Yes, you can make wood-fired pizza at home without a wood-fired oven. A Baking Steel preheated in your regular oven at 500–550°F for one hour delivers the same high-heat, direct-contact cook that makes wood-fired pizza great: crispy, blistered, leopard-spotted crust in under 7 minutes. No fire, no backyard build-out, no $2,000 oven.
I've spent years chasing the perfect crust, testing stones, pans, grills, even makeshift bricks. But the real breakthrough happened right in my home oven with a slab of steel from my family's manufacturing shop.
Do I Really Need a Wood-Fired Oven for Great Pizza?
No — and here's why that's actually good news. Everyone's seen those viral videos: flames roaring, pizza spinning, crust bubbling in sixty seconds. The dream is real, but so is the reality. Not everyone has the budget, space, or patience to fire up an outdoor oven. And most folks don't realize what it takes the traditional way, hours of prep, piles of wood, and a whole lot of waiting.
A real wood-fired oven is a thing of beauty. But wood-fired ovens are not the only way to get that signature crispy, blistered crust and leopard spots.
Truth is, you don't need fire, you need heat, and the right way to deliver it.
What Makes Wood-Fired Pizza So Good?
Here's what pizzerias and wood-fired ovens really do: the oven floor gets insanely hot (think 700°F+), and the pizza cooks in direct contact with that blazing surface. That creates instant oven spring and a perfectly crisp bottom. Your home oven might not hit 900°F, but with a Baking Steel, you can absolutely get the same high-heat effect.
Steel conducts heat 18 times faster than ceramic stone. That's not marketing, that's physics. When your dough hits a preheated Baking Steel, 15 pounds of stored thermal energy transfers into the crust instantly. Same principle as a wood-fired oven floor, just without the firewood.
How Do I Make Wood-Fired Pizza in a Regular Oven?
Here's my go-to method. No nonsense, just results:
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Place your Baking Steel on the top rack.
Preheat your oven as high as it'll go (usually 500–550°F) for at least 45–60 minutes. The steel needs time to fully charge with heat, think of it like a battery. -
Shape and top your dough.
My 72-Hour Pizza Dough is the gold standard for a pizzeria-style result. Less is more on toppings — you want that crust to shine. -
Launch your pizza onto the blazing-hot steel.
Here's my favorite move: Turn on the broiler for the first minute of the bake. That initial burst of overhead heat supercharges oven spring, especially for Neapolitan-inspired or high-hydration doughs.
After that first minute, switch back to bake mode (convection if available) and finish as usual — another 4–6 minutes.- Pro tip: For a classic NY-style pie, skip the broiler and just do a straight 7-minute bake on the steel. The results? Legendary.
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(Optional) Finish under the broiler.
Want even more char on top? Slide the pizza under the broiler drawer for 30–60 seconds at the end. Totally optional, but it's a nice move for bubbly, blistered cheese.
That's it. No fire, no gadgets, no woodpile. Just real-deal pizza in your own kitchen.
Photo: Courtesy of @theloveofpizza — No wood-fired oven, just a hot Baking Steel in a home oven.
Does a Baking Steel Really Beat a Pizza Stone?
It's not even close. A pizza stone absorbs heat slowly and releases it slowly — and it cracks. Cast iron is better, but the pan shape limits your pizza size and it's clunky to work with. The Baking Steel stores more thermal energy per pound than either one, and transfers it to your dough faster. That's why you get oven spring and leopard-spotted char in a 500°F home oven that you'd normally only see in an 800°F wood-fired setup.
"This is the tool that changed my pizza game forever — and it will do the same for you."
How Did the Baking Steel Get Started?
When I first brought home a slab of steel to test in my oven, my wife gave me the classic "here we go again" look. But that Sunday, when the first pizza came out — crisp, bubbly, and perfect — I knew we were onto something. It was the moment I realized you don't need a fancy setup to make wood-fired pizza at home.
And it's not just me. Thousands of home cooks have leveled up their pizza game with a Baking Steel.
"Never thought my home oven could make pizza like this. Game changer!" — Mike, NJ
FAQ: Making Wood-Fired Pizza at Home
Can my home oven really make wood-fired-style pizza?
Absolutely. With a Baking Steel preheated at 500–550°F for one hour and the right dough, you'll get crispy, airy, blistered pizza at home — no fire needed.
How long does it take to bake pizza on a Baking Steel?
Most pizzas bake in 5–7 minutes on a Baking Steel. Neapolitan-style with the broiler trick can finish in as little as 4–5 minutes. Compare that to 10–12 minutes on a stone.
Will my oven get hot enough?
Most home ovens go to 500°F or 550°F. That's more than enough when you're baking on steel — the Baking Steel's thermal mass does the heavy lifting.
What's the best dough for home oven pizza?
Our 72-Hour Pizza Dough is the gold standard. The long cold ferment develops flavor and gives you a light, airy crust with great leopard spotting.
Is the Baking Steel hard to clean?
Nope. Season it like cast iron and just wipe it down. Scrape off any stuck bits with a metal spatula, wash with warm water, dry thoroughly. It lives in my oven full-time.
What else can I make on a Baking Steel?
Bread, cookies, even smash burgers. It's a heat battery that improves everything you bake. Check out our Ultimate Smash Burger recipe.
About the Author
Andris Lagsdin is the founder of Baking Steel. He grew up in his family's steel manufacturing business, Stoughton Steel, where he spent 15 years working with carbon steel built to take extreme heat and abuse. In 2011, he combined that knowledge with his passion for cooking and put a slab of steel in his home oven and the Baking Steel was born. Read more about him here....
More Recipes You'll Love
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72-Hour Pizza Dough Recipe
Our signature dough — perfect for your first bake on the steel. -
Ultimate Smash Burger
Yes, you can use the steel for burgers too. Trust me. -
Rustic Blueberry Galette
Dessert on steel? Absolutely.
Ready to make your own legendary pizza? Shop the Baking Steel here.
