Many home chefs and restaurants alike have tried to recreate what the great pizzaiolos of Rome have spent the last several hundred years practicing. Making pizza is a tough business to get into, but making good pizza is a real challenge. It takes a ton of practice to make the dough to the right consistency and know how to stretch it properly. Then you have the sauce that must be just right, but you don’t want to overcrowd your pie with too much of it. And the cheese must be quality every time. All the ingredients are so important to the production of great pizza. Here are just a few reasons why brick ovens make the best wood-fired pizza compared with other competitors.
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Temperature and Timing Are Paramount
Pizza is more of an art than a science, and yet scientists have dictated that it truly comes down to a few key factors. If you have the right set-up of materials, you can narrow things down to simple timing and temperature. Traditional Roman-style pizza will bake at roughly 626 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately two minutes. That is quite a turnaround! Neapolitan pizzas go for an even shorter time at around 700 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Makeup of Brick Versus Steel
Conventional steel ovens just can’t compare when it comes to traditional brick ovens. The first mistake is that they use radiation from steel bars to warm the oven versus the indirect and direct heat from the flame. Why is this such a big deal? It all boils down to how the pizza cooks and what the finished product looks and tastes like. The texture is even something that many people incorporate into the quality of the experience.
Flames Give the Best Texture
Without the flame, you have something that might be too dry or possibly cooked unevenly. The issue comes down to how the heat is distributed. Flames get the bricks red hot, but the brick holds most of the heat and slowly delivers it to the pizza and crust to make those bubbles and char that people go wild for. With steel, the heat is almost instantly transferred from the oven to the bread, which results in overcooking the pie, and the toppings never have a chance to cook on their own. So, you’re left with a lot to be desired.
It’s easy to see why brick ovens make the best wood-fired pizza and why they have been used throughout the ages. Sometimes, sticking to traditional methods of getting things done truly is the best route of getting to your destination.
