Firing your oven for the first time

In order for you to achieve best results and longevity of your oven, we have put together some guidelines and helpful hints. Below are step by step instructions when firing the oven for the first time.

 

It is important to always start with kindling wood then add larger pieces to build up your fire gradually. Pine is an OK timber to use as a start up as it burns fast. But just be mindful it can also spit/spark, so be careful. Seasoned wood cuttings are ideal and old pallets are also fine.. howeverNever use treated wood of any kind. Never put particle board or MDF wood in your oven as they contain resins which will may cause adverse health effects (plus give the oven a nasty coating on the inside).


Red gum is our preferred choice with Oregon another option. They both burn nicely and produce a fantastic coal bed. Any good, well seasoned dry hardwood is suitable.

The wood burnt in your oven adds flavour to the food, such as hickory chips and cherry wood. Never put particle board or MDF wood in your oven as they contain resins which will give the oven a coating on the inside, not to mention the adverse health effects.   

Start a small pile of twigs in the centre of the oven, light the branches (no bigger than 2cm in diameter) making sure the flame doesn't touch the top of dome.  This process is to dry out the bricks and cure the mortar. Slow burn for as long as you can into the evening, closing the oven door before going to bed. Always allow the fire to smother itself out and cool down by itself.

The next step is to start the fire for the following 2 consecutive days.  Start the fire in the same way as the day before, and gradually build up the fire by adding small pieces of wood.  At the end of the day you will need to spread out the coals letting the fire smother itself out and cool down by itself.  After the third day the oven will be cured and ready for cooking.

When firing up your oven for your first time to cook, allow the fire to gradually build up. To achieve maximum heat retention in the bricks, spread the coals a little. This will also assist you in avoiding cold spots and while maintaining a consistent floor temperature. Burn for approx 45-50 mins then using your hoe push the coals to one side. Use your wire brush to sweep the floor clean. If you are "bare baking" pizza (cooking directly on the floor) dampen your mop and give the floor a good going over to remove any excess ash or small pieces coal.

                                       Once I have started the oven

Once fired, the door should be left ajar allowing oxygen to help fuel the flames.  This will also help the smoke to escape through the flue.  Heating the oven to the temperature desired for cooking pizza 360o-380o for example will take approximately an hour.  When you’re ready to start cooking  sweep the coals to one side. Mop the floor area with your damp mop to remove the finer residue and ash. You can then start to cook your pizzas.

When cooking bread directly on the oven floor, it is necessary to sweep the coals into ash-box and mop the floor.  For success with baking bread, temperature is most important. Should the oven be too hot, your bread with cook too quickly on the outside and become burnt, with the inside remaining well under cooked. The oven should be not hotter than 220-250c for best results. The best time to bake bread is after you have cooked your pizza and main meals and the oven temperature has fallen.