Problems with leppording

[Sussan Estela Olaya]

Hi Christopher Fisher

Welcome to the Scoolinary community! Thanks for your question.

Here are some suggestions you can follow to improve the leoparding on your Neapolitan pizzas:

Oven temperature:

Although you’ve preheated the Ooni for over half an hour, it might be necessary to leave it even longer to ensure it reaches the ideal temperature. In Ooni ovens, especially with Neapolitan pizzas, the cooking temperature should be between 800°F (427°C) and 900°F (482°C). Be sure to use a laser thermometer to check the temperature on the oven floor, as the top may be hotter than the base.

Heat distribution:

Sometimes, leoparding doesn’t develop well if the heat isn’t being distributed evenly. If the heat is concentrated more at the top, it’s harder to achieve a good contrast between the cooked and uncooked areas. Consider moving the pizza around during the cooking process to ensure it gets more uniform heat.

Dough hydration:

You’re working with a 65% hydration, which is quite good for Neapolitan pizzas. However, slightly higher hydration (around 70%) could help achieve a better leoparding reaction, as a more hydrated dough tends to develop better in the oven due to the higher moisture released during cooking.

Type of flour and blend:

Caputo Chef 00 flour has a good protein level, which helps achieve a nice pizza texture. However, the Hayden flour with 10.9% protein may be contributing to less prominent leoparding. You might want to try using just Caputo 00, or if you prefer to use the blend, adjust the proportions so there’s a higher percentage of Caputo in the mix, which could improve leoparding development.

Turning technique:

You mentioned you turn the pizza quickly, which is essential, but make sure to do it as evenly as possible. Avoid leaving the pizza in one place in the oven for too long, as this could prevent the heat from distributing evenly, which affects the leoparding.

Adjusting the temperature after placing the pizza in:

The technique of lowering the oven temperature just before placing the pizza in and then raising it again is valid, but make sure the pizza is centered in the oven to prevent the heat from concentrating in one area. Also, if the oven is too hot, it could cook the pizza too quickly on the outside without giving enough time for leoparding to form.

With these adjustments, you should start seeing an improvement in the leoparding quality.

I hope this information is helpful.

Best regards.

[Sol Damiani]

Hey there Christopher!👋

Welcome to the Scoolinary Community! 😊Join our awesome group of food lovers and share your love of cooking. Everyone’s invited!

I’m Sol Damiani, the Community Builder and I’m from Buenos Aires.

I hope Sussan’s answer helped you. Please let us know if it did.

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