How would you like to spend less time cooking and more time enjoying delicious pizza and generally upping your pizza game?
Well, if you want to make awesome homemade pizzas, then you should check out this guide to making a pizza oven, not only for a quicker way of making pizza but also for a much tastier result.
Making a pizza oven at home is easier than you might think. All you need is a little bit of patience and some basic tools.
In this article, we’ll show you how to build a simple pizza oven and help you on your way to making delicious, authentic Italian pizza in no time.
How To Build Your Pizza Oven From Scratch- Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Choose the Location
You’ll start by choosing the location for your pizza oven.
It’s important to decide whether you’re going to use bricks and mortar before starting because if you go with bricks, you won’t be able to move it later.
Step 2: Design Your Pizza Oven
Once you’ve chosen the location, you’ll next have to map out your pizza oven design.
This is done by drawing lines on the ground using chalk or paint. These lines represent the walls of your oven.
Step 3: Cut Out the Walls Using Chalk Lines As A Guide
Once you have outlined the walls, you’ll cut them out using a circular saw. Use a straightedge to ensure that the edges of the wall are perfectly straight.
Step 4: Add Brick Layers
After cutting out the walls, you’ll add layers of bricks using mortar.
Start by placing two rows of bricks horizontally across the bottom of the oven. Then, continue adding horizontal rows until the height of the oven is reached.
Step 5: Fill In The Gaps Between The Walls With Mortar
Once all the walls and bricks have been added, fill in any gaps between them with mortar.
Step 6: Level The Surface
Before putting up the roof, you’ll have to level the surface of the oven.
For this, you’ll need to measure the distance from one side of the oven to the other.
Once you know how tall the oven needs to be, you can mark the spot where the wall meets the floor.
Step 7: Put Up The Roof
Now that everything has been prepared, you’ll put up the roof.
First, lay down a piece of plywood that’s about twice as wide as the diameter of the oven. Next, nail the plywood to the walls using wooden nails.
Finally, cover the entire roof with corrugated tin.
Step 8: Cover The Outside Of The Oven
To finish off the exterior of the oven, you’ll have to cover it with tiles. Lay down a layer of cement plaster and spread it evenly.
Then, apply another layer of cement plaster and smooth it out. Repeat this process until you reach the desired thickness of the tiles.
Step 9: Finish Off The Exterior Of The Oven
To complete the exterior of the oven and give it a finished look, you’ll have to apply a coat of white paint. Let dry completely before applying another coat.
Step 10: Install The Door
Finally, install the door.
Before doing this, however, you’ll have to prepare the hinges. Drill holes into the sides of the oven and insert screws through these holes.
After installing the hinges, attach the door to the oven.
Step 11: Creating The Fire
The final step involves creating a fire inside the oven. You’ll do this by lighting a small amount of charcoal and wood.
Always start with a small fire first, and this should be useful for drying the oven out before cooking. It also ensures no cracks begin to form from steam trying to escape.
Step 12: Enjoy
Now it’s time to put your pizza oven to the test and taste how delicious you can make your pizzas with your new fun way of cooking.
Remember to clean out any excess mortar and since the oven can be hot whilst in operation, keep children and pets away.
How To Cook Pizza In A Pizza Oven
Step 1: Light Up Your Oven
When baking pizza in a pizza oven, the oven temperature needs to be between 400-450 degrees Celsius.
The pizza is cooked from the bottom up by the floor of the pizza oven and the top-down by the oven’s internal temperature.
Step 2: Prepare Your Pizza
The next step, whilst waiting for your pizza oven to heat up is to prepare your pizza.
Spread some sauce over the top of the dough and then sprinkle on fresh mozzarella cheese and any toppings.
When it comes to toppings, we recommend using fresh ingredients such as basil, tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, pepperoni, chicken, ham, or sausage.
If you’re feeling daring, add some chili and jalapeños for a spicy kick, too.
Step 3: Cook Your Pizza
Using your metal pizza peel or pizza spade, move the embers to the side of the oven and maintain the large naked flames that will arch over the dome of the oven.
Please ensure you take care of the higher temperatures.
Using a pizza peel, place your finished pizza on the oven floor next to the fire, making sure you rotate it often to encourage even and fair cooking.
It will only take around 90 seconds to about 2 minutes to cook each pizza depending on how thick they are. This is why it saves you so much time!
Always remember to leave the oven door open when baking each pizza.
Step 4: Remove From The Oven
Once your pizza is done, remove it from the pizza oven. Use a pizza peel to slide it out of the oven so you can cut it with a pizza cutter.
If you don’t have a peel, we highly recommend this wooden design from the folks over at New Star Food Service.
Step 5: Eat!
Enjoy your freshly baked pizza. Don’t forget your sides and dips, and sprinkle with a dash of chili oil for the ultimate flavor sensation.
Conclusion
We hope after reading this article you now know the building process of how to make your pizza oven and enjoy homemade, authentic, Italian, perfect pizza without having to leave the comfort of your own home or garden.
Invite friends and family over and have a pizza party of your own, we promise your new cooking skills will impress them!
Get creative and have a competition on the best toppings or best design — a perfect way to get people together, and enjoy good food and company at the same time!
