#44+ Wood-fired Pizza
Last weekend, I had my first go at Neapolitan style pizza, cooked in a wood-fired pizza oven (specifically the Ooni Karu 12). I’ve made pizzas quite a few times in the past using a pizza stone/steel in my oven, or the frying pan/grill method - in fact, I’ve shared a recipe with you for my frying pan pizza before, and honestly, it’s brilliant! However, the wood-fired type, originating in Italy, and now available in many places around the UK, still has the edge for me. The speed of cooking, and cooking method yields an unrivalled flavour and texture in my opinion. Of course, I would prefer to be eating pizza in Naples with the locals, but that’s not on the cards just now, so instead, I would bring Naples to my Garden!
Despite resisting for a good few years, I decided it was about time I gave one of these snazzy spaceship-like outdoor ovens a go. I’ll be honest with you, I was TERRIFIED, don’t get me wrong, I quite like the concept of fire; I love a bit of blowtorch action in the kitchen, and I never tire of sticking my fingers in the hot wax of a tea-light or candle during the winter months, marvelling at the little waxy fingertips I can create. But this stuff is pretty low key compared to the ACTUAL fire I was about to encounter, needless to say, I was quivering as I ignited the beast.
My experience? EPIC! Ok so it takes a bit of practice, you need a decent set of tongs, a pizza peel, maybe an oven glove and you can’t get complacent as each pizza cooks… it’s QUICK, a moment too long and you’re risking incinerated pizza which isn’t that cute as it turns out - but once you have the knack, the result is SOMETHING ELSE!
Blistered cheese, a chewy, crisp crust and base, everything bursting with flavour - simply perfection.
Below I have shared my recipe for a simple pizza base - a fairly standard Neapolitan style dough, proofed for a minimum of 24 hours for plenty of flavour and the perfect texture. I also have shared my tomato sauce recipe, which is thicker and drier than some suggest, limiting the risk of a soggy based pizza, AND my tip for which Mozzarella to use. If you don’t have a pizza oven, you can bake this in a VERY hot oven - preferably with a pizza stone/steel - and still enjoy a really great pizza!
Buon appetito!!!
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