Making the perfect pizza in a brick oven requires special skill, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. Here are five tips for making delicious pizza in a brick oven:
Tip 1: Preheat the Oven
Make sure the oven is hot before you put your pizza in. Preheat your brick oven to at least 500 degrees Fahrenheit before inserting the pizza so that it is hot enough to cook the dough quickly and evenly. Brick ovens usually take around an hour to preheat, so it’s important that you plan ahead and get the oven up to temperature beforehand.
Tip 2: Prepare Your Dough
The dough should be prepared before you place it into the brick oven. You’ll want to make sure that it’s rolled out or stretched evenly and not too thick. This will help ensure that your pizza cooks evenly and doesn’t become soggy or charred from being too close to the heat source.
Using a thin dough will ensure that your pizza cooks through quickly and evenly in the brick oven, reducing any chance of undercooking or burning. If you are making your own dough make sure it’s no thicker than 1/8 inch thick.
Tip 3: Add Toppings Carefully
When adding toppings such as cheese, meats, and vegetables, use caution and make sure they are applied evenly and not too close to the edges of the dough. You don’t want any of these toppings to burn, or you could risk ruining your pizza.
Slice your toppings ahead of time and make sure they are very thin so that they will cook quickly in the hot oven. If you have any moist ingredients like tomatoes, press them between paper towels to remove excess moisture before you place them on the pizza.
Add cheese last just before putting it in the brick oven because cheese melts quickly and can burn easily if left too long in the oven. This will ensure a crisp crust and nicely melted cheese.
Tip 4: Monitor Your Pizza
When baking in a brick oven, you need to watch your pizza carefully. The heat is so intense that if left unattended it can quickly become charred or overcooked. Keep an eye on it every few minutes and remove it when it’s done.
Tip 5: Slice and Serve
Once your pizza is finished cooking, take it out of the oven using a pizza peel. A pizza peel is a flat tool with a handle used to slide pizzas into and out of an oven safely. Make sure you lightly dust it with cornmeal or flour so that it slides easily into and out of the oven without sticking or burning.
Slice your pizza according to how you like. Be careful as the slices may be hot! Serve immediately for best results. Enjoy!
Practice and Patience
After following these steps, you should be able to make a delicious pizza in a brick oven. With enough practice and patience, you can master the art of making pizzas that taste just as good as those from your favorite pizzeria. Bon Appetit!