How hot should a pizza oven be?

For a real, traditional Neapolitan pizza, you need serious heat. In a professional pizza oven, the temperature is often around 430°C to 485°C, and with the Nero, you can achieve that at home as well.

The ideal temperature:

On the Nero stone: At least 350°C to 400°C. Warmer is better, but also faster and therefore slightly more difficult.

Why is this heat crucial?

A Neapolitan pizza must bake lightning fast (between 60 and 90 seconds). This ensures:

The "Oven Spring": Due to the intense heat, the gases in the dough expand instantly, creating that characteristic airy, thick crust (cornicione).

Leopard print: The black speckles on the crust only form at very high temperatures without the rest of the pizza drying out.

Texture: The outside becomes crispy, while the inside remains soft and elastic.

With the Nero thermo gun, you can accurately measure how hot the stone is. Wait until the Nero reaches 375 degrees in the center of the stone. Then set the Nero to the lowest setting and use the pizza peel to slide your pizza into the oven.