So you’ve built your wood-fired pizza oven and now you’re ready to use it. This guide will show you how to choose the best wood for wood-fired oven cooking, start the perfect fire for cooking and prepare your pizza oven for use.
No pizza oven will operate efficiently without proper heat, so selecting the right wood is very important. Follow these tips when choosing wood for wood-fire cooking:
Download the Belforno Guide to Types of Wood for Wood-Fired Ovens
Step1: Gather the fuel for the fire
For the average brick oven you’ll need 4 or so sheets of newspaper, a good amount of kindling (thin dry twigs), and 16 to 20 pieces of firewood of between 1 and 2 inches in diameter.
Step 2: Form a wood stack
First, build your wood stack 3 pieces high by placing two pieces of firewood parallel to each other, at a distance equal to a little less than the length of the shorter piece. Then add two pieces in the opposing direction, forming a square, and add a further two pieces, again in the opposing direction.
Step 3: Add the kindling
Next, loosely crumple separate sheets of newspaper and place in the center of the wood stack. Then add the kindling to the paper.
Step 4: Add additional firewood
If there is room around the wood stack, add pieces of firewood to the stack on all sides.
Step 5: Lighting the fire
Using a long match, a gas firelighter or a taper, light the paper. It’s important that the paper properly ignites the kindling. Blow gently to add oxygen if necessary.
Step 6: Fuelling the fire
Finally, once the fire is going strong, add 2 or 3 pieces of wood to the top of the stack. The aim is to get a good bed of coals.
Your wood-fired pizza oven is ready for use!
Additional FREE Downloads:
Belforno Wood-Fired Pizza Cookbook
Belforno Perfect Pizza Dough Recipe
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Belforno Wood-Fired Ovens
We are a manufacturer of authentic wood-fired ovens that we deliver to your home in a ready-to-assemble kit. Belforno ovens are designed in the Italian tradition using only the finest refractory ceramic materials to hold heat for long periods of time and provide superior cooking results. Contact us for more information.
Other Useful links:
Ensure you’re up to speed with the latest regulations regarding wood burning for your state. You can find them here: http://www.epa.gov/burnwise/ordinances-and-regulations-wood-burning-appliances
Did you know? The cooking of the “Verace Pizza Napoletana” – (True Pizza Napoletana) must be done exclusively in a wood fire oven which has reached the cooking temperature of 485° C, (905F). Read more here: http://www.pizzanapoletana.org/en/iscriviti