I get all sorts of reactions when people see my pizza oven. “It’s so cute” is pretty typical. As is, “I just can’t get over how simple it is.” But the reaction I seem to get the most is, “Why on earth did it take you so long?”
Gas-fired backyard pizza ovens have been having a moment. What began about a dozen years ago as a niche appliance is nearly as common in some circles these days as propane grills. Now you can get them at big-box warehouses and hardware stores and even some supermarkets’ seasonal aisles.
Four recipes to take your pizza nights to the next level
Yet even more remarkable than the ovens’ ubiquity is the pizza they can make: bubbling, fire-blistered, crackly crusted masterpieces, every bit as good (or better) than you’ll find in fancy Neapolitan spots. Which leads us to the reaction I still can’t shake, the one I quietly say to myself each time I pull another pizza from my oven’s dome: “I can’t believe you can make pizza this great at home.”
You used to have to go out if you wanted superlative pizza. Or find the space and patience (so much patience) and mountains of cash to install and use a wood-fired oven at home. The all-the-bells-and-whistles model I got, by contrast, costs just more than $1,000 (cheaper versions start around $600) and quickly heats to a roaring 900 F. The flames lick up and across its dome, just like in a wood-fired oven. Better still, with the spin of a dial, you can instantly turn those flames up or down.
It’s no wonder even a lot of pros swear by the things. Matty Matheson, the Toronto chef and actor and social-media superstar, just launched his own oven with U.K.-based Gozney. When the pizzaioli at Montreal’s Elena, my vote for the nation’s greatest pizza spot, cook an offsite event, they bring a trio of Ooni ovens, said Christopher Cameron, Elena restaurant’s executive chef. In just three hours, with those three ovens, they’ll typically turn out 100 pies.
Still, for a lot of newfound pizza oven owners, the tricks and techniques of top-level pizza can be tough to nail. And so this summer, I dug in deep, learning not only how to make, stretch and top truly stellar pies, but how to fire them to perfection.
Pizza tips to live by
Prep before you dress
Once your dough is stretched, you want to dress it quickly. The longer it’s on the counter, the more liable it is to stick and tear. So have all your toppings prepped and tools at hand.
Less is more
Dressing your first few Neapolitans is definitely an exercise in restraint.
“People just get greedy, I want this and this and this,” said Cameron, of Elena. “By the time you try to get that into the oven it’s just going to tear and break.” Worse, all those toppings insulate your dough, so it isn’t going to cook. Lightly dressed pies launch, bake and puff up beautifully, and let their ingredients shine.
Master the peel
The secret to using a peel is a bit of confidence and speed. To take your dressed pizza from counter to oven, lift up a corner and quickly slip a clean, dry, flour-dusted peel under. Once the pizza’s on, feel free to readjust its shape and toppings, then give the peel a little “shimmy shake”; the pizza should slide around. (If it sticks, add more flour underneath.) To launch, hover the tip just off the oven floor, and give the peel a quick, confident, one-shot jerk, like whipping away a tablecloth. Within a few tries, you’ll be launching like a pro.
Turn, don’t burn
Though every oven model is different, it’s usually best to launch your pizza in the centre of the baking stone. Once the crust has begun to firm up – usually 30 seconds or more – use a clean, dry turning peel or your launching peel to rotate the pizza a few times. This will help the crust cook evenly and limit excessive charring. Depending on oven temperature and how you manage the heat (see below), your pizza should take between one and three minutes total.
Surf those temps
Getting your pizza’s top, bottom and crust cooked perfectly – and simultaneously – takes a bit of practice. In the meantime, don’t be afraid to lower or even turn off the oven’s flame as soon as you launch. Doing this lets the bottom cook without burning the top.
Bake ahead
If you’re cooking for a hungry crowd, bake a few pies beforehand to around 80 per cent done, then set them on a cooling rack until you’re ready to serve. With a quick reheat they’re good to go, and you can set several of them out at once.
Pizza tools I love
Ooni Koda 2 Pro
Simple, responsive, high-sensitivity heat control. Rolling, roof-licking, crust-leoparding flames. And a floor that’s big enough so you can move your pizzas all around. Edinburgh-based Ooni helped pioneer the backyard portable pizza oven craze. The company’s 16-inch model is a bona fide masterpiece, especially if you plan on cooking for a crowd. $1,099 at ooni.ca
Perforated launching peel
A peel is the long, flat surface for moving your pizzas into and out of the oven. I used wooden ones (sticky; hard to clean) and plain metal ones (not bad, not great) for years before finally trying a perforated peel. Now I’d never go back. The holes help just-formed pizzas slide off cleanly, while encouraging excess flour – which otherwise turns burnt and bitter in the oven – to fall away. $80 at ooni.ca
Baking scale
Cup and spoon measurements are notoriously unreliable, especially for flour and different brands of salt.
To make great pies (and any other baked good), weigh your ingredients. I’ve used the top-rated My Weigh KD-8000 for seven-plus years now and love it. $60 at flourconfections.com
Infrared thermometer
Pizza oven temperature displays typically give you the oven’s air temperature, which is helpful to know, but nowhere near as important as the temperature of the oven’s floor. For that, you use one of these. Wintact infrared temperature thermometer gun, $24 at amazon.ca