stretch it, and let it rest to fill the entire pan. Once you finish letting it rest for a few minutes, the following steps are as easy as top and bake.

How To Properly Cook Pre-made Or A Frozen Pizza

It is okay to cook a pre-made and frozen pizza on the oven rack since they are rigid enough. Typically, those two pizza types have already gone through pre-baking, making the dough firm.

However, some frozen pizza is created with raw dough, and you will need to place it on a baking sheet or a pizza pan. If not, it will soften and fall through the oven rack's gaps. So, be aware of the instructions for the pizza you are making.

When cooking a pre-made or frozen pizza, we still suggest using a pizza stone. To achieve the best results, you should preheat the pizza stone first before placing the pizza since it will give additional heat from the base to crisp the pizza better. Moreover, it dramatically reduces the cooking time. So, don't let your pizza burn; keep an eye on it!

Remember to fully heat your oven before you place your pizza, regardless of your method. A hot oven produces an excellent pizza by crisping the base well and browning the crust.

Read: "Should You Prebake Pizza Crust?"

What Goes Into Making A Great Pizza?

The most crucial factor to consider when making a pizza is the time you should remove it from the oven. You should know that the pizza is fully cooked when it already has an excellently crisp base and crust.

As already mentioned above, a hot oven produces a great pizza, and all pizza cooks agree on that matter. To cook your pizza perfectly and thoroughly, you will need enough heat. And having sufficient heat won't make your pizza stay in the oven for a long time, which prevents it from over-drying the toppings, sauce, and most importantly, the crust.

These tips will apply to both pre-made or homemade pizzas. So, what are you waiting for? Try it and create that crispy and saucy pizza that people love!

You can read more about: "How Long To Cook Pizza In The Oven?"

Additional Pizza Dough Tips

We want you to learn the best pizza making, so we want to provide you with these tips:

The dough is too sticky

If you think that the dough is still too sticky, all you have to do is let it rest a bit longer. Doing so will permit the flour to absorb the water entirely.

The dough is tearing

If the dough is left to ferment for overly long or with insufficient protein, it could result in a soft dough, especially if it is warm. So, it would be best to use flour with a much higher protein content.

The dough shrinks back when stretching

It is simple to address; you have to let it rest longer after rolling it into separate dough balls.

Is it okay to freeze the dough?

Yes, you can freeze it. It is okay to freeze the dough balls after you separate them, also.

In Summary

The two most important things to consider when making pizzas are the right amount of cooking time and the right temperature. Ensure that you follow every tip we have provided to achieve that crispy and yummy pizza that everyone will surely love!