🔥 Baking Pizza in a Wood-Fired Oven – Step by Step
- Light the fire 🔥
Place dry firewood in the center of the wood-fired oven and light the fire. Use well-seasoned, clean wood. - Heat the oven
Let the fire burn for approximately 45–60 minutes, or until the inside walls of the oven are fully heated and the lighter part of the oven turns almost white. - Prepare the oven floor
Move the embers and wood to the side of the oven or remove them, then clean the baking surface with a wood-fired oven brush. Remove any excess ash as needed. - Check the temperature 🌡️
A very high temperature is ideal. If you have an infrared thermometer, aim for around 400–450 °C on the oven floor. - Place the pizza in the oven 🍕
Place the pizza directly onto the hot oven floor, away from the open flame. Leave enough space between the pizzas. - Rotate the pizza
At such a high temperature, the pizza cooks very quickly — usually in 60–120 seconds. Rotate it occasionally with a pizza peel so the crust cooks evenly. - Your pizza is ready ❤️
When the crust is nicely puffed, golden brown and slightly charred in places, and the mozzarella has melted, the pizza is ready.
A little tip for Pine Hill House guests:
🔥 Don’t rush when putting the pizza into the oven. A properly heated wood-fired oven is the most important step for achieving that authentic Neapolitan look and a perfectly crisp yet juicy result. 🍕🌲
Recipes:
🍕 Pizza Margherita – Neapolitan Style 🇮🇹
Ingredients:
* pizza dough
* peeled tomatoes or high-quality tomato sauce
* mozzarella
* fresh basil
* olive oil
* a pinch of salt
Preparation:
Stretch the dough by hand, leaving the edge slightly thicker so it puffs up nicely during baking. 🍕
Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce, add the mozzarella, a few fresh basil leaves, and drizzle with olive oil.
Bake in the hottest possible oven until the crust is puffed, crispy and lightly browned, and the mozzarella is nicely melted.
🍕 Pizza Capricciosa
Ingredients:
- pizza dough
- tomato sauce
- mozzarella
- ham
- button mushrooms
- artichokes
- olives
- a little oregano
- olive oil
Preparation:
Roll out the dough, spread it with tomato sauce, and evenly distribute the mozzarella, ham, mushrooms, artichokes, and olives. Sprinkle with oregano and add a few drops of olive oil. Bake in the hottest possible oven until the edges are golden and the cheese is nicely melted. 🌿🔥