first pizza

Some helpful tips when using the Bread Oven -

Making the fire – make a fire in the oven, keep feeding the
 fire for approximately 1- ½ hours, this will bring the oven up
 to cooking temperature.  You’re aiming to heat up the interior
of the oven as this does the cooking – not the fire.

Best not to use firelighters as they can potentially flavour the
food during cooking. I used paper and kindling to start the fire
then burned peat bricks and or BBQ coals.

Soak the oven door in water while the oven is being heated
this will prevent it from catching fire.

 

BREAD - I found the best way to cook bread is to prepare bread dough while keeping an eye on the  fire and occasionally adding extra fuel. When the oven has been heated for 1- ½ hours, remove  most of the hot ashes (these can be placed on the fire pit). The few remaining hot ashes should be pushed to the sides of the oven (these ashes will help to keep the oven hot). Place two fire bricks on the oven floor and the bread tin on the firebricks, this will prevent the base of the bread from burning. Then quickly place the door in position and insert the chimney  plug to retain as much heat in the oven as possible.

The heat of the oven will determine the coking time – as a guide, I found the 3 loaves I cooked took between 15 – 30 mins. Tips to ensure the bread is cooked are as follows -
Tap the top of the loaf it should sound hollow, the smell is a good sign when you get a good  whiff of freshly baked bread you can be sure your loaf will be nearly cooked, or you can insert the meat thermometer into the loaf - it should read 190c (according to the internet).
The taste is absolutely amazing! There are plenty of folk who will testify to that statement.

PIZZAS – like to be cooked in a hotter oven.
Heat the oven as for the bread but instead of
removing the hot ashes push then around the
oven sides making a ring of hot embers. Clean
the ashes from the oven base with a hand brush
(with natural bristles) that has been previously
soaked in water.
Use the Pizza paddle to place the pizza directly
onto the oven base. Watch for the topping
melting and the dough base will being to bubble
in places, we turned our pizzas part  way during
the cooking process. Stone baked Pizzas are fantastic.
                        Lois.

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