I was making some pizza today (using up the rest of my dough and most of the sauce from the YR potluck) and the crust kept getting burnt. At 180 degrees it got black (just a bit bitter) so my mother suggested I try 160 degrees and use a proper pan instead of the microwave tray. At 160 it was still getting black (both times I left it in for 15-20 minutes).

someone happened to call and said that Italian pizza is put on a blazing hot oven floor, but left inside for only 90-100 seconds. In other words, the problem was not that the oven was too hot, but that it wasn't hot enough.

This is what happens when you try to do from memory what you've only done once (I also forgot to poke the dough with a fork) - on the YR day I'd delegated lackeys to roll out, top and bake the pizza.