Our Top Tips When Using your Pizza Oven for the First Time

Everybody’s inner child comes out when unboxing a new toy, and for food lovers, unboxing a brand new Igneus pizza oven takes that thrill to a whole new level. Using your pizza oven for the first time is an exciting experience, no doubt. The thought of cooking up a storm for your friends and family, experimenting with different flavours, dough hydration levels and all that good stuff, but to really make the most of your new Igneus oven, a little preparation goes a long way! So, in our latest blog, we share our top tips for getting started, to ensure you don’t make some classic rookie errors! Let’s get into it.

Blind Firing

The first and probably most important step after you’ve assembled your Igneus Pizza Oven is to blind fire it in order to season the firebricks and prevent the bricks from cracking. If you were to go straight into a full burn, without seasoning the bricks, there’s a high chance that the ‘shock’ of the intense heat will cause the bricks to crack.

The first blind firing should last around 10 minutes. Use kindling only to prevent the oven from reaching too high a temperature. After 10 minutes, spread the fire/embers across the floor of the oven and then let it cool down fully. 

For the second blind firing, do exactly the same as the first time, but allow the fire to burn for around 20-30 minutes before spreading the embers. 

Preheating & Cooking Temperature

After the second blind firing, you’re ready to get going in earnest! It’s vital to preheat the oven to the ideal temperature. For Neapolitan pizza, this is around 450°C, with the stone temperature reaching around 350°C. To accurately assess the temperature of the stone/firebricks, we recommend investing in an Infrared Thermometer. Preheating should take around 15 minutes if you’re using good quality, kiln-dried hardwood, such as Silver Birch.

Keep It Simple

Although it can be tempting to get carried away with super high hydration levels and hundreds of toppings, it’s always better to keep things simple, especially for the first few times using the oven. Check out our simple dough recipe here to help you on your way initially.

When it comes to toppings, less is more. Stick to 3-4 ingredients to ensure the dough slides off the peel easily and the base cooks evenly without becoming soggy. Of course, feel free to get creative, but sticking to 3-4 simple toppings allows you to focus on the cooking rather than worrying about getting everyone’s unique orders absolutely perfect. 

Cooking Tips

The main tip we can give you is to keep an eye on your pizza as it cooks. In fact, keep two eyes on it! Pizza cooks incredibly quickly in a wood-fired pizza oven, owing to the intense heat temperatures, and the fact that it’s cooking both from above and below. We recommend turning your pizza with a turning peel every 15-20 seconds or so, to ensure you get an even char all the way round the crust, and the toppings are evenly cooked.

Before taking the pizza out of the oven, gently lift it to check that the bottom of the pizza has a good colour on it, indicating it’s cooked properly from below. There’s nothing worse than biting into a pizza only to find the dough is still slightly undercooked.

Another tip to get some extra signature leopard spots on your crust and some extra gnarly toppings is to lift the pizza to the roof of the oven ,where there is a little extra heat, just before taking it out. 

Final Thoughts

Using your Igneus Pizza Oven for the first time is an exciting culinary adventure, and with these tips, you’re sure to achieve amazing results. From seasoning your oven to perfecting your cooking technique, each step brings you closer to mastering wood-fired cooking. Remember, the key to success is patience, practice, and simplicity. Soon enough, you’ll be making pizzas like a pro!

If you have any questions about our range of ovens and accessories or need further advice, feel free to get in touch with us at 01423 575885. You can also explore our full selection of products here. Happy cooking!