Outdoor woodfire pizza oven - dough problems.

[MyCrummyApartment]

Was at a friends house over the weekend and saw his awesome new backyard renovation which included this hand made pizza oven. It still needs an outer shell for more insulation, but was in full working condition for our dinner get-together.

Since it was the first try at actually making pizza in the oven, my friend and his wife were having some challenges with the dough, which I found out was regular store bought bread dough. I mean, the crust was okay, but did not have the thin-crust quality and consistency of the same you would find in a restaurant.

I thought that maybe there should be less yeast in this kind of dough, but really wasn't too sure and was hoping some of the bread dough scientists in this forum could offer some suggestions.

 

[Hyperion]

I would never use store bought dough lol. I always make my own dough and I have already figured out a lot of tricks. I'll make a new thread to summarize all about pizza dough making

 

[Andy M.]

If they want to use bought dough, suggest they buy some from a local pizza place rather than use bread dough.

 

[roadfix]

If I'm in a pinch I'll go to Trader Joe's and get their plain pizza dough.

Your friend's oven looks familiar. I might have seen it over at the brick oven forum.

 

[deepfryerdan]

The key to thin crust is high-gluten flour - the highest you can get.

Also, forming the crust and then precooking it for 3 to 4 minutes before adding the sauce and whatnot will give it that crackerish crunch.

 

[Hyperion]

The key to thin crust is high-gluten flour - the highest you can get.

Also, forming the crust and then precooking it for 3 to 4 minutes before adding the sauce and whatnot will give it that crackerish crunch.

precooking the crust only works for home oven. He has a brick oven with very high temperature, there's no time for precooking. What they need to do is to get the crust very thin and then add toppings as quickly as possible (thus only allows minimum topping) and put it in a super hot oven. If they want to have topping rich pizzas like those from domino, then they should stick to low temp home oven and a pan

 

[MyCrummyApartment]

precooking the crust only works for home oven. He has a brick oven with very high temperature, there's no time for precooking. What they need to do is to get the crust very thin and then add toppings as quickly as possible (thus only allows minimum topping) and put it in a super hot oven. If they want to have topping rich pizzas like those from domino, then they should stick to low temp home oven and a pan

Interesting about only minmal toppings. I was a server in a restaurant that served wood fire oven pizzas, and this was by not a limitation at all.

I just wish I had paid closer attention to their pizza dough recipe and process.

 

[roadfix]

Well, perhaps heavily topped pizzas were cooked longer in the 'cool zone' within the brick oven.

 

[Hyperion]

Well, perhaps heavily topped pizzas were cooked longer in the 'cool zone' within the brick oven.

well the reason I advocate minimal toppings is because if you spend too much time putting toppings on, the sauce (if there is any) will soak through the thin dough and end up destroying the bubbles, giving you no ovenspring on the topping part of the crust. but you know, I'm the one who's obsessed about ovenspring on pizzas so it's just me

 

[70chevelle]

With a wood fired oven your dough should be flour, water, salt and yeast. Other adders such as oil or sugar will burn in the high heat. I use caputo 00 flour in my wfo. A wfo pizza shop will cook at between 800 and 900 degrees for 1-2 minutes, a restaurant with a wfo pizza oven, sometimes gas fired, cook at 550 to 600 degrees, which can handle toppings.

 

[MyCrummyApartment]

With a wood fired oven your dough should be flour, water, salt and yeast. Other adders such as oil or sugar will burn in the high heat. I use caputo 00 flour in my wfo. A wfo pizza shop will cook at between 800 and 900 degrees for 1-2 minutes, a restaurant with a wfo pizza oven, sometimes gas fired, cook at 550 to 600 degrees, which can handle toppings.

That makes a lot of sense.... TYVM.

 

[Hyperion]

With a wood fired oven your dough should be flour, water, salt and yeast. Other adders such as oil or sugar will burn in the high heat. I use caputo 00 flour in my wfo. A wfo pizza shop will cook at between 800 and 900 degrees for 1-2 minutes, a restaurant with a wfo pizza oven, sometimes gas fired, cook at 550 to 600 degrees, which can handle toppings.

really? wow I can't believe they cook it at such a low temperature, even when it's a brick oven!

 

[roadfix]

As long as the establishment is not running under VPN certification, rules, or whatever it can operate it's oven at any temperature and use any variety of ingredients.

 

[Hyperion]

As long as the establishment is not running under VPN certification, rules, or whatever it can operate it's oven at any temperature and use any variety of ingredients.

that's what gets me all the time.. I used to visit many restaurants hoping to eat authentic neapolitan pizza, but every time I was disappointed. Everybody can claim to be authentic!

 

[roadfix]

that's what gets me all the time.. I used to visit many restaurants hoping to eat authentic neapolitan pizza, but every time I was disappointed. Everybody can claim to be authentic!

You need to visit those that are VPN certified. They follow strict guidelines for the type of pizza you're after.

 

[Hyperion]

You need to visit those that are VPN certified. They follow strict guidelines for the type of pizza you're after.

I didn't know they can be VPN certified. I just found one according to this. Thanks!

 

[CWS4322]

I want to build an outdoor wood-fired oven. A friend sent me this link:

Has anyone built an outdoor wood-fired oven? Thoughts?''

Build Your Own Earth Oven by Kiko Denzer, Hannah Field - Chelsea Green

She's on her 2nd one--the first one was at their other house. I so want a wood-fired oven (to circumvent the "on the grid TOU rates").

 

[roadfix]

I want to build an outdoor wood-fired oven. A friend sent me this link:

Has anyone built an outdoor wood-fired oven? Thoughts?''

I built my WFO in 2010 and I love it when I have plenty of seasoned wood on hand. I did not build an Earthen oven, I used fire bricks and plenty of insulation. I built a 34" internal diameter Pompeii style oven.

I fired my oven on New Year's Eve and grilled some chorizos and skirt steaks directly on the oven floor. Some of my guests who've never seen a WFO were amazed with the thing. I also roasted some mochi too.
That was Saturday night. This morning, (Tues) the oven temp was hovering at 300F and will gradually drop further in the next two days. Of course you can meanwhile roast and do long and slow cooks without having to burn another log. A well insulated oven can retain heat for several days.

 

[CharlieD]

I want to build an outdoor wood-fired oven. A friend sent me this link:

Has anyone built an outdoor wood-fired oven? Thoughts?''

Build Your Own Earth Oven by Kiko Denzer, Hannah Field - Chelsea Green

She's on her 2nd one--the first one was at their other house. I so want a wood-fired oven (to circumvent the "on the grid TOU rates").

Whenever I see somebody advertising something that can be build “nearly for free” I know it’s a lie. You cannot build an oven from scraps. You need to use special fire prove brick, that’s just to begin with. That part alone is going to be expensive. Then unless you trained masonry/brick layer you will need somebody’s help, at least to build the walls, etc. Otherwise they will be crooked and may even eventually crack and then even brake. I’d start with something more realistic.
Can that same friend actually help you build one?

 

[CharlieD]

I built my WFO in 2010 ...

How about a picture, please?