Backyard pizza ovens have their origins in Italy, of course, about 4,000 years ago. The popularity of pizza in the U.S. combined with our love for backyard cooking and entertaining has prompted a sharp rise in having a pizza oven on the patio. Literally hundreds of models are available, from grill adapter kits to table top ovens using gas or pellets to full-size wood-fired brick ovens housed in a pizza man-cave. Examining this great variety could be a book in itself, and each model has its own quirks, strengths and limitations—not to mention specific instructions on heating the oven, cooking temps and times, etc.
Nonetheless, most backyard oven require the same utensils:
Nonetheless, most backyard oven require the same utensils:
- A metal brush (copper or steel) to clean the baking surface of ash and burnt cornmeal, and possibly a scraper as well, for baked-on cheese.
- A small metal shovel to remove the ashes and a metal bucket nearby to safely store the ashes until they are cool.
- Long handled peels to get the move your pizzas in and out of the oven. I like to use a wooden peel to slide the pizza in, and a metal one to slide it out.
- An infrared thermometer to ensure proper baking temperatures
Because the heat source for the oven is in the back or side of the baking bed, pizzas have to be rotated for even baking. Some tabletop pizza ovens come with a rotating stone, but in a large brick oven, this has to be done by hand. There are two ways to do this. The traditional method is to use a small metal peel with a long handle. The flat head of the peel often has ridges or slots that help grip the crust for turning. Tilt the pizza at a slight angle as you manipulate the peel to rotate the pie. This method requires some practice, and many a novice pizza maker has had the experience of turning their pizza too slowly, so one side is burnt, or worse yet, pushing their beautiful pizza into the flames, ashes and all, thereby completely ruining their creation!
The other option for rotating a pizza in a wood fired oven is to use a pair of “pizza spinners” which feature long wooden handles with a bent fork or tines on the end. The tines grip the crust of the pizza so it can be easily spun on the baking bed. You can buy them online for $10 to $40, but I just keep a lookout for long handled barbecue forks at thrift shops and bend the tines myself with a pair of pliers. I’ve made a half a dozen sets for my pizza making friends and they love them. As you can see, they don't have to match exactly in style, although they are easier to operate if they are the same length. I bought all of these at thrift shops for less that $2.00 apiece. Choose long handled forks with tines that are fairly close together. The ones with three tines are my favorite but are harder to find. The tines can be bent easily with a pair of pliers. I use linesman pliers because they usually have a wider, flatter plate on the jaw, plus a pair of side cutters to take the points of the tines so they don't get stuck in the crust. Below you can see a pair of linesman pliers so you know what tool I mean.
Below, you can see a short video of the pizza spinners in action. Notice that you can use them to move the pizza closer or further from the fire source.
As I said before, you can find pizza spinners online for around $20, but I like the thrill of the hunt in thrift stores, and the pleasure making my own tools for my baking adventures. If you're already enjoying backyard pizzas, or thinking of investing in an oven, you'll be happy to have a pair of these spinners hanging near the oven.
Portions of this blog are adapted from the new edition of my Thursday Night Pizza, which will include a section of backyard pizza oven, as well several new recipes. It should be out around August 1st. I'll keep you posted.
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