What Can You Cook in a Pizza Oven? 4 Ways to Get Creative
What Can You Cook in a Pizza Oven?
While a good pizza oven can transport you into the world of pepperoni paradise, is it really worth investing in an oven if all you can cook is pizza?
Actually, pizza is just the start of the many things a pizza oven is capable of cooking.
From roasted vegetables and slow-cooked meats to hot desserts and freshly baked bread, the world is your oyster when it comes to cooking in a pizza oven.
So, what can you cook in a pizza oven? We’ve rounded up some wood fired oven appetizer recipes as well as main dishes we think you’ll love.
Wood-Fired Temperature Chart
Temperature °F
Type of Cooking
160
Keeping Food Warm and Fresh
200-250
Slow-Roasted Meats, Beans, and Stews
300-350
Desserts and Scones
400-450
General Baking and Enriched Breads
500-550
Roasting, Focaccia, and Hearth Breads
600-650
Fast-Cooking Vegetables and Tapas
700+
Pizza, Fast-Cooking Tapas
Roasted Vegetables
From potatoes and eggplant to bell peppers and broccoli, roasted vegetables make a delicious, healthy main course or side dish. As far as answering the question of what can you cook in a pizza oven, just pick your favorite veggies!
When you take those vegetables and expose them directly to the flame of a wood-fired pizza oven, the whole experience is amplified tenfold.
In order to properly cook roasted vegetables in a pizza oven, be sure to start your big, bulky items at a high temperature, between 550 and 600 degrees Fahrenheit.
Then, once the temperature drops to around 500 degrees, place your smaller veggies on a plan into the oven.
If you’re looking to add a charred taste to your veggies, introduce them to the flame when available. Periodically, be sure to reposition your roasted vegetables to benefit from more direct heat.
Slow-Cooked Meats
There’s truly nothing better than flavorful, ultra-juicy, slow-cooked meats. With a pizza oven, you can add a bold, wood-fired flavor to ribs, brisket, roast, or any other meats that your heart desires.
When it comes to cooking meat in a pizza oven, be sure to get your oven up to a temperature of 200-250°F using kiln-dried wood that preferably has a moisture content of less than 20%.
While the oven is preheating, get your meat ready in a heat-proof casserole dish or tray. Then, using a peel or spade, move the embers to one side of the oven. This will allow the temperature to drop down, making it ready for slow cooking.
Once you’re ready to place your dish in the oven, cover it and rest it beside the embers. Then, close the door and let it cook. For optimal results, be sure to keep an eye on it and occasionally rotate the dish.
Desserts
If you often find yourself having a hankering for something sweet, not to worry, your pizza oven can cure that craving with ease. From brownies and carrot cake to s’mores and cobbler, there are plenty of desserts that can get a wood-fired finish in your oven.
Cooking desserts in a pizza oven is fairly simple. More often than not, desserts are usually made using residual heat from cooking something else.
This guarantees that the oven has time to soak up all of the heat and spread a nice, even temperature all throughout the oven.
In order to bake, be sure there is no live fire in the oven. Then, use heat-proof cooking pans and skillets, and even an oven hook to easily retrieve your dishes from the oven.
Fresh Bread
What can you cook in a pizza oven? Bread. Bread, in general, is a wonderful thing. But freshly-baked bread? Game-changing. With a wood-fired pizza oven, you can bake sourdough, ciabatta, focaccia, rolls, and many more types of fresh bread with your versatile oven.
To do so, prepare your dough and use it the following day, as it makes for a nicer, airy dough.
Once you’ve prepared the dough for the oven, ensure that the oven only has embers glowing lightly, as no flame is needed for the bread to bake.
Drizzle a small amount of olive oil or butter on the dough, then place it in the oven. Be sure to turn your bread as needed and let it cool down before cutting into your masterpiece.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Do Foods Taste Better From a Wood-Fired Oven?
Different types of wood pellets can add unique flavors to any food cooked in a pizza oven. More often than not, the flavor is better compared to other cooking methods!
How Should I Decide What Pizza Oven to Buy?
In our Pizza Oven guide, we discuss all of the best pizza ovens on the market, including our top pick: the Ooni Koda 12.
Check it out along with the Forno Venetzia to find your perfect match!
How Can I Tell When My Oven is Hot Enough?
The best way to tell when your pizza oven is ready is by testing it with an infrared thermometer, which are great for measuring the surface temperature.
The Bottom Line
So, what can you cook in a pizza oven? The question you should be asking is what can’t you cook in a pizza oven.
Whether you’re craving freshly-baked bread, delicious sweets, or authentic pizza, a wood-fired pizza oven has got you covered. When it comes down to it, having a pizza oven in or outside of your home is worth every penny.
