There’s nothing quite like the flavour and experience of cooking in a wood fired pizza oven. Whether you’re making authentic Italian-style pizza, roasting vegetables, or baking fresh bread, the right techniques make all the difference. To help you get the most from your Jalando wood fired pizza oven, here are our top 10 tips for perfect wood fired cooking.
Always choose dry, seasoned hardwood such as il Faggetto briquettes (100% Italian compressed beechwood) ironbark, oak, or red gum. These woods burn hotter and cleaner, producing the ideal cooking temperature and flavour. Avoid softwoods like pine, which create too much smoke and soot.
Give your oven enough time to reach optimal temperature — usually around 400–450°C for pizza and 250–300°C for roasting. This ensures the dome and floor are evenly heated, giving you crisp bases and even cooking.
Keep a few small logs handy to maintain consistent heat. Add wood as needed but avoid overloading — too much wood can cause flare-ups and uneven cooking. Using a digital thermometer can provide you with an accurate heat reading.
4. Use Semolina or Flour on Your Pizza Paddle
Before sliding your pizza onto the stone, sprinkle a little semolina or fine flour on the pizza paddle or board. This acts like tiny ball bearings, helping your pizza slide off smoothly without sticking or tearing.
Wood fired ovens have hot spots. Rotate your pizza every 20–30 seconds to cook it evenly on all sides and avoid burning one edge while the other stays underdone.
It’s tempting to cook near the fire, but keep your food slightly away from the hottest part of the oven. The best cooking zone is where the heat radiates evenly — not directly in the flame path. Wood racks are helpful in keeping the wood together so you can move it around the oven if needed.
After the flames die down, your oven will still hold plenty of heat. Use this residual warmth to slow cook meats, roast vegetables, or bake bread. It’s a great way to extend your cooking session and make the most of your fuel.
After each cook, use a pizza oven brush or scraper to remove ash and food debris. A clean cooking surface ensures better heat transfer and prevents bitter, smoky flavours from burnt residue.
Invest in quality pizza peels, brushes, and turning paddles. The right tools make it easier to manage your fire, rotate food, and keep your oven in top condition.
Every wood fired oven has its own personality — learning how yours behaves takes time. Experiment with different fire sizes, cooking positions, and recipes to discover what works best for your setup.
Bring the Heat Home
With a little practice and these expert tips, you’ll be cooking like a pro in no time. Explore our full range of Jalando wood fired pizza ovens and accessories at www.jalandopizzaovens.com.au to create your perfect outdoor cooking space.
You can buy infrared thermometers and other types of thermometers to give you exact readings. However, once you have used the oven and experimented with it, you will get a “feel” for the temperature. You can also try the flour test and throw a bit of flour inside the oven. Observe how quickly it starts to burn. The oven should be ready if you see the flour burning in just a few seconds.
The best oven temperature for pizza is between 400 and 450 degrees Celsius.
No. The oven can be used for pizza, bread, meats, fish and vegetables. It can also be used for slow cooking and smoking foods. A wood fired oven can cook anything a conventional oven can. The main difference is that this oven can reach temperatures higher than 450°C.
Depending on the oven size, it should take about 45-90 minutes to heat up to pizza making temperature. The size and length of the fire will determine the temperature of the oven. The oven is at its optimum when all the black carbon has burned off the dome.
