Valentino's
Baking Tips & Instructions
Every pizza leaves our store with these same instructions printed right on the box — here they are again in case you need them, plus a couple of ways to switch things up.
Standard Oven Instructions
- Adjust your oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 450°F.
- Remove the plastic wrap and slide the pizza off the cardboard onto the middle rack — leave the parchment paper underneath the pizza.
- Bake for 10–15 minutes, or to your liking. Check at the 10-minute mark since ovens vary. Do not bake on the cardboard.
- Slide the baked pizza back onto the cardboard and remove from the oven carefully, using both hands.
- Let it cool for a couple of minutes, then cut and serve — it'll be hot!
Tips: for best results, bake one pizza at a time (two only if you're using a convection oven with similar toppings on both). Refrigerate any unbaked pizza for up to 2 days; if it's been in the fridge, let it sit out 1–2 hours to come to room temperature before baking.
Don't: bake on the cardboard, freeze the pizza, bake it cold, microwave it, or put it into an oven that hasn't finished preheating.
BBQ Grill Instructions
Want an extra-crispy crust? Try baking our pizza on your grill at home — it's simple, and it gives the crust a nice char you can't get in the oven.
- Set your grill to 400°F, or medium heat.
- Once it's up to temperature, slide the pizza off the cardboard onto the grill, leaving the parchment paper underneath — the paper stays under the pizza as it cooks.
- Shut the lid and cook for 3 minutes.
- Open the lid and rotate the pizza 180° so it cooks evenly, then shut the lid and cook for another 4 minutes.
- Check the bottom of the crust to see if it's done. If not, check again every minute.
- Slide it back onto the cardboard, holding underneath with both hands.
- Let it cool for 5 minutes, then cut and serve.
Notes: keep an eye on the bottom of the crust near the end — grills run hotter than ovens, and cooking above 400°F can finish the bottom before the top catches up. If you're using a pizza stone, preheat it on the grill first, and still keep the pizza on its parchment paper on top of the stone.
S'mores Dessert Pizza
Our S'mores Pizza needs a lower, slower bake than our regular pizzas — otherwise the marshmallows will burn before the crust catches up.
Follow the same steps as the standard oven instructions above, but preheat to 325°F and bake for 15–20 minutes, until the marshmallows are toasted golden brown.
Reheating Leftovers
Already-baked pizza (or a baked personal pizza you didn't finish) reheats best in the oven or a toaster oven, not the microwave — the microwave will get it hot, but it also makes the crust soggy.
Preheat to 350°F and warm slices on a baking sheet for about 8–10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the crust has crisped back up. A few minutes in a skillet on the stovetop over medium-low heat (covered, to melt the cheese) works well too.