Bake Perfect Pizza in the Charlie Charcoal Oven
Bake Perfect Homemade Pizza in a Charcoal Oven
Charlie reaches 375°C to 400°C (705°F to 750°F) and bakes a pizza in three minutes. Everything a dedicated pizza oven does and more.
The difference? It bakes three at once, completely hands free. No constant turning. No serving one while everyone else waits.
This is pizza at home ... done properly.
Restaurant-quality pizza. At home.
At 375°C to 400°C (705°F to 750°F), Charlie matches the temperatures professional pizza chefs use. That means a lovely, properly blistered crust, light, open texture, and a base with real bite. Authentic Neapolitan-style pizza, every time, using nothing but good quality lumpwood charcoal.
Simple!. Light the charcoal, wait 30 minutes, bake.
Nobody hovering by the oven. Nobody eating a lukewarm slice while the next one bakes. The whole table eats together, which is - we believe - the whole point of pizza night in the first place!
Every Style of Homemade Pizza Works in Charlie
The Charlie Oven can do any pizza, any style. Whether you prefer a thin, blistered Neapolitan base, a thick-crusted Detroit deep dish, a foldable New York slice, or a sourdough pizza with a long-fermented dough, the oven just does it. The style comes down entirely to your dough and toppings.
We have recipes for all of them:
Restaurant Quality Pizza — the go-to recipe for a classic, crowd-pleasing pizza with a light, open crust. A great starting point.
Quick Pizza Dough - when you want homemade pizza on a weeknight without planning ahead. Ready in under an hour from start to finish.
New York Style Pizza - big slices, fold-in-half crust, proper New York attitude.
Detroit Deep Dish Pepperoni Pizza - thick, crispy-edged, cheese right to the crust. Completely different to any other pizza style and outstanding in Charlie.
Pizza Canapés with Autumn Truffle, Serrano Ham and Tunworth Cheese - if you want to use Charlie to genuinely impress, start here.
How to bake pizzas video
Reviews
FAQs
What temperature does Charlie reach for pizza?
375°C to 400°C (705°F to 750°F). This is the authentic range for restaurant-quality and Neapolitan-style pizza baking.
How long does pizza take to cook in Charlie?
Three minutes at 375°C to 400°C (705°F to 750°F).
Why do I need to wait 30 minutes even if the oven reaches temperature sooner?
The oven itself heats quickly, but the pizza stones take longer to reach full temperature. Thirty minutes of heating time ensures the stones are fully saturated with heat, which is what gives you a strong base rise and a properly baked crust. This step makes a noticeable difference to the result.
Do I need a pizza stone?
Yes. The pizza stone is what creates the hot, even contact heat that bakes the base properly. Without it, the base will not achieve the rise and texture that makes a great homemade pizza.
How many pizzas can I cook at once?
Three is the sweet spot, one per rack level, loaded from the top down. You'll need three pizza stones to bake three pizzas at once.
Do I need to turn the pizza while it bakes?
No. Charlie's enclosed design distributes heat evenly throughout the oven, so no turning is needed. Load, close the door, and wait three minutes.
Does charcoal make the pizza taste smoky?
No. The charcoal provides clean, high-temperature heat. The smoky flavour associated with charcoal cooking comes from fat dripping onto coals, which does not happen when baking pizza. Your pizza tastes exactly like your ingredients.
Can I bake Neapolitan pizza in Charlie?
Yes. Neapolitan pizza requires a baking temperature of 370°C to 430°C (700°F to 806°F). Charlie reaches 375°C to 400°C (705°F to 750°F), making it a genuine option for authentic Neapolitan-style pizza at home.
Is Charlie a good pizza oven alternative?
Charlie does everything a dedicated pizza oven does and considerably more. It bakes multiple pizzas simultaneously at high temperature, completely hands-free. Beyond pizza, it is a smoker, a roasting oven, a BBQ, and a grill. One oven. Made in Britain.
How much charcoal do I need to bake pizzas?
Between three-quarters and one football-size amount of good quality lump charcoal. The smaller amount works for one to two rounds; a full football size sustains consistent heat for three to four rounds, making it the better choice for feeding a group.
Where should I position the charcoal in the oven?
Always place the charcoal towards the back of the oven. When you open the door, heat rises from the front of the fire bed first. Keeping the coals at the back means you can reach in to load and retrieve pizzas comfortably, without the full force of the heat hitting you.
Should I close the air-vents when baking the pizzas in the oven?
No, leave both vents fully open throughout a pizza session. Opening the door to load and remove pizzas causes the temperature to dip slightly each time. Open vents allow Charlie to recover quickly between bakes. Restricting the vents slows that recovery and can affect subsequent rounds.