food safari wood fired pizza

• Cast & crew

The wood-fired oven

• Episode aired Jan 21, 2016

Food Safari Fire host Maeve O'Meara explores the versatility and culinary delights of the Wood fired oven from the healthy 6 minute standup fish to Neapolitan pizza, slow-cooked goat, sourdo... Read all Food Safari Fire host Maeve O'Meara explores the versatility and culinary delights of the Wood fired oven from the healthy 6 minute standup fish to Neapolitan pizza, slow-cooked goat, sourdough bread and sensational Greek pie. Food Safari Fire host Maeve O'Meara explores the versatility and culinary delights of the Wood fired oven from the healthy 6 minute standup fish to Neapolitan pizza, slow-cooked goat, sourdough bread and sensational Greek pie.

• Maeve O'Meara
• Russell Jeavons
• James Brown

• Self - Host
• (credit only)
• Self - Chef
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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• January 21, 2016 (Australia)
• Kismet Productions
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 25 minutes

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Pizza Margherita

“melbourne pizzaolo johnny di francesco has been perfecting pizza his whole life in australia and in naples, and in 2014 he won the huge best pizza in the world competition in parma, italy against 600 competitors from 35 countries. the key is using the best ingredients, mastering the art of rolling the balls, stretching the dough, creating the cornichone or crust, using simple delicious toppings, having access to a wood-fired oven and getting the temperature just right – the optimum is 400°c (750°f).” maeve o'meara, food safari fire.

preparation

Ingredients

• 600 ml (20½ fl oz/2¼ cups) water
• 30 g (1 oz) fine sea salt
• 1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) 00 pizza flour, sifted (the brand Johnny likes is 5 Stagioni)
• 1.5 g (0.05 oz) fresh yeast
• 400 g (14 oz) tinned Italian tomatoes
• 80 g (3 oz) buffalo mozzarella
• handful of fresh basil leaves
• extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Instructions

Cook's notes.

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

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How to Cook Pizza in a Wood Fired Oven: Perfecting the Art of Crust and Flavor

If you've ever dreamed of achieving the pinnacle of pizza perfection, you'll find a wood-fired oven to be your greatest ally. It's an experience that elevates the humble pizza from mere fast food to a culinary event.

Imagine the smoky flavors and the unique crispness that only the intense heat of wood-fire can impart.

Picture a golden crust, just the right amount of char, and toppings bursting with flavor; this is the art of traditional pizza-making right in your backyard.

As you embark on this delicious adventure, you'll discover the nuances of managing the heat , which is crucial to nailing that ideal balance of a crunchy base and succulent toppings.

Cooking with temperatures ranging from a searing 662-752°F (350-400°C) , your wood-fired oven doesn't just cook your pizza—it transforms it.

The high heat ensures a rapid cook, a necessity for creating that iconic crisp yet chewy crust and evenly cooked toppings. Welcome to the world of wood-fired pizza, where every slice is a bite of heaven.

Selecting the Ideal Wood Fired Pizza Oven

Key considerations for your backyard pizza oven.

When venturing into homemade pizza creation, evaluate key aspects such as your financial plan, allotted space outdoors, the volume of pizzas you aim to cook, and the type of fuel you prefer.

A top-tier pizza oven may demand more upfront, but it paves the way for an improved culinary journey and longevity.

Top Choices in Wood Fired Pizza Ovens

Delve into available models, like the high-performing Pizzello Grande Wood-Fired Pizza Oven, which can swiftly attain the high temperatures necessary for authentic pizza making.

Though wood-fired ovens hold a special place for many, don't overlook other fuel options like gas or charcoal, each offering distinctive benefits suited to your style.

Installing Your Outdoor Pizza Companion

After selecting the perfect pizza oven , pick a spot that's even, ventilated, and distant from anything combustible.

Larger ovens might need a solid base, while the more compact, portable ones can rest on a robust support.

Prior to your first pizza, acquaint yourself with the heating method of your oven to guarantee the perfect crisp crust every time.

Crafting the Perfect Wood-Fired Pizza: A Four-Step Guide

Step one: ignite and heat your pizza oven.

To embark on your wood-fired pizza journey, start by heating your pizza oven to the optimal temperature.

Achieving a scorching 700 °F is essential for that authentic wood-fired taste.

While some ovens require an hour to reach this temperature, other models, such as those from Pizzello Grande , can hit the target heat in a mere 20 minutes, ensuring you’re not kept waiting.

Remember, the key is to fire up your oven well before you place your pizza inside.

Step Two: Prepare and Mold Your Pizza Base

A delectable pizza begins with the base—the dough. For an authentic touch, go for the hand-tossed approach.

Molding your dough by hand involves:

• Starting with a dough ball and placing it on a surface dusted with flour.
• Using your fingers, press and shape the ball into a flat disc.
• Keep working the dough until it reaches a roughly 12-inch diameter.

Regular handling will improve your dough-molding skills, leading to a base that's perfectly strong and stretchy.

It is important to resist the urge to employ a rolling pin as it could make the dough too thin in places, affecting the final texture of your crust.

Step Three: Layer on Your Favorite Toppings

While your oven is heating, lavish your shaped dough with toppings, beginning with the pizza sauce.

Blend a concoction of crushed tomatoes, minced garlic, chopped peppers, and a drizzle of olive oil for a classic sauce.

Of course, you're welcome to experiment with other sauce variants like creamy garlic or pesto.

After saucing, scatter a mix of cheeses across the pizza and then layer on meats such as pepperoni, sausage, or Canadian bacon, as well as vegetables like mushrooms, onions, or even some unexpected options like pineapple chunks or a dash of BBQ flavor.

For a vegetarian option, roasted veggies and non-meat substitutes can make for a delicious and satisfying pizza without meat.

Step Four: Cook in Your Wood-Fired Oven

With the toppings set, it’s time to transfer your pizza to the preheated oven. By now, it should have reached 700 °F .

Dust your pizza peel lightly with flour or cornmeal to prevent sticking, then gently slide your pizza onto the hot oven floor.

To achieve a uniformly cooked and crispy crust , rotate your pizza multiple times during baking.

When the cheese bubbles and the crust turns a golden brown, it’s time to take your creation out of the oven.

Allow your pizza to cool slightly for a few minutes before diving in. This brief rest period will enhance your pizza’s flavors and make for a better eating experience.

How Long Does It Take to Make Pizza in a Wood-Fired Oven?

Making pizza in a wood-fired oven is a multi-step process. Here's a breakdown of the time required for each step:

• Knead the dough and add your favorite toppings.
• This step takes less time as you gain experience.
• Build the fire using fire lighters or from scratch.
• Using fire lighters is slightly quicker.
• Heat the pizza oven to 662-752°F (350-400°C).
• The heating time varies depending on your oven.
• This is the quickest part of the process.
• Cooking time depends on the oven temperature and pizza size.

Optimal Temperature for Your Wood Fired Pizza Oven

Insights on achieving wood oven pizza perfection.

To unlock the full potential of pizza-making in your wood-fired oven, understanding the optimal temperature is crucial.

Your oven isn't just a vessel for pizzas; it can cook various dishes, mirroring the versatility of a traditional oven.

For an exemplary pizza, a high temperature of around 700°F is the sweet spot. The intense heat yields a crispy crust with a delectable char, perfecting your pizza in a rapid 90 seconds.

Maintaining this high temperature requires preheating your oven thoroughly before cooking.

However, broadening your culinary repertoire to include other recipes will require temperature adjustments. Here's a guide based on different dishes:

• Baking Bread and Pastries : Aim for a burst of even heat in the beginning to achieve that much-desired crisp crust.
• Roasting Chicken : Maintain the temperature at 350°F to ensure moist, succulent meat without drying out.
• Cooking Red Meats or Pork : Start with a sear at approximately 400°F, then lower to 375°F to complete the cooking process.

For accuracy, use a temperature gauge such as an infrared thermometer. It's more precise and helps you monitor the internal temperature of your oven effectively.

Remember to:

• Preheat : Give your oven ample time to reach the desired temperature before cooking.
• Monitoring Equipment : Invest in a reliable oven thermometer or an infrared temperature gauge.

Maintaining and Adjusting Heat Levels

Managing your oven's temperature is key.

Control the airflow with vents to manipulate oxygen intake—a pivotal aspect in sustaining consistent fire levels for ideal cooking conditions.

Adjustments might be necessary as you find how your specific oven retains heat and responds to changes. This process is as much about practice as it is about precision, so don't hesitate to experiment.

Reflecting on Wood Fired Pizza Mastery

Embracing a wood-fired oven opens up a thrilling spectrum of gastronomic adventures, far beyond just pizza.

With experience, you'll find yourself devising unique recipes, experimenting with diverse dishes ranging from sweet to savory.

Your wood-fired oven is not just a tool but a gateway to expanding your culinary boundaries, and with guidance from sources like Pizzello Ovens , taking the plunge into this delicious journey has never been easier.

Go ahead, gather your ingredients, and prepare to create mouthwatering wood-fired wonders that'll delight your palate!

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The Safari Pizza Co.

The Safari Pizza Co. is a mobile wood fired pizza company run by Alex & Alicia who, after many years travelling and working in Africa, returned to the UK. However they wanted to bring some of the amazing flavours and colours back to the UK.

Alex moved to Botswana in 2014 and spent a year working on a cheetah conservation project in the Kalahari. During his time there he completed his field guide course and worked in the Okavango Delta as a manager at Mopiri Camp. Whilst here Alex had the chance to use a wood fired oven and soon started to make pizzas. He spent many nights practising and perfecting his dough recipes and trying out various sauces. Even with only limited ingredients his wood fired pizzas became popular with guests and staff.

Alicia has many strings to her bow. She is a professional make up artist, ran a successful wedding venue and wine tasting business and as part of the Sandeman Port family is a trained sommelier. She has completed her cookery diploma at Ashburton Cookery School, which included pizza! Alicia has always had a soft spot for Africa and safaris, and has been travelling around it for most of her life. It was one one of these trips that she met Alex.

Whilst out on Safari in South Luangwa National Park in Zambia, they formulated a plan and came up with ‘The Safari Pizza co’. A mobile wood fired pizza business with an African twist. Once back in the UK they just needed a Land Rover Defender and an oven.

Pumba is our trusty Land Rover Defender, sporting a flashy wrap job, a td5 engine and a pizza oven in the back, theres not many places she cant get to too serve up our fantastic pizza.

We have now expanded from our mobile business into our very own bricks and mortar site! We have a super cool pizzeria based in Haywards Heath which opened in September 2022. Here not only can we cater for every day diners, we ALSO have a number of events going on inside the restaurant. These include wine tasting events, pizza making classes, rum and gin tasting evenings and many more. In need of a venue for your event? Look no further, we can offer private hire of the restaurant just for you!

If you don’t happen to be based in Haywards Heath and still wish to sample our pizzas then you are in luck because we also still have our beloved Pumba Land Rover to cater for events and mobile pop ups. Got an event you need some tasty pizzas for? No problem, we can do it all, weddings, birthday parties, kids parties, corporate events etc. Got a venue you need some tasty pizzas served at? Drop us a line, we have been popping up at breweries, vineyards, schools you name it for the last few years now and its always gone down well.

At Safari Pizza Co we like to try and give back and draw attention to some awesome places in Africa.

Lilongwe Wildlife Trust – 10p from every pizza sold in the restaurant is donated to Lilongwe Wildlife Trust in Malawi.

Lilongwe Wildlife Trust (LWT) was established in 2008 when it opened Malawi’s only wildlife sanctuary, Lilongwe Wildlife Centre. Since then it has grown into one of the country’s leading conservation charities, working across wildlife rescue, biodiversity research, conservation justice, environmental education, campaigning and advocacy. Its mission is to save wildlife, campaign for conservation justice and inspire people to value and protect nature in Malawi.

Find out more:   Website   | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

How to Make Italian Style Pizza in a Wood-Fired Oven

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In this guide, we will walk you through our recipe for traditional Italian style thin crispy pizza.

You’ll learn exactly how to build and maintain a wood fire in a traditional brick pizza oven so you can make perfect pizzas every time.

But don’t worry if you don’t have access to a traditional wood-fired oven, I’ll also talk you through some other methods of achieving crispy, salty, chewy, melty delicious Italian style pizza in your own BBQ or grill (or even oven!)

What you’ll need

• a traditional wood burning pizza oven for best results, otherwise a BBQ capable of hot and fast cooking plus a pizza stone
• small sticks of hardwood kindling
• a charcoal chimney starter (optional)
• heat beads or charcoal (optional)
• different sized hardwood sticks to build and maintain your fire
• ingredients as below for your pizza base, plus toppings of your choice
• some eco fire starters and matches or lighter
• a fire poker 
• pizza paddle
• welding gloves or heat resistant gloves (recommended)
• a fire resistant brush

Since this is a recipe for wood fired pizza it stands to reason that you’ll need a wood fired oven!

While this is your best bet, you can get results almost as good with a more portable gas of wood pellet fired oven . We are big fans of Ooni Pizza ovens thanks to their ability to cook at the same temp as a wood fired oven at a fraction of the cost.

Making your pizza bases

If you are taking the time to cook pizza in a wood fired oven, I highly recommend making your own pizza bases

In the next section, we’ll go through everything you need to know to make a great dough, so if you just want to learn how to set up and manage the fire for your oven skip ahead.

Choosing the right flour for your dough

The best flour to use for your pizza dough is type ’00’ flour. Don’t worry, you will be able to get this flour in most supermarkets. So what is ’00’ flour, and why is it best for pizza dough?

The ’00’ refers to the texture of the flour; Italian flours are classified by numbers according to how finely they are ground, from the coarsest ground ‘tipo’ 2, to the finest ’00’. 

So why is ’00’ the best for pizza?

Well, without being too boring around the science of it all, ’00’ flour has low protein, low starch, and low gluten. This makes it soft and perfect for pasta and pizza as its low gluten content makes it stretchy without springing back when you form it into pizza bases.

It also helps prevent it tearing.

Using “00” flour will also help you get a crispy base with a little bit of chewiness without feeling like rubber, and when you cook it on a wood fire with high heat, you’ll get that incredible crust with its puffy little bubbles commonly associated with Italian wood-fired pizza.

Making your dough

You’ll need the following:

• 4 cups of that 00 flour
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil 
• 2 1/2 tsp dry active yeast
• 2 1/2 cups of lukewarm water

This will make you around 8 medium sized pizzas.

Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl, and make a well in the center to add wet ingredients.

Tradition states you mix it directly on a work bench by making a pile of flour, making a well, and slowly incorporating the water, but it’s easier to clean up if it’s in a bowl. 

In a separate jug, mix the water, sugar, oil, and yeast and leave for 5 minutes until it’s bubbling or foaming.

Slowly mix the water mix into the flour, and knead for at least 5-7 minutes, until you’ve got a smooth, silky, elastic dough. You can use a breadmaker if you like.

Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough inside, cover with a clean cloth, and leave in a warm place for an hour or until roughly doubled in size.

Knocking back the dough

Take the dough out onto a floured work surface and work some of the air out of it, kneading again for a couple of minutes.

Split the dough ball into 8 equal balls for the bases and leave again for a further hour until you’re ready to cook. You can chill or freeze these dough balls at this stage if you won’t be cooking for a while.

If you’re chilling them, just cover or wrap in cling wrap and put them into the fridge. Take them out 30 mins before you’re ready to use them. They can be kept in the fridge overnight if you want to do this step ahead of time.

Building your pizza oven fire

A proper wood-fired pizza oven will cook a pizza in just a couple of minutes.

A ceramic pizza oven is the best way to hold heat, but any dome-style pizza oven with proper bricks or tiles as a base will work just fine.

To get your pizza to cook in the same time it takes to get a beer out of the fridge, open it and walk back to see how your pizza is coming along (yes this is an accurate measure of time that I can attest to through experience), the oven needs to be at 700°F or more.

The best way of getting to those kinds of temps is to build up a good coal bank, and use hardwood splits to keep the fire burning throughout the cook in your pizza oven.

We have another article that covers the best wood to use in your pizza oven .

You can achieve this a couple of different ways:

• Use a charcoal chimney to start a full chimney of lump charcoal, then maintain using hardwood splits as per point 6 below.
• Build your coal base from scratch following the instructions below.

Follow these steps to build a charcoal base:

• Starting with some hardwood kindling about 1″ thick, set up a base layer, running 3-4 sticks parallel to each other, spacing them a couple of inches apart in the middle of your pizza oven.
• In between your kindling sticks, place a couple of eco-friendly firelighters. Don’t use liquid firestarter or the white plastic looking firestarters as these will taint the base of your pizza oven with an unpleasant chemical taste, and you’ll be cooking directly on top of this.
• On top of your base layer, place another layer of kindling perpendicular to the first layer, 3-4 sticks with the same spacing as the first layer.

• Keep building the structure in the same way, 3-4 ‘storeys’ high.
• Light your firelighters using a long match or butane stove top lighter. This structure ensures adequate airflow to your fire and will ensure clean, quick combustion.

• Once the kindling is fully alight, start by using some smaller splits of hardwood firewood (oak is good), and gradually increase the size until 1/4 split (5″ or so thick), and burn until you have a sizable coal base in the center of your pizza oven. You can then maintain with medium-sized chunks of firewood. This process from scratch should take around an hour or so, but is worth the effort.

• Once you have a raging hot coal bank, use a long handled poker to push it all to one side of your pizza oven (I also use welding gloves – I learned this the hard way when I singed the hair off my arm the first time!). Building in the center will ensure your fire bricks get nice and hot, enabling the base of your pizza to cook and crisp up nicely. When your coal base is pushed to the side, flames will roll up and across the top of your oven, so you’ll get heat coming from the side and top to cook your pizza perfectly, melting the cheese quickly and ensuring the base doesn’t burn while your cheese not melted.

Throughout this process, make sure that the vents on your chimney stack are fully open for maximum airflow and to ensure a hot, clean burn.

If you have a door on your pizza oven, open the vents if you want to use it, but watch that you’re not smothering the fire. I leave my door completely off or have it ajar halfway open.

Making your pizzas

Traditionally, a pizza should be stretched by hand, slowly working it with your fingertips, pushing outwards, leaving the edges slightly higher than the centre.

Using the ’00’ flour will ensure that you’ll be able to stretch your base out nice and thin without it ripping. When you cook it, it will puff up and bubble slightly, so won’t be as thin as you stretch it.

This video explains the process nicely.

If you’re having difficulty, don’t worry about using a rolling pin (or wine bottle if you can’t find one!) Also, don’t worry if your base is not perfectly round – that just adds to the charm!

Once you’ve stretched your base out it’s time to transfer it to your pizza paddle.

Ensure that you use some semolina flour on your paddle before you transfer the dough. The larger grains of semolina will act almost like ball bearings and will allow you to transfer your pizza easily to the pizza oven, without it sticking to the pizza paddle.

When it’s on your paddle, add your toppings. For a tomato sauce base, you can just use store bought passata, thinly spread tomato paste or just straight tinned tomatoes blended until a pulp.

It’s important that if you are adding things that need to be cooked through, like chicken or bacon, that they are pre-cooked.

The pizza will only be in the oven for a matter of minutes, and this is not long enough to ensure they are cooked through.

I also have a rule in my house when it comes to toppings, much to the disgust of the neighbor’s kids: no more than four.

You really don’t want to pile on heaps of toppings as the base may go soggy, so less is more in this respect.

If you’re using really good quality toppings – and you should – the flavors will be amazing anyway. This isn’t Dominos that you’re aiming for, it’s traditional Italian style.

Once you’ve added your toppings, it’s time for the cheese. I use cherry bocconcini for my pizzas. It’s very close to traditional buffalo mozzarella and comes in little cherry-sized balls which I just tear in half and scatter on my pizza.

As with other toppings, less is more if you want the traditional Italian style pizza. You can use whatever style of cheese you like, I’m not the dairy police. Just don’t use burger cheese slices. 

Cooking your pizza

Now that your pizza oven is approaching the temperature of the surface of the sun, it’s time to cook your cheesy disc of deliciousness.

Incidentally, because I’m a sucker for whatever BBQ technology I can get my hands on, I bought a cheap IR thermometer gun to check the temp of the oven where I’m going to place my pizza.

ThermoWorks sell an excellent IR gun, or you can pick one up for cheap off Amazon. They are handy to use to measure the temp in your oven, as well as your cat, your children, your fridge, your car exhaust, and anything else within pointing distance. You know you will.

Use your paddle to transfer your pizza to the oven trying not to drop it on the way – this has happened to me and made me say various four-letter words – and slide it in one motion into the center of the oven.

Now, importantly, watch it CAREFULLY. You will see the dough crisp, color and rise, and the cheese melt before your eyes.

It’s like watching one of those timelapse videos, only with a delicious pay off at the end.

Because all the heat is coming primarily from one side, half of your pizza will color and cook first, so it’s important that you use your pizza peel to turn the pizza around midway through.

Releated – The Best Pizza Peels you can buy

If your oven is hot enough, this should take no longer than 45 seconds to a minute and a half.

Spin your pizza – depending on the size of your fire, you can do one 180 degree spin, or several 90 degree turns to achieve the desired color. I like the edges slightly charred. 

Once done to your likeness, use your pizza peel/paddle to slide it out and onto a chopping board. I tend to scatter over some torn basil, and then drizzle with a flavored oil like garlic or chili oil. Slice into desired slices and devour.

This style goes especially well with a nice Italian red wine. Cheers, mate.

What if I don’t have a wood fired pizza oven?

You can still make delicious pizzas at home using your hot and fast BBQ and a pizza stone , or even your oven at home at a push.

Make the dough base exactly as above, and you want to get your BBQ as hot as you can get it. The next best thing to a wood fired pizza oven is a kamado style BBQ , such as a Big Green Egg or Kamado Joe , as these can get up some super high temps.

For fuel, use lump charcoal as this will burn hotter and push your temps up. You can add a chunk or two of some smoking wood like cherry to add additional flavor.

At a push, set your oven to the highest fan forced temp it will go. With any of these methods, it’s important to preheat your pizza stone in the BBQ or oven before putting on the pizza. 

Generally, these methods take a bit longer to cook, especially the oven, which will take 12-15 mins, but just keep an eye on it, regardless of which method you use, and you’ll still turn out good results.

Wood Fired Pizza

Ingredients.

• 4 cups flour type 00
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 ½ cup lukewarm water
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 2 ½ tsp dry active yeast
• 4 tbsp olive oil extra virgin

Instructions

• Mix together flour and salt in large bowl.
• Mix lukewarm water, sugar, yeast and oil in a jug and leave for 5-10 mins.
• Make a well into centre of flour and add water mixture, using hands to slowly incorporate it.
• Knead for 5-7 mins, until soft and silky.
• Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel or cloth.
• Leave in a warm place to rise for an hour or until doubled in size.
• Knock back the dough by quickly kneading again for a couple of minutes, then cut into 8 equal sized balls and place in the fridge.
• Roll out the dough using fingers to push outwards towards edges.
• Add tomato pasata and toppings.
• Cook in a preheated pizza oven, BBQ or oven until desired color and crispiness.
• Scatter with torn basil and drizzle with flavoured oil.
• Slice into the desired number of slices and enjoy!

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation only. If you’re worried you could always add a side of kale.

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Neapolitan pizza and rustic italian cuisine, featuring local seasonal ingredients..

Maialina Pizzeria Napoletana opened in early 2013 born out of an obsession with wood-fired Naples style pizza and the beauty and art of handmade pasta. Italian food and wine is steeped in tradition and history and in the love of place. The centerpiece of our kitchen is our oven, imported from Italy made from refractory cotto brick which cooks pizzas at 900 degrees. We stretch our mozzarella by hand, obsess daily about our dough and make it with a starter we’ve had since we opened. We studied at one of three Vera Pizza Napoletana certified schools in the world to learn how to preserve the traditional Naples style techniques. During the summer our magical piazza-style patio overflows with growing basil, tomatoes, herbs, corkscrew willow trees planted in wine barrels, and the laughs of friends.

Our local farmers, ranchers, growers make what we do possible. We believe in the history and tradition of local agriculture and local, healthy food. Which is why our eggs, pork, beef, and many weekly hand truckloads of produce comes from straight from Moscow area family farms. We know our farmers. We’ve been to their farms. We love what they do for our community and we see it as a great honor to prepare and serve these lovely things to you, so we can all share in tradition and love of place.

CENTERED AROUND A WOOD-FIRED OVEN

Maialina features a menu of wood-fired pizzas, house-made pastas, and locally-sourced, farm-fresh fresh dishes — a celebration of rustic cuisine.

Lunch & Dinner from 11am - 9.30 pm

Lunch & Dinner from 11am - 10 pm

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The Duckor Deluxe Wood-Fired Pizza

By Matt Duckor

Making beautifully charred, wood-fired pizzas at home isn't impossible. With a special pizza-oven attachment , you can instantly turn any kettle charcoal grill into a perfect pie-making machine.

Recipe information

Makes 2 (10") pizzas

Ingredients

Special equipment:, preparation.

Prepare a charcoal grill for high heat, stacking lit coals in the rear of the grill. Add logs to charcoal. Place pizza-oven attachment on grill; place pizza stone on grate.

Let grill reach 800°F, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, drain tomatoes in a colander. Crush into small pieces with your hands, drain again, and transfer to a medium bowl.

Lightly dust pizza peel with cornmeal. Working with 1 piece at a time, stretch dough, letting it hang off your fingertips and rotating quickly around the edge, until dough is about 10" in diameter (it doesn't need to be a perfect circle). Transfer dough to prepared pizza peel and top with half of tomatoes; season with salt and pepper. Top with half of cheese, mushrooms, meats, and shallot. Season with salt.

Carefully slide pizza directly onto pizza stone and cook until rear crust begins to bubble and char, 60–90 seconds. Rotate pizza 180° and continue to cook until crust is charred and bubbly on the other side, 60–90 seconds more.

Using pizza peel or a very large heatproof spatula and tongs, transfer pizza to a cutting board or metal pizza tray. Drizzle with honey and top with red pepper flakes and basil. Slice and serve immediately. Repeat with remaining dough, tomatoes, cheese, mushrooms, meats, and shallot.

Pizza-oven attachments are also available for gas grills. Omit the firewood and increase cooking time slightly to accommodate the lower internal temperatures of a gas grill.

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Reviews (6)

I love how simple this recipe is!! I used 1 cup all-purpose flour and 2 cups whole wheat flour. My boyfriend has always said he likes whole wheat, but whole wheat pizza is awful. He LOVED this and said I could make it anytime! I image it's even tastier with just white flour. It's great to know all the ingredients going into your food and make something like this from scratch.

steffawilliams

Fairly high-end pizza made quickly.

I have one of these and it's awesome. Key point, don't put coals under the stone, put them off to the side (back of the grill) as the article says. Otherwise you'll burn the bottom (or catch the whole pizza on fire!). Wood + coals ROCK!

Los Gatos, CA

Works way better if you use parchment paper instead of cornmeal. Some of the edges burn, but that's ok...

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Wood Fiery Pizza

• Level: Intermediate
• Total: 11 hr 50 min (includes rising time)
• Active: 45 min
• Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

Deselect All

36 ounces “00” flour (8 1/16 cups)

1 teaspoon instant yeast

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons fine sea salt

Fine semolina flour, for dusting

Fiery Verde Sauce:

1 cup fresh cilantro

1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

1 cup loosely packed baby spinach

1 cup whole-milk plain Greek yogurt

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Pinch kosher salt

10 serrano chiles

3 cloves garlic

Three 1-pound blocks low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella, grated

Three 10-ounce blocks queso fresco, grated

• For the dough: In an electric mixer bowl, combine the “00” flour and yeast. Add 3 cups water and mix with the dough hook on low speed until all of the dry flour is incorporated.
• Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and allow to sit for 30 to 60 minutes in order to properly hydrate the flour.
• In a separate small bowl, dissolve the salt into 1 tablespoon water. Set aside.
• Uncover the dough bowl. Sprinkle the salt water over the dough and mix until properly incorporated.
• Continue to mix until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, 5 to 10 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and place the dough in the fridge to rest overnight.
• The next morning, remove the bowl from the refrigerator and uncover. Turn the dough out on a work surface lightly floured with semolina flour, allowing it to gently release from the bowl.
• Carefully, using a dough scraper, cut the dough into six equal pieces. (Each piece will be 6 ounces.) Working with one piece of dough at a time, prepare the dough balls. Lightly dust a dough tray or baking sheet with semolina, and set the dough balls on the tray.
• Dust their tops with semolina flour and cover with a towel. Let the dough double in size, 1 to 2 hours.
• For the sauce: Combine the cilantro, parsley, spinach, yogurt, chives, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, chiles and garlic in a blender or food processor and process until smooth and bright green. Transfer to a bowl or container, then cover and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.
• Preheat a wood-fired oven or a regular oven to 500 degrees F.
• Lightly flour a surface with semolina flour and hand stretch the dough into the appropriate pizza shapes. Evenly distribute the mozzarella around the pizza dough. Sprinkle the queso fresco on top. Bake in a wood fired oven for 2 to 3 minutes or regular oven for 5 minutes. Top with the fiery verde sauce. Serve immediately.

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Dining Down Under: Backyard Wood Oven Pizza Party

• Now Week Month

Christina publishes The Hungry Australian - a collection of recipes,…

Everything you need for your own pizza party: a great dough recipe and three tasty toppings. By Christina Soong-Kroeger

My brother likes buying things.

Like most males, he doesn’t buy a lot of things but when he does shop, he buys big-ticket items. A windsurfer. A vintage electric keyboard or guitar. A top-of-the-range bicycle. A wood-fire pizza oven.

When he and his then flatmates went in for a $1200 wood-fire pizza oven six years ago my parents and I shook our heads. How often would they use it? It was one of those indulgent purchases you make when you are on a good salary and unburdened with the expense of kids or a mortgage.

But then he invited us over for a pizza party and we saw the light.

Yes, the cost per usage ratio is high. Realistically, it only gets an outing a handful of times a year, making the pizzas the most expensive ones we’ve ever eaten.

But on those rare occasions when my brother fires up the wood oven, those invited experience pizza nirvana.

We were lucky enough to experience it a couple of weekends go, when my brother and his wife decided to throw a pre-Christmas pizza party for 60 friends and  family.

In the lead up, my heavily pregnant sister in law made 28 pizza bases and all the toppings from scratch. That’s right – from scratch. The fact that she did so with her usual good humour, grace and lack of hysterics just shows you the type of amazing woman she is.

During the party, my brother and his friend Andrew took turns cooking the pizzas and garlic bread.

Here are the results. First up, a Garlic Bread appetizer:

Then, Salami, Cherry Tomatoes, Buffalo Mozzarella and Fresh Basil Pizza:

Scarpinocc with Taleggio Cooked in Butter

Followed by Mushrooms Two Ways, Taleggio and Fresh Basil Pizza:

Ham & Pineapple Pizza for the kids:

My favourite to finish: Marinated King Prawns, Spanish Onion, Lemon and Chilli:

Have you every made pizza at home? What are your favourite pizza toppings?

Backyard Wood Oven Pizza Party

• Author: Christina Soong-Kroeger / Dayle Hall
• Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
• Yield: 4 1 x

Description

Everything you need for your own pizza party: a great dough recipe and three tasty toppings! The dough recipe is based on various pizza recipes and techniques from Jeff Varasano, Russell’s Wood-Fired Pizza Recipe on SBS Food and Pizza Modo Mio by John Lanzafame.

Ingredients

• 375 grams ( 12 ounces ) strong white bread flour (strong flour is over 11.5 percent protein – check the label)
• 125 grams ( 4 ounces ) wholemeal flour
• 375 ml (1.5 cups) room temperature or slightly warmer rain water or filtered water (too hot kills yeast, too cold inhibits yeast)
• 1 packet of dried yeast
• 2 level teaspoons salt
• 1 level teaspoon sugar
• Pizza sauce
• Cherry tomatoes
• Fresh buffalo mozzarella
• Basil leaves
• 1 small onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 220 grams ( 7 ounces ) mushrooms
• 155 grams ( 5 ounces ) Taleggio cheese
• 220 grams ( 7 ounces ) peeled raw prawns
• Rind of one lemon
• Fresh basil leaves
• Fresh mint leaves
• 125 grams ( 4 ounces ) grated mozzarella
• 1 red onion, finely sliced
• 2 fresh chillies, seeds removed and finely sliced
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

• Use a mixer with a dough hook if possible. (You can do the same thing buy hand but it’s hard work.)
• Combine the white, wholemeal flour and yeast in the mixer bowl.
• Dissolve the sugar and salt in the warm water.
• Put the mixer on the lowest speed and slowly add the water, sugar and salt. Continue to mix until a rough ball forms. This should only take a minute or two.
• Remove the dough to a floured bench and gently knead into a ball. Don’t overwork the dough.
• Place in a high edged bowl to rise. Cover with oiled cling wrap and a tea towel and let rest for 20 minutes. At this point you can put the dough in the fridge to use the next day, or freeze it.
• If you are using it immediately, leave until it has doubled in size (height increase of 50% or so) this usually takes maybe an hour all up.
• If you have refrigerated your dough overnight, remove it an hour before use to a floured bench, divide and gently knead into 4 balls, place on a tray and cover with oiled plastic. Leave to rise for an hour and it is ready to use.
• Brush pizza base with oil, add a small amount of tomato pizza sauce, and spread with basil leaves.
• Place a cherry tomato and piece of fresh buffalo mozzarella on each leaf, then season with salt and pepper.

Mushroom (adapted from Pizza Modo Mio by John Lanzafame).

• Pan fry in olive oil one chopped small onion, 2 garlic cloves, 15 mushrooms, and chopped parsley until soft, then blend until smooth and add salt and pepper.
• Thick slice field mushrooms and cook in a frying pan until golden.
• Spread pizza base with mushroom puree, add some basil, grated mozzarella, fried mushrooms and top with slices of Taleggio cheese.
• Marinate prawns in olive oil, lemon rind, basil and mint overnight.
• Brush pizza base with oil and some tomato pizza sauce, then add grated mozzarella, basil leaves, sliced red onion, cut chilli and prawns.
• Spoon some lemon juice over each prawn and season with salt and pepper.

Stretch the dough into shape rather than rolling it so as not to squash the little air bubbles that make it puff up in the oven. Brush oil on the base before putting the sauce on to stop the base going soggy. Less is more with toppings, leave a few spaces to help the base cook. Baking paper is your friend – as the dough is soft and a bit sticky, it is hard to handle. Push the dough out onto a sheet of baking paper to make transfer to the oven easier. Put the whole lot in the oven (base on paper) and then after 1 minute or so you can easily slide the pizza off the paper and directly onto the stone to complete the cooking.

• Prep Time: 1 hour 30 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Christina publishes The Hungry Australian - a collection of recipes, reviews and stories about food - and is a regular contributor to Sumptuous. Her writing has appeared in the China Daily and That’s Shanghai while her photography regularly appears on Foodgawker, Tasteologie and Photograzing. After eating her way around Shanghai, London, Hong Kong, Leeds and Melbourne, she now calls Adelaide, South Australia, home again.

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That oven looks great! I haven’t been able to achieve a pizza I’m impressed with at home, but was thinking of trying again today if I can muster up the energy.

It’s all about getting the crust right, isn’t it? It is hard to achieve this in a regular oven although I do know of people who have got reasonable results with a pizza stone placed in a regular oven.

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Caribbean Neapolitan style Wood Fired Pizza Truck

Good food | good life.

At our Caribbean-inspired wood-fired pizza truck, we strive to deliver the perfect fusion of authentic Neapolitan-style pizza with the vibrant flavors of the Caribbean. Our mission is to transport you to a culinary paradise, where every bite tantalizes your taste buds and ignites your senses.

Join us on this mouthwatering journey as we fire up our wood oven, blending the best of Caribbean flavors and Neapolitan tradition. At our wood-fired pizza truck, you'll savor a slice of paradise with every bite.

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Happy Customers!

Planning for a celebration, want the food truck experience, get ready for the ultimate food truck experience with our open tab option it's like having your own personal food festival right at your event. your guests can grab whatever they're craving from our truck without worrying about cash..

Weekdays (Monday to Thursday) require a minimum tab of $1000, while weekends ask for a minimum of $1500 to get the party started.

Follow us @paradiso_wfpizza

The Art of Pizza Making: How to Cook the Perfect Wood Fired Pizza

Every pizza lover dreams of making the perfect wood-fired pizza. There is something about wood-fired pizzas that just makes them taste so much better than regular pizzas. Maybe it’s the smoky flavor or the crispy crust. But how do you cook wood-fired pizza?

In this post, we’ll show you how to make the perfect wood-fired pizza, so fire up the oven and get ready for some deliciousness!

If you want to make the best wood-fired pizza, the oven temperature needs to be between 400 and 450°C. By cooking your pizza in a hot oven, it will cook evenly from the bottom up and the top down. This will make your dough crispy while charring your toppings perfectly.

What is wood-fired pizza?

Wood-fired or brick oven pizza is cooked using a method that’s much older than gas or electric ovens. As you may have guessed from the name, pizzas are cooked in a special type of oven that’s built from bricks. These types of ovens get much hotter than conventional home ovens, which gives the pizza a unique flavor and texture.

How long does it take to cook wood-fired pizza?

When your oven has heated to 700°F+, place the pizza inside using a peel. You will need to rotate it every 20 seconds, so the part of the pizza closest to the fire is facing away from it. Do this until it’s cooked evenly; usually, this takes one or two minutes.

How to cook the perfect wood-fired pizza

Now that you know the basics of wood-fired pizza, it’s time to get cooking! Here is a step-by-step guide on how to cook the perfect wood-fired pizza .

Start by heating your oven to the highest temperature

Wood-fired pizza is a type of pizza that is made in a wood-fired oven. The wood-fired oven is heated to a very high temperature, usually around 800 degrees Fahrenheit. This high temperature allows the pizza to cook very quickly, usually in about two minutes.

Place a pizza stone in the oven and let it heat up for at least 30 minutes

Any good pizza begins with a hot, evenly cooked crust. A pizzeria would never dream of cooking a pizza on anything but a stone oven, and you can replicate that same level of quality at home with a little advance planning. Start by placing a pizza stone in your oven and letting it heat up for at least 30 minutes. This will ensure that the stone is nice and hot when you put the pizza on it, resulting in a crisp, evenly cooked crust.

Roll out your dough on a lightly floured surface

When it comes to making the perfect pie crust, there are a few key things to keep in mind. First, be sure to roll out your dough on a lightly floured surface. This will help to prevent the dough from sticking to the counter and making it difficult to work with. Second, use a rolling pin to evenly roll out the dough. If the dough is too thin in some spots and too thick in others, it will be difficult to get an even bake. Finally, don’t be afraid to give the dough a little extra time in the fridge before you roll it out. This will help to firm up the butter and make it easier to work with.

Spread your sauce over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border

You may think that making your own pizza is a difficult task, but it’s actually quite simple. All you need is some dough, sauce, and toppings of your choice. Start by spreading your sauce over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Then add your toppings and bake at a high temperature until the crust is golden brown. Homemade pizza is a great way to impress your friends and family, and it’s also a fun activity to do together. So next time you’re in the mood for pizza, don’t order delivery, make your own!

Sprinkle your cheese over the sauce

In cooking, it is important to find the right balance. Too much of one ingredient can spoil the whole dish, while too little can leave it feeling flat. This is especially true when it comes to cheese. A sprinkle of cheese can make a simple sauce more flavorful and satisfying, but too much cheese can quickly turn a dish into a greasy mess. When sprinkling cheese over a sauce, it is important to use a light hand and add just enough to enrich the flavor without overpowering it. With a little practice, you will be able to master the art of the perfect cheese sprinkle.

Add your desired toppings for the pizza

One of the great things about pizza is that you can top it with whatever you like. Whether you’re a fan of classic cheese or pepperoni or you like to get creative with your toppings, there’s no wrong way to top a pizza. Add some of your favorite toppings like sausage, mushrooms, onions, peppers, and olives. But feel free to get creative and add whatever you like. Just be sure not to overload the pizza or you’ll end up with a soggy crust.

Bake your wood-fired pizza at a high temperature until the crust is golden brown

Once you’ve assembled your pizza, it’s time to bake it. Wood-fired ovens are typically heated to a very high temperature, around 800 degrees Fahrenheit. This allows the pizza to cook very quickly, usually in about two minutes. So keep an eye on your pizza and be sure to remove it from the oven as soon as the crust is golden brown. The key is to get the oven as hot as possible so that you’ll end up with a crisp, thin crust.

Once your pizza is cooked, let it cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving. This will give the cheese a chance to set and will make it easier to slice the pizza without all the toppings falling off.

What wood is the best for wood-fired pizza?

Whether you’re looking for a popular or safe choice, The Firewood Depot recommends hardwoods like oak and maple . Oak is a heavy, dense wood that’s great for high temperatures. Red oak has more flavor and produces more smoke.

Hardwoods gain their classification from carbohydrates which produce heat, resulting in different flavors. Only dense, dry hardwood can provide the amount of heat necessary to cook an authentic wood-fired pizza. Hardwoods are also heavier and tend to burn for a longer period of time compared to softwoods. You may want to check this guide in choosing the right firewood for your needs.

If you want more tips and insights about cooking wood-fired pizza, watch this video called “Ep 12: Pt 4. Making Pizza in the Wood Fired Oven” from The Wood Fired Oven Chef Youtube Channel.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the commonly asked questions about how to cook the perfect wood-fired pizza.

How do I make my wood-fired pizza crust crispy?

Get the perfect crispy pizza by baking it in a high-heat oven. The dough should be baked for a longer amount of time, which will make the toppings dry in a low-temperature oven. Keep an eye on the fire to avoid burning the pie; it should be even throughout. Pizza flour’s protein content shouldn’t exceed 14 percent.

What temperature do you cook wood Fired pizza?

Before baking your pizza, you’ll want the oven to be at an increasingly hot temperature of around 700°F. When it reaches this desired level, remove the pizza dough that’s been in the fridge prior.

Do you close the door on a wood-fired pizza oven?

Always keep the door open if you want to use flames to cook in your wood-fired oven. The oxygen from outside will feed the fire and create flames, which is necessary for cooking a pizza.

So, there you have it! Our guide to making the perfect wood-fired pizza. We hope that this article has helped demystify the process a little bit and show you that cooking up a delicious pie is actually quite simple – as long as you have the right tools and know-how.

Now it’s time for you to get in the kitchen (or backyard) and start practicing. Once you’ve got your dough recipe down pat and can produce a perfectly cooked pizza every time, we guarantee that your friends and family will be begging for more. Enjoy!

Helpful Resources

• The Best Pizza Dough Recipe for A Wood-Fired Pizza Oven – Forno Piombo
• How to Make Italian-Style Pizza in a Wood-Fired Oven-Smoked BBQ Source
• Firewood – Wikipedia

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NJ.com’s 1st pizza festival is this weekend! Here’s everything you need to know.

• Updated: Jun. 21, 2024, 9:18 a.m. |
• Published: Jun. 21, 2024, 9:00 a.m.

Jersey Eats: NJ Pizza Festival Jersey Eats

• Lauren Musni | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

It’s finally here. NJ.com ’s first ever pizza festival is Saturday!

Join NJ.com and our food and culture team as we host restaurants crafting up the state’s great culinary treasure.

Guests will have the opportunity to try all the hottest shops (20 in total, see the list here ) in one spot! For just $2 a half slice, you can sample mouthwatering creations from our lineup of talented pizzerias.

From trying out different pizzas, race-viewing and playing in the kids zone, there’s going to be something for everyone. Here’s everything you need to know:

When and where is Jersey Eats: NJ Pizza Festival?

The event will be held Saturday, June 22 from noon to 6 p.m. at Monmouth Park in Oceanport. The rain date will be Sunday, June 23.

How much are tickets and what’s included?

Tickets can be purchased online at a discounted price of $15 for general admission. Tickets are also available the day of at the door, but only for general admission at $20.

Your ticket gets you access to the event, the general picnic area, restrooms, race-viewing and seating plus additional concession stands and bars. Doors open at 12 p.m. where there will also be live music, activities, a kids zone and more!

An Upside Down pie from Brooklyn Square Pizza in Jackson. (Jeremy Schneider | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

What vendors are attending?

There are 20 vendors scheduled for the event in Trenton:

• Amano Pizza , a shop with locations in Matawan and South Amboy offering pizza, wings, heroes and Italian entrees.
• Amici Pizzeria , a casual Italian-American counter-serve eatery in Atlantic Highlands
• Amore Pizza by Jack Calandra, a Nutley-based restaurant with a variety of classic pies.
• Bella’s Pizzeria , a Jersey Shore pizzeria in Long Branch.
• Brooklyn Square Pizza , home of the famous upside-down pizza with locations in Jackson, Manalapan and Toms River.
• Bucky’s , a pop-up focusing on sourdough pizza.
• Columbia Inn , a Montville-based restaurant known for their famous thin-crust pizza
• Culto Italiano , a Bergenfield-based luxury catering company with a pizza truck.
• Genova Pizza , an Audubon-based shop known for their famous “grandma crust.”
• Il Forno a Legna , an Italian restaurant in Rahway offering wood fired pizza
• Maria’s Pizza & Italian Kitchen , a Milltown Main Street family tradition for over 35 years
• Nino’s Coal Fired Pizza , a Brick-based pizzeria passionate about family and fresh ingredients.
• Parsippany’s Best Pizza , an Italian restaurant located in Morris County.
• Pie Oh My , handcrafted pies coming from Fairfield.
• Pizza Veloce , a pizza truck slinging authentic Neapolitan pizza made from San Marzano tomatoes imported from Napoli.
• The Doughfather , a specialty pizza shop in Monroe Township.
• The Sauce Pizzeria , a super-saucy pizza shop in Oceanport.
• Tony Boloney’s , coined as “not your grandpa’s pizza joint” offering crazy pizza toppings in Atlantic City, Hoboken, Jersey City and Margate.
• Turano’s Pizza Kitchen , a local favorite pizzeria rooted in Livingston.
• Via Sposito , an authentic Italian experience with locations in Colts Neck, Old Bridge and Red Bank

All pizza vendors are automatically entered into two competitions. Get to be a judge and vote for your favorite pizza so it can be crowned the People’s Choice Best Pizza. Our NJ.com food reporters will also award the Editor’s Choice award. At the end of the event, the winner will be announced and awarded the coveted title.

Will there be activities for kids?

Yes! There will be a dedicated kids zone as well as various activities and race-viewing.

Where do I buy tickets?

Tickets can be purchased online here for $15 or in person the day of the event at the venue, for $20. Do note, however, if the event sells out, anyone without a ticket will be turned away at the door.

Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust.

Lauren Musni may be reached at [email protected] . Follow her on Twitter @Laurengmusni and on Instagram . Find NJ.com on Facebook .

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When You Turn Off A Wood-Fired Pizza Oven, Bake A Loaf Of Bread

B aking your own bread is a hugely satisfying activity. Not only can you try baking different types of loaves that might not be not available at your local store (and find a new favorite), but you can also experiment with more unusual ingredients and tailor your loaf to your own tastes. Homemade bread is generally healthier than store-bought bread, without any of the additives or preservatives, and it's often considerably cheaper.

Plus, there's a feel-good factor in taking the time to bake. Mixing, kneading, shaping, and scoring your loaf of bread  can be fun and relaxing, not to mention the smells coming from the oven that are unbeatable. It's reasons like these that so many of us discovered, or rediscovered, a love of baking during the pandemic.

But, rather than just relying on your home oven to do the trick, there are other options to prepare your loaves, like making bread in a wood-fired oven, for example. The result can be the ultimate holy grail with a smoky taste and crunchy crust that are the result of bread-making basics. And, since the best time to bake bread in a wood-fired oven is after you've already made a meal and it begins to cool down, it's a convenient way to make the most of the contraption — and your time, too.

The Temperature For Wood-Fired Bread Is Important

From pizzas to roasted meats, many dishes can be cooked in a wood-fired oven, often with superb results. But, each dish requires a very specific approach, and homemade bread is no exception.

Wood-fired ovens are popular for cooking in no time because they can get very hot. The oven is generally set to a sweltering 800 to 900 degrees Fahrenheit for something like a Neapolitan-style pizza, with a short cooking time of just 60 to 90 seconds. But, baking bread in this kind of oven is a different matter. The temperature should be much lower for bread, so that it develops a great crust, but also cooks fully in the center while retaining a light, soft crumb.

Depending on the type of bread you are baking, the temperature range should be somewhere around 390 to 485 degrees Fahrenheit. More condensed styles like naan breads, flatbreads, and garlic breads can be cooked at the higher end of the temperature range, since they only take a few minutes under heat to be ready, whereas heartier focaccia, sourdough, and ciabatta should be baked at temperatures of around 392 to 446 degrees Fahrenheit. And sweeter breads that have more sugar, eggs, and fat, such as brioche, need the lowest temperature, around 356 degrees Fahrenheit. The baking time will vary — flatbreads take a few minutes just like wood-fired pizzas where as full loaves will need around 25-30 minutes.

More Tips For Baking Bread In A Wood-Fired Oven

While you'll want to bake your bread in a wood-fired oven at lower temperatures than some other dishes, it's always a good idea to let the oven fire up to a higher temperature first so you can maintain a consistent level of heat for the amount of time the bread is inside. That means there's no better time to bake your loaf than as the wood-fired oven is cooling down, after you've cooked something else, such as making your own pizza dough . Just be sure to dispose of any used embers before you put your bread inside.

When you're ready to bake, you can put the loaves directly on the floor of the oven. Keep the door in place for the first couple of minutes or so to make sure they develop that gorgeous golden crust. But, keep an eye on the bread, and rotate the loaves as necessary so that they bake evenly (do this as quickly as possible to prevent the temperature from dropping, just as it does in your standard oven when the door is open).

To get the most crispy crust, you can try using steam, either by spraying water towards the center or by placing a couple of ice cubes inside in a heatproof dish and place near the bread. If you want to know when it's done, the best way is to take out the loaf and tap the underside. If it sounds hollow, it's ready and will be arguably some of best bread you've ever had.

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