From the moment of ordering a pizza at your restaurant or store, the anticipation begins. Your customer can’t wait to take that first bite. What they aren’t craving, though, is sinking their teeth into a burned or too-bubbly pizza crust. Avoid leaving a bad taste in their mouths (literally and figuratively) by following these best practices that prevent bubbly, burned pizza crust.
When pizza dough ingredients are combined during prep, the sugar and yeast ferment and trap carbon dioxide and moisture in the dough. The carbon dioxide and moisture expand when resting (or proofing) and create bubbles of various sizes.
Pizza dough is supposed to rise a bit in the oven, with the high oven temperature causing an effect called “oven spring.” Oven spring happens when the heat hits the carbon dioxide and moisture in the dough, making the dough puff up. However, too much rising and bubbling creates big air pockets in the crust, leading to uneven texture and doneness. Toppings can also slide off the uneven, too-bubbly surface of the pizza.
If you're making your own dough, it's important to scale, ball, and wipe your dough balls with salad oil to prevent drying (most pre-made dough balls will already come scaled, balled, and oiled on top). Place dough balls on your sheet pans, about two inches apart. Stack your trays, maintaining a three-inch gap between the stacks *and* between the trays and cooler wall. After the dough has reached 40°F, stacks can be moved closer together.
Once in the cooler, let the dough balls sit for at least 24 hours (48-72 hours, ideally). You'll know the dough is perfectly proofed once it's slightly yellow and expands to 1.5 to 2 times its original size. Proofing correctly is key, because using under-proofed dough creates too many crust bubbles, while using over-proofed dough will result in a crust that's too flat.
Rushing your dough balls from cooler to oven invites bubble development. Instead, allow dough balls to warm slightly at room temperature before working into a crust. Some operations successfully avoid bubbles by allowing the dough balls to warm to five degrees above cooler temperature; however, a two-hour rest at room temperature is recommended.
If other methods aren't working, or if you have a dough recipe that tends to bubble, the spiked rolling pin known as a dough docker could be your hero. Docking works well for most dough types, with a few caveats:
Pizza crust can burn for many different reasons, but it's usually a result of temperature being too high, pizza not being rotated regularly, or flour burning on the baking surface.
Burning is bad. But a golden-brown crust is what we all seek. That coloring is caused by the Maillard reaction (pronounced my-yard), a chemical reaction that happens when amino acids (protein) in flour and sugars meet. When that happens, you get a well-browned crust and complex flavors. The reaction happens around 280°F in pizza crust.
Pizza crust browns, of course, but the classic Maillard reaction example comes from browning steak. We invite you to get double the Maillard goodness when you use steak on your pizza.
Customers find lightly charred crusts from wood-burning ovens appetizing. Burnt crusts from non-wood-burning ovens, on the other hand, are a turn-off. Knowing your oven type and how it impacts temperature and baking time can help. Use this handy guide:
The sugar content of your dough can affect bake times and encourage burning. The greater the sugar levels, the shorter the bake time. The opposite holds true for dough with low or no sugar content; these pizzas will take longer to bake.
Common practices for baking directly on oven decks include using flour to help dough release cleanly from the peel, but it can also contribute to burn. Using flour means the dough will be in bery close contact with the oven deck surface for excellent, but too rapid heat transfer to the dough. Some operators use cornmeal to fix sticky pizza dough because cornmeal dust creates an insulating air gap between the dough and the deck, which prevents burning.
In addition to these best practices, aligning your choice of dough balls and crusts with the oven you have is key. Check out our article, How to Pick the Right Pizza Dough for Your Restaurant, Pizzeria, Entertainment Venue, and More for help choosing the right pizza products for your oven and business goals.
This article was originally published in June 2019. It was updated in March 2026.