Pizza Oven Thread

Author
Discussion

Neilsfirst

567 posts

156 months

Thursday 19th May 2016
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Drying out our bread oven for its first use in about 70 years this Sunday.

Will only be doing jacket spuds and warming stuff up this time.

anonymous-user

53 months

Thursday 19th May 2016
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nadger said:
rsbmw said:
I've bee looking at the Uuni2, wood pellet fired pizza oven for about £200 - look great! Anyone got one?

https://uk.uuni.net/products/uuni-2
I have, it's fantastic! If I were you I'd go for the uuni2s though, with the new stone base rather than the aluminum one I've got. The aluminum is fine, but I do think the stone would be slightly better!
My first uuni2 effort. Clearly didn't turn it quickly enough. ....It was in for c100 seconds

Johnniem

2,660 posts

222 months

Thursday 19th May 2016
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Neilsfirst said:
Drying out our bread oven for its first use in about 70 years this Sunday.

Will only be doing jacket spuds and warming stuff up this time.
Lovely! That looks like it is probably not in the UK? If you have never had a wood fired oven before then you will probably find that the oven needs some seasoning by way of a few fires so that the internal parts properly dry out. I have to build perhaps two or three fires in the oven each spring, unless I use it over winter and manage to keep moisture out that way. After 70 years of no use I guess that the seasoning process may take a little longer.

Buy yourself a laser thermometer (cheap things really) as for pizza the temp needs to be up to 390 degrees C. This is very high and perhaps too hot for most cooking other than flat breads and pizza!

One very helpful chap mentioned to me that the oven is properly ready when all the internal surfaces have turned white. When you get a good fire burning you will find that the top of the internal dome begins to go white. Over time and lots of wood later the white finish will cover the whole of the dome from top to bottom. Check your temperature then and see how you are getting on. DOn't just chuck pizza on and hope that it is hot enough!

Once you have done the pizza then chuck in some bread or put casseroles in there but make sure to keep a lid on the pot as to leave it off will 'smokify' your food (not always a good thing!).

I am imagining that you will love having that oven as much as I do mine. The previous owner of our house used to cook the Christmas turkey in the oven but then he was a Greek Cypriot. A nation that are committed to fire related cooking. I haven't been that brave and suspect I never will be. Bring on summer!

Johnniem

2,660 posts

222 months

Thursday 19th May 2016
quotequote all
Here's one I started earlier when I first used the oven (and failed miserably!)

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Neilsfirst

567 posts

156 months

Thursday 19th May 2016
quotequote all
Johnniem said:
Lovely! That looks like it is probably not in the UK? If you have never had a wood fired oven before then you will probably find that the oven needs some seasoning by way of a few fires so that the internal parts properly dry out. I have to build perhaps two or three fires in the oven each spring, unless I use it over winter and manage to keep moisture out that way. After 70 years of no use I guess that the seasoning process may take a little longer.

Buy yourself a laser thermometer (cheap things really) as for pizza the temp needs to be up to 390 degrees C. This is very high and perhaps too hot for most cooking other than flat breads and pizza!

One very helpful chap mentioned to me that the oven is properly ready when all the internal surfaces have turned white. When you get a good fire burning you will find that the top of the internal dome begins to go white. Over time and lots of wood later the white finish will cover the whole of the dome from top to bottom. Check your temperature then and see how you are getting on. DOn't just chuck pizza on and hope that it is hot enough!

Once you have done the pizza then chuck in some bread or put casseroles in there but make sure to keep a lid on the pot as to leave it off will 'smokify' your food (not always a good thing!).

I am imagining that you will love having that oven as much as I do mine. The previous owner of our house used to cook the Christmas turkey in the oven but then he was a Greek Cypriot. A nation that are committed to fire related cooking. I haven't been that brave and suspect I never will be. Bring on summer!
You are quite right. It was what we thought was the village bread oven, but have found out that the Nazis de-commissioned the village one during their occupation of France.

I did fire it up last year but we didn't use it. Was more interested to see how long it took to get up to temperature, as you say when it has turned white and burnt all the soot off it is ready to rock and roll.

We are having a French Sunday Service at mine on Sunday which coincides with my birthday too, so it is only apt that we utilize a bit of history at the same time.

thebraketester

14,192 posts

137 months

Thursday 19th May 2016
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Johnniem said:
Here's our beastie. Recently heard (on breakfast TV) that ownership of a pizza oven is de riguer at the moment. Can't complain at that!

[url]

|http://thumbsnap.com/b8BOJpk5[/url][url]

|http://thumbsnap.com/dkM1XpSO[/url]

Edited by Johnniem on Thursday 19th May 11:39
You win!!! :-)

21TonyK

11,494 posts

208 months

Thursday 19th May 2016
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If anyone is in the market for one...

http://www.i-bidder.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/b...


cashmax

1,099 posts

239 months

Friday 20th May 2016
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I know quite a few people with these. 90 second pizzas and a pretty neat device with integral water tank.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftVb1fRMhms

Edited by cashmax on Friday 20th May 12:27

warp9

1,583 posts

196 months

Friday 20th May 2016
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Perfect thread timing as I'm going camping next weekend and they have a wood fired oven. As I'm not very experienced with one I have a couple of questions:

1) Cooking pizza - a couple of hours to reach super hot, then do you also want to have a rolling flame on the embers or embers only when cooking?
2) I'd like to do slow roast lamb. How do you control a low temperature? Is it get up to heat and cook pizza etc, then stop feeding the fire and place covered lamb in? Should I seal the oven?
3) Has anyone ever done Turkish style gyros in one? I've got this idea to marinade strips of lamb, then skewer vertically, place in hot over and turn a bit, slice off outside on freshly cooked naan with salad and sauces.

Any other killer recipe suggestions?

Cheers

Johnniem

2,660 posts

222 months

Friday 20th May 2016
quotequote all
warp9 said:
Perfect thread timing as I'm going camping next weekend and they have a wood fired oven. As I'm not very experienced with one I have a couple of questions:

1) Cooking pizza - a couple of hours to reach super hot, then do you also want to have a rolling flame on the embers or embers only when cooking?
2) I'd like to do slow roast lamb. How do you control a low temperature? Is it get up to heat and cook pizza etc, then stop feeding the fire and place covered lamb in? Should I seal the oven?
3) Has anyone ever done Turkish style gyros in one? I've got this idea to marinade strips of lamb, then skewer vertically, place in hot over and turn a bit, slice off outside on freshly cooked naan with salad and sauces.

Any other killer recipe suggestions?

Cheers
1) Cooking pizza - a couple of hours to reach super hot, then do you also want to have a rolling flame on the embers or embers only when cooking?

I always push the embers or still flaming wood to the back or sides of the oven, sweep the ash away with a wettened brush and then bung on the pizza/s. I don't think it matters whether the flames are still going but you will need to get the oven temp up to around 390 degrees celsius otherwise the pizza wont cook very well.

2) I'd like to do slow roast lamb. How do you control a low temperature? Is it get up to heat and cook pizza etc, then stop feeding the fire and place covered lamb in? Should I seal the oven?

Once you have done your pizza and the temp has reduced down to around 150 degrees c, just bung in the pot roast, either over night (as I do) with the door closed or for as many hours as it takes to do your slow roast. I did a slow roast lamb overnight and it was sublime! Having said that, it is just another way of cooking; the taste isn't overly different than when cooked in your regular oven. It's a man thing to think that somehow a casserole cooked in fire will taste better. I really don't think it does but why waste the heat?

3) Has anyone ever done Turkish style gyros in one? I've got this idea to marinade strips of lamb, then skewer vertically, place in hot over and turn a bit, slice off outside on freshly cooked naan with salad and sauces.

Never done this but would probably use the rottiserie over the barbecue section rather than the oven for this. Sounds like a plan though!

Stoke the fire for late brunch with sausages, bacon, tomatoes, whatever, in a roasting pan. Stoke it a bit later to bring up to pizza temp. Cook pizza. Then bake bread with residual heat. Finally, stick yer pot in for a slow cook overnight. That's how to use a wood fired oven.

Luke.

10,944 posts

249 months

Friday 20th May 2016
quotequote all
Quick question. Who'd use frozen pizza dough from the supermarket?

Used it in the past and think it's great, just not the easiest to find.

warp9

1,583 posts

196 months

Friday 20th May 2016
quotequote all
Johnniem said:
1) Cooking pizza - a couple of hours to reach super hot, then do you also want to have a rolling flame on the embers or embers only when cooking?

I always push the embers or still flaming wood to the back or sides of the oven, sweep the ash away with a wettened brush and then bung on the pizza/s. I don't think it matters whether the flames are still going but you will need to get the oven temp up to around 390 degrees celsius otherwise the pizza wont cook very well.

2) I'd like to do slow roast lamb. How do you control a low temperature? Is it get up to heat and cook pizza etc, then stop feeding the fire and place covered lamb in? Should I seal the oven?

Once you have done your pizza and the temp has reduced down to around 150 degrees c, just bung in the pot roast, either over night (as I do) with the door closed or for as many hours as it takes to do your slow roast. I did a slow roast lamb overnight and it was sublime! Having said that, it is just another way of cooking; the taste isn't overly different than when cooked in your regular oven. It's a man thing to think that somehow a casserole cooked in fire will taste better. I really don't think it does but why waste the heat?

3) Has anyone ever done Turkish style gyros in one? I've got this idea to marinade strips of lamb, then skewer vertically, place in hot over and turn a bit, slice off outside on freshly cooked naan with salad and sauces.

Never done this but would probably use the rottiserie over the barbecue section rather than the oven for this. Sounds like a plan though!

Stoke the fire for late brunch with sausages, bacon, tomatoes, whatever, in a roasting pan. Stoke it a bit later to bring up to pizza temp. Cook pizza. Then bake bread with residual heat. Finally, stick yer pot in for a slow cook overnight. That's how to use a wood fired oven.
Thanks, just the ticket! thumbup

Tony Angelino

Original Poster:

1,970 posts

112 months

Friday 20th May 2016
quotequote all
Luke. said:
Quick question. Who'd use frozen pizza dough from the supermarket?

Used it in the past and think it's great, just not the easiest to find.
Gino De Campo dough in Asda I think it was was a perfectly good base when I used it in an 'emergency' (when I couldn't be arsed).

Vaud

50,289 posts

154 months

Saturday 21st May 2016
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I saw an Uuni 2s in action today and was very impressed. Next purchase, I think.

What else do people try with it? I see seared steak is popular...

oscmax

157 posts

126 months

Friday 27th May 2016
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I did some roasted cauliflower and broccoli in my new uuni - worked out really well.

Other suggestions would be appreciated by me too...

tribalsurfer

1,136 posts

118 months

Friday 27th May 2016
quotequote all
Walking round Aldi yesterday saw this :-

https://www.aldi.co.uk/pizza-oven/p/06995302463960...

Not sure it would be any good or not, but a cheap way to trial.

Vaud

50,289 posts

154 months

Friday 27th May 2016
quotequote all
oscmax said:
I did some roasted cauliflower and broccoli in my new uuni - worked out really well.

Other suggestions would be appreciated by me too...
I saw some awesome looking steaks being seared in an Uuni. very quick...

thebraketester

14,192 posts

137 months

Saturday 28th May 2016
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Lets see what this is like then.... Online videos look promising.


anonymous-user

53 months

Saturday 28th May 2016
quotequote all
thebraketester said:
Lets see what this is like then.... Online videos look promising.

enjoy - you will have to turn the pizza several times, and not leave it in one place,as the side nearest the firebox will burn quickly in my experience

Bonefish Blues

26,444 posts

222 months

Saturday 28th May 2016
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Roccbox delivery has just gone out by another month to July.

Some mealy-mouthed rollox about being a victim of their own success and the impact on production runs. Really rather cross.