Make the most of your Pizza Oven.

What else can I cook now that the pizza is done?

Pizza needs a piping hot oven.

If you have ever made pizza in a home pizza oven, you know that the best baked pizza come from a short stint in a furiously hot oven. The ideal temperature for a thin base pizza with that distinctive slight char is a whopping 400-485°C! This explains why you can’t bake a proper pizza in your home oven which only reaches a bit above 220°C.

The reason for this impromptu pizza masterclass?

We actually just want to show you that a lot of work, prep and wood goes into reaching that perfect pizza temperature.

What to do once the pizza is done?

A pizza oven is designed and constructed in such a way that it not only heats up effectively, but it retains that heat for a very long time. This means that once the pizza is done you still have hours of “free” oven heat left to make the most of. You have already spent the resources on heating up the oven…Now make that heat work for you!

Slow roasted lamb shanks

Let’s say you are having your pizza evening on a Saturday night. Now the pizza’s done but the oven is still hot. Why not get a jump on your Seven Colour Sunday Lunch, and pop in couple of seasoned lamb shanks to slow-roast through the night? You can simply put them in a Dutch oven or wrap them in tinfoil in an oven dish, but as long as the initial oven temp is still above 250°C when you start, you can pop them in and forget about them for a few hours or until morning. Lamb Shanks like a low and slow cook, so add enough moisture because you are starting off the oven at a hotter temperature.

For inspiration, we chose this recipe by Inspired Living SA

We also love the idea of using your Pizza oven to make the side dishes for your traditional braai.

Focaccia (yes, we know it’s basically an olive oil pizza)

A classic Italian flatbread, flavoured with sea salt, olive oil and rosemary, a focaccia is the perfect tear-apart sharing bread that goes with any braai. It is fun and easy to make, and most importantly – should never be perfectly shaped. A deliciously dimply bread that you can smear around your plate, getting at the very last drop of steak sauce. There are many different recipes available, but we like to stick to the classics. If you keep the flavours of your focaccia basic, you can play around with your other side dishes and meat choices.

This focaccia recipe by Love and Lemons is the best one we have found so far!

Baked/roast potatoes (or a potato bake), roasted vegetables, “pap-tert”…the list is endless.

Any of the traditionally baked side dishes can just as easily be made in a pizza oven. One benefit is that if you are only using the oven for side dishes, you don’t have to heat it up to pizza levels of heat, reducing your wood consumption.

Baking your side dishes in your pizza oven also allows you to stay connected to your guests as you won’t have to dodge back inside every now and then to check on the veggies.

Wood fired warming plate

A pizza oven that is burning well and at temperature doesn’t (or shouldn’t) smoke. Think about your favourite little pizzeria – it’s not a Smokey, hazy place, is it? So having a pizza oven crackling away in the corner of the patio will add a wonderful ambience, source of heat and even light. With winter coming, start to think differently. If you are hosting a dinner that is not simply a braai, you can use your heated pizza oven as a smoke free and aesthetically pleasing “warming tray” for your prepared food.

• Ensure that all your dishes are in oven proof containers and have oven gloves ready as they will get hot.
• Don’t place very delicate dishes in a pizza oven that is still too hot, below 100°C is the perfect warming spot.
• Cover your dishes so that they don’t dry out in the heat of the oven.
• It works best if you fire up the pizza oven when it is empty, allowing it to reach a good heat, and then stave off on feeding it while the prepared food is being kept warm. The insulation of the oven will keep the heat up for a very long time.

DIY Deserts

Once your guests have had their main course treat them to an interactive dessert treat.

Make your Pizza oven a waffle house!

So, this takes a bit of prep. You will need:

• A clean braai grill (the type you make wors or braaibroodjies in)
• Baking spray.
• A lekker hot pizza oven.
• Frozen or ready baked cold waffles, enough so each guest can build their own.
• Ice cream and waffle toppings. (Nutella, candy. fruit, syrup, cream…whatever you want!)

How you do it:

• Spray your grill with baking spray and arrange your cold waffles on it. (You might have to do this in batches.)
• Toast your waffles in the hot pizza oven, careful not to get ash or soot on them. You might need to stand and hold the grill or place it on bricks or a stand in the oven. Rotate the grill so your waffles are crispy and golden all around.
• Once you start smelling their sugary, caramelly goodness, they are done. Give one to each of your guests and have them DIY their own decadent desserts.

Who doesn’t love a dinner date with a bit of flair and what’s more exciting, or unexpected than decorating a waffle for desert that your host just toasted in the pizza oven?