Soggy Bottom

I hesitated to open the thread in case you were complaining that you had a soggy bottom?

Stone hot enough ?

Runny sauce ?

Large numbers of "wet" toppings ?

I don't use a pizza stone, I put mine on a tray but I find that if I don't cook the bases for a bit before putting the topping on them the they tend to go soggy.

I think on Dragon's Den a while ago, someone went on it with a solution to soggy bottoms on Pizza. ? He had apparently spent years developing this thing. Two Dragons made him an offer. Maybe run a google search and see if it's on the market yet? It was some sort of metallic thing that raised the pizza base slightly so air could pass under it.

Failing that, could you put the pizza on a shelf rather than on a baking tray, just to allow the hot air to circulate under the pizza?

I would agree on the too many toppings/sauce front but have you tried those round pizza trays with holes in them? seem to work for me....higher temperature maybe?

What pie said. you need your oven on top whack.

also depends on the base youre using - can you post up the recipe?

you cant really do that - its too floppy

Thanks for the replies.

I've just realised that I didn't warm the stone up before I used it last time so I guess that didn't help ?

I use tinned toms then add herbs and garlic for my sauce. Maybe I should watch its not too runny next time.

Does it make a difference what order you put things? Should I be putting cheese on before or after the toppings? Or both?

Cold stone = soggy bottom. i have a piece of polished but unsealed granite that i use for baking bread on - a fiver from a kitchen store (work top offcut, its an inch thick so holds the temp well). make sure the stone is in the oven when you turn it on, and wait 15 mins after the light has gone off to ensure its the same temp as the oven.

tomato sauce first, thin layer, then cheese then whatever else. i keep it all pretty thin so it cooks super quickly

Thanks again

Lots more pizza practice I think. My H will be happy.