As the summer comes to an end, and the kids return to school with busy sports schedules, our family time becomes a lot more precious. There are many fall activities we enjoy doing together but one of our favorites is making pizza in the outdoor oven. As the evenings begin to get cool and crisp we love to sit around the fire pit and eat fresh pizza. Everyone gets their own pizza and picks their favorite toppings. My go-to is always jalapeño, mushrooms, and onions well done. We also love using the pizza oven to make bread, fish, and whole chickens.
The pizza oven was one of the first projects my husband did when we moved to our home as it was a dream of his to have one in the backyard. His father grew up in Italy and when he moved to the US, he opened restaurants in the area. My husband grew up with a love for creating food and bringing people together over a meal. He wanted to create a space in our home that brought people together while eating great food. He designed the outdoor oven with a large attached bar for seating. It has come in handy for so many birthdays, holidays, and special occasions.
Creating Your Own Outdoor Pizza Oven
To build your own oven you need at least a six-foot by six-foot area and you need to dig down about eighteen inches. Next, begin filling in that space; the first ten inches with crushed stone, then add a layer of rebar, and finally, concrete. It is very important to have a strong base to be able to support the heavy weight of the oven. Once the concrete has dried, start building it up with cinder blocks, making sure to leave an opening for firewood storage. The next step is adding the base for your oven. Lay plywood over the blocks before pouring reinforced concrete. Once this is ready, start building your dome. Use bricks to shape them into the dome remembering to leave space for your chimney towards the front. Insulate your brick with mesh, then add a layer of mortar to the mesh to hold it securely.
Tips for Getting the Perfect Pizza
My husband followed his father into the restaurant field and makes amazing food (my favorite restaurant of his is Tacos El Tio in Medford). He has perfected the recipe for our outdoor pizzas and has some tips to help the pizzas come out perfectly every time.
You can use the standard pizza dough ingredients; flour, yeast, olive oil, water, and salt however, you need “00” flour (there is actually flour called “double zero”) and you can never use sugar as it will cause the dough to burn. Place your dough in the refrigerator for an hour before shaping it and then leave it in the refrigerator overnight. Bring the dough to room temp before you begin.
When starting the fire, begin at the front of the oven using wood that burns hot and clean, like oak. Once the fire is going, push the fire to the center and the magic of the dome will take effect!!
