1st time useing our brick oven

[Neil2]

Re: 1st time useing our brick oven

Just brush the ashes back or to the side. Use a brass or copper brush, a steel brush will tend to damage the brick surface.

I also do a quick swab with a wet old tea towel wrapped around the brush.

[Dino_Pizza]

Re: 1st time useing our brick oven

I too have occasional issues with a floor too hot (1st pizza) then get a bit too much char in that 90 seconds and yet my top is a bit under-done.

So, I almost always damp mop my oven floor right before 1st pizza: It does require another tool: I use a mop replacement head (the kind that looks like a raggedy-Ann Doll) cut in half and wired to a short pole. I dip it in the 2 gallon water bucket at my side, ring it out and after I pushed my fire-coals back and to the sides, I mop my floor lightly.

This does 2 things: It "tempers" the temperature a bit and evens out the temperature for the 2 minutes it takes to do all this. AND it does push and clean the ashes away (I may have to ring it out twice if it's really ashy) and my pizza bottoms come out especially clean.

Not that I mind ash on my pizzas but during any given party, there's always some clean-freak... I mean "health conscious" person furring their brow at the pizza right on the oven floor so wiping it down pleases them. But ya...your entire oven floor is a high quality pizza stone so take advantage of it.

I've also learned to bake my 1st 2 pizzas a bit closer to the entry until I figure out if I have hot spot in the middle, but by then, the floor temps have evened out.

[Faith In Virginia]

Re: 1st time useing our brick oven

LOL Scottz. I had the exact same fireball. The fun part was I had friends over for the first pizza. Slid the pizza off the peel and in about three seconds the crust on the bottom was charred , tried to move the pizza but it was stuck, mangled the pizza trying to get it unstuck, then it burst into flames.

The moral to this story is practice with your new oven before you have guests over for pizza.

[scottz]

Re: 1st time useing our brick oven

Yes, people kill for that tool that you have, nothing better than your WFO! One caution though....that floor can get really bloody hot!!! Make sure it cools slightly before cooking pizzas, or you will find (like I did) that your first pizza turns into a fireball!!

Have fun and good luck!

Scott

[dmun]

Re: 1st time useing our brick oven

Pizza stones are for your oven inside. No use for them in the brick oven, where the entire floor is one huge pizza stone.

[SCChris]

Re: 1st time useing our brick oven

Pizza and Bread - Right on the brick.

Best

Chris

[chuckcollins]

should we just bake on the brick or use a stone?