Making the most out of a pizza oven and ideas you will want to try

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A pizza oven is a great investment to make. Perfect for your garden and a lovely alternative for making food to enjoy outside with family and friends. They can be small and compact, easy to store, and a great option if you want something a little different to the standard BBQ in the sun. Pizza is often a choice of food that most people love, and as you can control the flavours, perfect for fussy kids.

Buying the best pizza ovens can be pricey, however, you can make the most out of the more affordable options. If you do have a pizza oven, are you making the most out of it? Do you get the perfect pizza every time? I wanted to share with you some of the top tips to get the most out of your pizza oven and some ideas that you might want to try. 

Find the right spot for your pizza oven 

Usually, a pizza oven is something portable that you can move positions, so finding the right spot for your pizza oven is crucial. It is best placed on a table where you can stand with it. Making it much easier to put the pizzas into the oven, and also get them out. Without crouching down and worrying about being at a funny angle. Standing also helps you to observe and keep an eye on the pizza so you will know it is done. Of course, a pizza oven gets hot, so a heatproof table is essential to avoid damaging your garden furniture. 

You will need a pizza peel

What is a pizza peel? These are those funny tools that you see people launch pizzas into the oven and also get them out again. A sort of long spatula, with a big enough surface to hold a full pizza. This is the only safe way to get your pizza in and out of the oven without burning yourself or causing harm. Ideally, having two pizza peels will be ideal. It gives you the chance to work two pizzas at the same time, one that might be in the oven, and another prepped on the second pizza peel ready to go into the oven when the other pizza is cooked. 

Pizza hack: Semolina instead of flour 

Pizza dough is sticky, and we will want to avoid the pizzas sticking to the pizza peel and the oven at all costs. Some would use flour as a great way to avoid a stick dough, but the flour can dry out the base too much. Instead, a great pizza hack is to use fine semolina at the bottom of the base. It won’t dry it out but will help to avoid the pizza sticking where it shouldn’t. 

Avoid the temptation of too many toppings 

Who doesn’t love a pizza full of delicious toppings and melted cheese? But you do need to avoid the temptation of too many toppings. Going overboard with the toppings can often mean that the base of your pizza won’t have the opportunity to cook correctly or thoroughly. It may mean you don’t get that crispy crust and baked bottom. Too much on top can cause a gooey and soft pizza that can be difficult to eat. 

Be mindful of the time between pizzas 

Most pizza ovens that people will have at home will have the space for one pizza. When you are looking to feed your family, it means a wait between each one. Likely to be around five minutes, if you prepare them as they go. So a great tip is to create sharing pizzas. This way you can provide a constant flow of food for everyone, without people sitting and waiting for their individual pizzas to arrive. You may only be wanting to make a couple of pizzas, but you could half out the toppings so that everyone gets a taste of their preferred pizza. 

Check the temperature of the pizza stone 

The pizza stone is effectively the base of the pizza oven, and predominantly what cooks your pizza from underneath. So it is important to ensure that you check the temperature of your pizza stone. If you are placing a pizza on a pizza stone that is too cold, then it won’t cook properly. Equally, if the pizza stone is too hot, you will burn the base before the toppings have a chance to cook thoroughly. 

Preparation is key

Preparation is key when it comes to your pizza oven and also the pizzas themselves. Having the dough ready to roll, the pizza toppings prepared and ready to be added, and also have a pizza ready to go in the oven once the first pizza has cooked. We have already mentioned the time it can take between pizzas, so this is a great way to help you speed up the process. 

Turn often 

Finally, you will want to turn that pizza in the oven as often as possible. This ensures that everything is equally cooked. Turning the pizza also affects the even distribution of a crusty crust, which is what we want from a delicious homemade pizza. You can use your pizza peel to turn the pizza often. Every 30 seconds will be a great way to ensure everything is cooked properly. 

Pizza Oven recipes and ideas you will want to try

Now that you have the tips to ensure you get the most out of your pizza oven, you might be thinking about what to cook in there. Obviously, pizza is the first choice and there are so many toppings you can try. Get experimental with you what you put on top of your pizza. Mushrooms, pineapple, meat and other vegetables, there are so many combinations that you can try. I also have some other suggestions for meals you can cook in your pizza oven that will give incredible results. These are:

• Wood Fire Roasted Vegetables – Baked vegetables will be immense in the pizza oven. Charred and delicious. 
• Meat – Meat cooks really well in a pizza oven. You must try this wood-fired ribeye steak recipe
• Baked dishes – Why not put a pasta bake or lasagna in there? Don’t forget to turn it. 
• Calzone – You might want to try a folded pizza instead. 
• Chocolate pizza – Make a dessert pizza by topping the dough with chocolate and treats. Yum!
• Wood-Fired Gluten-Free Pizza Oven Recipe – Make the perfect gluten- free pizza in your pizza oven. With proper puffy crusts and a wonderful base
• Brick-Oven Pizza (Brooklyn Style) – This simple brick-oven pizza recipe has been made famous by several well-known, Brooklyn wood-fire pizzerias. Best accompanied by ice-cold, pilsner-style lager beer.

I hope this has given you plenty of tips on how to make the most out of a pizza oven.