Burnt crust and very very sad cheese

[pizzabr3ad]

I finally got brave enough to try homemade pizza night. Crust turned into a cracker while the cheese barely melted. I was using store dough and a baking sheet. Should I lower the temp or just accept my fate as a calzone guy?

 

[purplehaze]

No worries we have all been there.

I grew up on English muffins with canned sauce and American cheese. LOL

Sounds like maybe a few issues.
-The dough was old or not given enough time to rise. Homemade dough has just 4 ingredients. Here is what I use 500g flour, 325g water, 10g salt and 3g yeast. In a pinch I have made this dough, given it an hour or two to rise and used it with good results. An overnight rise in the frige is better though.
-Store bought shredded cheese has additives that hinder melting. Get some blocks of white cheddar and mozzarella 50/50 and grate them yourself in a food processor or by hand. A sprinkle of parmesan gives it a bit of extra flavor.
-It's possible that you continued to cook the pizza trying to wait until the cheese melted resulting in an overcooked crust.

 

[p1zzaNwine]

I finally got brave enough to try homemade pizza night. Crust turned into a cracker while the cheese barely melted. I was using store dough and a baking sheet. Should I lower the temp or just accept my fate as a calzone guy?

a store dough pizza is okay. I usually leave it out at room temp for an hour first to warm up while preheating my oven to 500F. If you try to shape it fresh out of the fridge, it won’t stretch.
then I shape the dough by dusting the dough ball and using the back of my knuckles to shape it into a vaguely circle shape. Lay down sauce, cheese and toppings.
Once the oven is preheated, slip IT onto preheated pizza stone and bake for around 10 minutes or until the cheese is perfectly browned.

 

[pizzaPizzap1zza]

I finally got brave enough to try homemade pizza night. Crust turned into a cracker while the cheese barely melted. I was using store dough and a baking sheet. Should I lower the temp or just accept my fate as a calzone guy?

it's common for the first time, the cracker like crust and barely melted cheese you had means that the cooking surface wasn't able to effectively transfer heat to the base of the dough, while the top of the pizza wasn't getting enough direct heat to melt the cheese before the dough overcooked
try to preheat the equipment and adjust the temperature and pizza placement