A wood fired oven for pizza has many benefits and can you offer you a unique cooking experience.
Why Have a Wood Fired Oven?
If you avoid baking when it’s hot then an outdoor wood fired oven can help keep the heat out of your kitchen and still allow you to make delicious food. If you can bake something in an indoor oven then you can also use a wood fired oven. It’s also great for entertaining.
How Does It Work?
A wood-burning oven for pizza will use wood as fuel in order to heat a thermal mass that cooks the food. In many cases, the thermal mass will be ceramic or stone lining the floor of the oven. The wood fire will rest directly on the floor of the oven. Bread and pizzas are then placed directly on the floor in order to bake.
What Can You Cook?
While these types of ovens are known for pizza, they are also great for other bread and a variety of meats and vegetables.
What’s Different about Cooking?
The cooking process can be a bit different since you will need to build up a fire in order to “preheat.” Depending on the type of oven you have, this can take around 20 minutes to an hour and will depend on various factors including the type of wood, style of oven, and outdoor temperature. Due to the distribution of the heat inside the oven, you also need to pay more attention when cooking. You may need to rotate food frequently so you don’t overbake one side. It may also take some practice to heat up the oven if you haven’t done this before.
What Are the Different Types of Ovens?
There are different types of ovens for pizza that you may want to consider. A small portable outdoor pizza oven could be small enough that you can pack it into your car and move it if you want. It’s not built for permanent installation but there are covers available if you leave these ovens outside. A mid-sized prefabricated oven with rolling or fixed installation is great if you are looking for a more substantial outdoor cooking appliance. These ovens can be moderately heavy and are made of double walled steel with a layer of insulation. The fire will be directly built into the oven floor for these models. For a more traditional look for an outdoor kitchen without having to have a large built-in oven, a prefabricated traditional oven could be a good choice. These ovens are constructed of layers ofmasonry and refractory cement with stone facades or brick doors. These ovens are heavy and are meant for permanent installation.
