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Introducing the ZaDome Pizza Oven
Jul
Welcome to the ZaDome Pizza Oven. Whether you’re making your first pizza or simply learning how the ZaDome works, this guide will walk you through the entire process—from heating the oven to baking your first high-temperature pizza.
Unlike traditional pizza ovens that rely on a continuous flame or heating element during cooking, the ZaDome stores heat in heavy carbon steel before the pizza is baked. That stored energy creates the intense heat needed for exceptional pizza while giving you precise control over the baking process.
In this guide, we’ll explain how ZaDome works, show you how to prepare a simple pizza, and demonstrate how to bake it. The accompanying videos illustrate each step, but the information below is designed to stand on its own.
How the ZaDome Works
The ZaDome consists of two heavy carbon steel cooking surfaces that are heated separately before baking begins.
Inside the dome is a thick carbon steel plate that stores an enormous amount of heat. Before cooking, this plate is lowered into its heating position and heated until the built-in thermometer indicates the desired temperature—typically around 750 to 800°F for Neapolitan-style pizza.
The second component is the included carbon steel baking plate. This plate is heated separately, usually to about 475–500°F. An infrared thermometer, included with the ZaDome, allows you to accurately measure its surface temperature.
Heating these two components independently gives you complete control over how your pizza bakes. If you prefer a crispier bottom crust, simply increase the baking plate temperature. If you want more browning on top, raise the dome temperature. Unlike many pizza ovens where both cooking surfaces are tied together, the ZaDome allows you to adjust each one independently to suit your dough and your personal preferences.
Video 1: Introducing the ZaDome Pizza Oven
Preparing Your Pizza
The ZaDome works with homemade dough, store-bought dough, or your favorite family recipe.
For this demonstration, we use an 8-ounce dough ball to make a classic Margherita pizza, but the same process applies to virtually any style of pizza.
Stretch the dough to approximately 10 to 12 inches and place it on a pizza peel dusted with cornmeal or semolina flour. Either works well, but cornmeal provides excellent release and adds a pleasant texture to the finished crust.
Apply your sauce, cheese, and toppings, taking care not to overload the pizza. High-temperature baking works best when the toppings are balanced, allowing the crust to cook properly while the cheese melts evenly.
Before moving to the oven, gently shake the peel to confirm that the pizza slides freely. If necessary, lift the edge and add a little more cornmeal before baking.
Video 2: Preparing a Margherita Pizza
Baking with Stored Heat
Once both the dome and baking plate have reached their target temperatures, you’re ready to bake.
Slide the pizza onto the hot baking plate. Raise the internal carbon steel plate into its cooking position until the locking mechanism engages securely. Then place the dome over the pizza.
Now comes the step that surprises most first-time users.
Turn off the burners.
From this point forward, the pizza cooks entirely from the heat stored in the carbon steel.
The initial high temperature quickly causes the dough to expand, creating the light, airy crust associated with authentic high-temperature pizza. As the stored heat gradually decreases, the pizza continues baking more gently, allowing the toppings and crust to finish cooking evenly.
Most pizzas bake in approximately three minutes, although the exact time depends on the dough, toppings, and temperatures you’ve chosen.
One advantage of the ZaDome is that the dome retains significant residual heat. If you’d like to check the pizza, simply lift the dome, inspect the bake, and replace it for another 15 to 30 seconds if additional cooking is needed.
Video 3: Baking Your First Pizza
Fine-Tuning Your Results
The recommended temperatures in this guide are excellent starting points, but every dough recipe behaves a little differently.
One of the ZaDome’s greatest strengths is the ability to independently adjust the dome and baking plate temperatures. With just a few pizzas, you’ll discover the combination that produces your ideal crust—whether you prefer a soft Neapolitan-style pizza, a crisp New York-style pizza, or something in between.
Experimenting with different temperatures is part of the fun, and the flexibility built into the ZaDome allows you to tailor each bake to your own preferences.
More Than a Stovetop Pizza Oven
Although this tutorial demonstrates stovetop cooking, the ZaDome was designed to be portable and adaptable. The same cooking principles can be used on a gas grill, over a campfire, or on a fire pit, making it easy to enjoy authentic high-temperature pizza almost anywhere.
This is just the beginning. Future tutorials will explore different styles of pizza, additional cooking techniques, and many other foods that can be prepared with the ZaDome.
We hope this introduction gives you the confidence to make your first pizza and inspires you to continue experimenting with everything the ZaDome can do.
