Pizza Ovens At Home Are (still) All The Rage.
There has been a huge culinary shift to more authentic, natural cooking methods. While this is nothing new to South Africans who grew up around open-fire kitchens, campfires and braais. This doesn’t mean we can’t embrace the trend even more.
One of the most versatile ways to do this is through a pizza oven.
As Africa’s Top Culinary Destination, Mzanzinites are spoilt when it comes to our food options. We are no longer happy with doughy freezer pizzas. We crave real. Woodfire baked, handmade dough bases with the freshest ingredients possible. While many of our restaurants offer just that, it does feel odd to pay nearly R200 for one 8 or 10-slice pizza.
This is why you should bring your pizza cravings home.
Even though cost of living is skyrocketing worldwide, there is still a glimmer of hope for us and if you shop around. You’ll find that most of the ingredients you need for your home-made pizza can fit into even the tightest budget.
It’s more about the cooking than the topping.
The secret to a good pizza lies in the cooking method. An electric or gas oven will just never give you the flavour and crispy textured base that a real woodfire pizza oven can.
Pizza ovens are constructed in a dome or igloo shape. This allows heat from the roaring woodfire to reflect back of the curved roof and melt your pizza cheese into the perfect cheese-pull consistency. Built with fire bricks and with a chimney at the back and a small opening at the front, these ovens have been popping up in backyards all around the country.
A good pizza oven must have the right dimensions. It needs to be high enough to allow for circulation and have a big enough door to allow you to slide your pizzas in with ease. It should not be so big that it takes days to reach the requisite heat for a quick pizza bake.
Pizza ovens are HOT.
When we say hot, we mean hot. The ideal baking temperature for a pizza oven that is properly heated is between 400 and 500 ̊C. This means your pizza only takes about two or maximum three minutes to bake and gives you the perfect crust texture.
Pizza ovens are versatile.
While you’ll need extreme heat to bake a proper pizza, these ovens can be used for so many other dishes as well. From baking bread to roasting whole cuts of meat and even baking side-dishes. You’ll never get bored of the options your oven offers.
“Traditional wood burning pizza ovens are ideal to cook various kinds of dishes. Experiment with meats, roasts, casserole dishes, bread and even cakes” says Mr G Zuccarini, who founded Peppino Cement and built the first pizza oven in South Africa, more than fifty years ago.
A pizza oven creates ambience.
Even though the fire might not be directly visible, the crackle and aromas of a real woodfire pizza oven still adds ambience to your space. Not to mention the amazing heating properties if you pump up the fire and close the doors of your braai room or patio.
Whether you make your own sourdough bases or simply defrost some ready-made pizzas. A pizza oven will greatly improve your at-home pizza experience and give your street cred among your foodie friends. No to mention the fact that you can mention it in the sales blurb of your home should you ever decide to sell!
For another take on woodfire ambience, read this blog by our very one home and landscaping expert, Craig De Necker, on Fire Pits.
