Pizza Raw in the Middle? Here's Why It Happens and How to Fix It
- Fabio
- Mar 10
- 3 min read
If you've ever pulled a pizza out of the oven only to find the outside looks beautifully cooked while the inside is still doughy and undercooked, you're not alone. This is one of the most common pizza problems, and the good news is, it's completely fixable.
But before jumping to solutions, let's understand why it actually happens.
Here's the video version of this article, you can listen to it as it was a podcast:
Why Is My Pizza Cooked Outside But Raw Inside?
The reason is straightforward: the heat didn't reach the core of the pizza. Simply put, the pizza spent too little time in the oven. The exterior, exposed directly to the heat, cooks fast, while the inside doesn't get enough time to fully bake through.
Your instinct might be to just bake it longer. And you're right — but there's a catch. That extra baking time risks overcooking or burning the outside before the inside has a chance to catch up.
It might feel like you're stuck choosing the lesser of two evils. But in reality, you have two real solutions — and both of them work.
Solution 1: Lower Your Oven Temperature
The first solution is to decrease your oven temperature.
A lower temperature allows the pizza to stay inside the oven for a longer time without burning the exterior. This gives the heat enough time to penetrate all the way to the core.
Just because you own a brand-new, purpose-built pizza oven capable of reaching 450°C doesn't mean you have to use it at full blast. It means you can — but you should always match the temperature to your dough.
Here's the key principle to remember:
The higher the baking temperature, the lower the hydration of your dough needs to be.
Push the temperature too high with a wet dough, and you'll always end up with this problem.
Solution 2: Reduce the Water in Your Dough (Hydration)
The second solution is directly linked to the first: reduce the amount of water in your dough.
A lower-hydration dough bakes through more evenly and more quickly. So by the time the inner part is fully cooked, the crust and edges will be baked just right — not burnt, not raw. Traditional pizza napoletana of the old days used to go as low as 55% hydration.
If you're baking at high temperatures and struggling with an undercooked center, lowering your dough's hydration could be the fix you've been looking for.
Summary: How to Fix Pizza That's Raw in the Middle
Problem | Solution |
Outside cooked, inside raw | Lower oven temperature OR reduce dough hydration |
Baking at very high heat | Use a lower-hydration dough |
Want to bake longer without burning | Reduce temperature to extend baking time safely |
Final Thoughts
The next time your pizza comes out with a cooked exterior and a raw center, don't just guess: find the real cause. The heat isn't reaching the core in time. Fix that by either giving it more time at a lower temperature, or by adjusting your dough hydration to match your oven's heat.
Both solutions work. Often, the best results come from combining them.
If you want to dive deeper into this kind of topics, check out The Pizza Geek, the video course that will make you a baking science wizard. You might also consider becoming a member of my YouTube channel, join now to enjoy all the exclusive content!
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