The pizza party usually ends when the cheese and pepperoni run out. But if your pizza oven is still hot, you are missing an opportunity. The residual heat left over from dinner is actually the ideal environment for baking dessert.
Most people don't realize that the same high heat that creates a crispy savory crust can also be used to make patisserie-style sweets. The S'mores Fruit Pizza is the perfect example. It takes the familiar flavors of a campfire treat—toasted marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers—and elevates them with a fresh fruit topping and a chewy, wood-fired crust. It is a simple, effective way to get more value out of your fuel and equipment.
Choosing the Right Base for Your Dessert
The foundation of this dessert is the crust. A common question for beginners is: Can you use regular pizza dough in a pizza oven for sweet recipes?
The answer is yes. In fact, standard pizza dough is excellent for this. The dough usually contains a bit of salt, which provides a necessary contrast to the sweetness of the chocolate and marshmallows. It creates a "salted caramel" effect that balances the flavor profile. If you are using standard dough, the key is to stretch it thinner than you would for a savory pizza. You want it to bake into a crispy, cracker-like base rather than a thick, bready one.
However, if you want to experiment with texture, you have other options:
- Store-bought Flatbread: This is a good shortcut if you are short on time. It results in a very thin, crispy finish.
- Puff Pastry: This creates a flaky, croissant-like base. Note that puff pastry requires a lower temperature (around 400°F), so you must wait for the oven to cool down significantly before using it.
The "Sauce" and Toppings
For a savory pizza, the moisture comes from the tomato sauce. For a dessert pizza, we need a high-fat spread to protect the dough and provide flavor.
The Chocolate Layer
Replace the marinara with a rich chocolate-hazelnut spread (like Nutella). The oil content in the hazelnuts helps keep the chocolate smooth even under high heat. You can also use cookie butter or a sweetened cream cheese mixture, but chocolate is the classic choice for a s'mores profile.
Selecting the Right Fruit
Adding fruit cuts through the heavy sugar and adds freshness. But you must choose carefully. What is the best fruit to put on fruit pizza?
- Bananas: These are the best performers in a pizza oven. The heat caramelizes the natural sugars, making the banana slices soft and custard-like.
- Strawberries: Sliced thinly, strawberries roast well. They release just enough juice to flavor the chocolate without making the crust soggy.
- Avoid: Melons or citrus. These fruits contain too much water. In a high-heat environment, they will boil and release liquid rapidly, turning your crisp crust into a soggy mess.
The S'mores Element
To replicate the campfire experience, you need marshmallows. Use mini marshmallows rather than large ones. Mini marshmallows cover more surface area and melt faster, which is crucial in a fast-baking environment.
Baking Technique: The Key to Perfection
This is where most people fail. You cannot simply assemble the pizza and throw it in the oven like a pepperoni pie. Sugar burns at a much lower temperature than cheese. If you launch a raw dough topped with chocolate into a hot oven, the toppings will burn black before the dough is cooked.
To succeed, you must use the Par-Baking Method:
- Bake the Dough First: Stretch your dough and prick it with a fork to prevent bubbling. Launch the naked dough (no toppings) into the oven. Bake it for 60 to 90 seconds until it is pale golden and fully set.
- Add Toppings: Remove the crust from the oven. Working quickly while it is warm, spread the chocolate, arrange the bananas and strawberries, and scatter the marshmallows.
- The Flash Bake: Can you make s'mores in a pizza oven? Yes, but speed is everything. Return the pizza to the oven for just 30 to 45 seconds. Keep it near the front of the oven (away from the flame). You are only trying to toast the marshmallows. As soon as they turn golden, pull the pizza out.
Why the Pizza Oven Is Perfect for This
You might wonder if it is easier to just make this in a kitchen oven. While possible, the result is different.
A conventional home oven uses convection heat, which cooks slowly. By the time the marshmallows are toasted in a kitchen oven, the fruit is often overcooked and mushy, and the crust might be dry.
A pizza oven, even when cooling down, provides intense radiant heat. This heat hits the marshmallows instantly, creating a crispy outer shell while keeping the inside gooey. Simultaneously, the hot stone keeps the bottom of the crust crisp. This contrast in textures—crispy bottom, soft fruit, toasted marshmallow—is what makes the outdoor method superior.
Final Touches for a Wow-Factor
Once the pizza is out of the oven, the residual heat will continue to melt the chocolate slightly. This is the time to add delicate toppings that cannot handle the heat of the oven.
- Crunch: Sprinkle crushed graham crackers or toasted hazelnuts on top for texture.
- Sweetness: A drizzle of caramel sauce or a dusting of powdered sugar adds a professional finish.
- Contrast: A scoop of vanilla ice cream placed in the center of the hot pizza creates a hot-and-cold sensation that guests love.
Make Dessert Pizza Tonight
Your outdoor kitchen is capable of much more than just savory main courses. By understanding how to manage residual heat and using the par-baking technique, you can turn a simple ball of dough into a high-end dessert. The S'mores Fruit Pizza is just the beginning of what you can create.
If you are looking to expand your outdoor cooking capabilities, reliable equipment is essential. Big Horn Outdoors® offers a range of pizza ovens and accessories designed to give you precise control over your cooking, from the first slice of pepperoni to the final bite of dessert. Explore our collection today to upgrade your backyard experience.
FAQs about Pizza Oven Baking
Q1: Can you make s'mores in a pizza oven?
Yes, and if you're careful, they're often better than s'mores made over a flame. A pizza oven's high heat quickly toasts marshmallows, making the outside crispy and the middle gooey and melted. However, pizza ovens get very hot very quickly, so the sugar burns very easily. To make it work, let the oven cool down slightly or use the residual heat after cooking pizzas. Put the s'mores near the oven's door (where it's cooler) instead of near the flame in the back. Turn the pan frequently. They will probably catch fire or melt if you leave them alone for more than 30 seconds.
Q2: What is the best fruit to put on fruit pizza?
The best fruits are bananas and strawberries. You need fruit that doesn't lose its shape too quickly.
Bananas: These are the best. The heat turns the natural sugars in the banana slices into caramel, which makes them soft, sweet, and custard-like.
Strawberries: When sliced thin, strawberries roast well and add a tart taste that balances out the overall sweetness.
Do not use watermelon, melons, or citrus fruits. These foods are mostly water. They will boil in the oven and make your crispy pizza crust soft and wet.
Q3: Can you put ready made pizzas in a pizza oven?
Yes, but you need to cook them at lower heat. Store-bought pizzas that are kept in the fridge are made to be baked in home ovens. To help them cook at 400°F, their dough usually has extra sugar and oil in it. That extra sugar will burn right away if you put them in a pizza oven at 900°F. Let your pizza oven cool down to between 500°F and 600°F before you try to cook these. To make sure the toppings cook before the bottom burns, turn the pizza frequently.
Q4: Can you use regular pizza dough in a pizza oven?
Yes, regular dough works perfectly. Dessert pizzas don't need a special recipe. Regular pizza dough is made with flour, water, yeast, and salt. It's salty enough so that it tastes like "salted caramel" when you put sweet toppings like Nutella or fruit. This combination prevents the dessert from tasting too sweet. Just make sure to stretch the dough out thinly so that it cooks into a cracker-like base instead of thick bread.
Q5: Can I cook a frozen pizza in my pizza oven?
Not straight from the freezer. Placing a frozen pizza on top of a pizza stone that is 500°F or higher leads to "thermal shock." This sudden change in temperature could break or crack your clay baking stone. It will also burn on the outside before the frozen middle is cooked.
How to fix it: Take the pizza out of the freezer 30 minutes before you cook it and let it thaw completely. Once it's thawed, you can bake it at low heat between 500°F and 600°F.
