Festa Oven Quick Reference Guide
This guide is designed to serve as a reference for you as you learn to use your new Festa pizza oven.
🔥 Oven Preparation
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Gas safety: Check all hose connections for tightness and ensure no gas smell.
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Ignition:
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Never put your head near the oven front while lighting.
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Light top burner first (right knob), then bottom burner (left knob).
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Hold knob until gas fills the chamber—releasing too soon may extinguish the flame.
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Visibility: Bottom burner can be hard to see in daylight—look for a small flame over the left guardrail.
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Heating:
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Start both burners on high to preheat.
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Monitor with built-in gauge or temperature gun.
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Reduce top burner to mid/low to avoid overheating; bottom burner usually stays high.
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Stone rotation: Always keep the stone rotating when the bottom burner is on, or risk hot spots and burnt pizza.
🍞 Dough Ball Preparation
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Always plan to make one extra pizza just in case you burn one. If not, then just enjoy the leftovers!
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Form dough balls round and tight to avoid thin spots and tip sag.
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Let dough reach room temperature before stretching.
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Handle gently—keep the gas/air for light, crispy crusts.
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Season your pizza screen before first use and lightly oil before each bake.
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Do not leave stretched dough on the screen more than 5 minutes before baking.
🍕 Baking Pizza
Recommended Temperatures & Times
| Style | Temp °F | Temp °C | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 750–850 | 340–400 | 3–5 min |
| Neapolitan | 850–950 | 450–510 | 60–90 sec |
| Detroit | 500–600 | 260–315 | 8–12 min |
| Tavern/Thin | 500–650 | 285–345 | 5–7 min |
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Turn off stone rotation only when inserting/removing pizza, then restart immediately.
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For screens, use pliers or a pan gripper to place the pizza screen in the middle of the stone. Use the peel when not using the screen.
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Top cooks faster than bottom: lower or turn off top burner during bake, then relight to finish.
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If bottom lacks color: remove pizza from screen after 1.5–2 minutes and place directly on stone.
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Check bottoms carefully—lift just 1–2 inches without disturbing placement on the stone or hitting the oven ceiling.
🧹 Cool Down, Clean Up & Storage
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Allow oven to fully cool before moving.
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Disconnect propane or natural gas when not in use.
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Clean firebox by removing stone and blowing, vacuuming, or sweeping debris.
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Store covered in a safe, dry place to extend lifespan.