Do you like pizza with smoky flavor and crispy crust? If you have ever tasted a pizza cooked in wood fired pizza oven, then you how how tasty and delicious it is.



Smoky flavor and crispy crust are clear signs of wood burning oven. The secret of delicious pizza is in not just the burning wood but also in the oven materials. Refractory concrete and clay bricks can withstand and keep high temperatures needed for baking. In addition to keeping high temperature in the oven, brick or stone floor absorbs moisture under the pizza and reduces baking time.

Wood fired pizza ovens are not some modern invention. Wood fired brick ovens were already used by ancient civilizations. Brick ovens that were found in excavations are very similar to those we use today. They were round or spherically shaped, well insulated and vented. The dome was constructed with bricks and insulated with clay. The oven floor was usually made of stone or terracotta tiles.

The birthplace of pizza, as we know it today, is Naples, Italy. Pizza should be baked at high temperature. If the oven is heated to the operating temperature of 750ºF (or 400ºC) few minutes should be enough to have perfectly cooked pizza with crisp edges. Since wood fired pizza ovens have fire only at one place it is necessary to rotate pizza few times to ensure even baking. However, ovens with round or spherical domes better spread the heat as they allow smoother air flow—rectangular ovens usually have cold spots in corners.

There are different types of heat that contribute to the cooking and baking in pizza ovens. Heat is transferred by conduction, convection, and radiation. Cold air from the bottom feeds the fire which releases hot air at the top. This circulation heats the oven floor, crisps the outside of the dough quickly sealing in the moisture inside and cooks the topping to perfection. The oven collects heat from the fire and keeps it stored in the concrete, stones or bricks. This heat is then transferred to the food. Flames reflected from the dome also help to cook the food.

For proper operation wood fired ovens need to reach the final operating temperature. Therefore it is necessary to start a big fire inside the dome and keep it until it turns white and it burns off. You should use natural wood (oak is preferred). Avoid stained or painted woods as they can produce toxic smoke which can get into the food.

Brick ovens have big thermal capacity. This thermal capacity or mass will keep the temperature constant and will keep the oven warm long after the fire will die. If the oven dome and floor are not completely heated, the heat from the fire will not be able to cook the food properly. Wood fired ovens with spherical dome can heat up quickly, usually in one hour they are ready to start baking pizzas. Wood fired ovens can also be used to bake bread, vegetables, roasts and focaccia.

Many pizza enthusiasts and DIY home improvement specialists like to build their own pizza oven. You don't have to be professional mason to construct a brick oven. There are many DIY wood fired pizza oven plans on the web. You can construct a traditional Italian brick pizza oven or a general purpose wood-fired oven. Some companies also offer separate oven parts, modular pizza ovens, partially build ovens in a range of sizes or even oven kits with full assembly instructions. You can purchase firebricks, special refractory materials, oven insulation components and other building materials for your home pizza oven. Some prefabricated oven domes are made in one or two heavy pieces while DIY ovens usually consist of many small bricks.

Wood fired pizza ovens are very common in Italy as is the barbecue is in the U.S. Outdoor wood burning pizza ovens can be found not only in restaurant but also in outdoor kitchens and gardens. Wood-fired oven is an investment in lifestyle and good food. One of the best and most popular pizza oven manufacturers in the world is Forno Bravo. They are making big models for pizzerias and smaller ones for homes. If you would like to enter into the world of wood-fired cooking and your goal is to have your own pizza oven then you should check Forno bravo pizza ovens.

Wood fired ovens can be used not only for cooking pizza but you can use them also for baking other foods including bread, fish, roasts and vegetables. Because of thermal properties and high temperature inside the oven, foods can be prepared very quickly. In addition to making delicious pizzas with unique aroma, wood fired pizza ovens have another nice property. They are a source of renewable energy. Wood that makes smoky flavor and crispy pizza crust can be replaced in a relatively short amount of time.

Wood fired ovens are one important element of the Italian cooking art and pizza making business. It is all about eating wonderful foods cooked using wood-fired oven. With right ingredients and a little talent you will be able to make fantastic pizzas with authentic wood-fired flavor.