Description for Pizza Oven, Roasting and Baking Environments Found this definition. I work from a white dome perspective and flame reaching to mid dome for pizza. See other definitions.
The Pizza Oven Environment refers to an oven which has been fired to maximum temperature. The goal is to saturate the floor and dome with heat, build up a large sized bed of coals and maintain a rolling large flame. When the oven is up to temperature there is no visible black (carbon build up) on the dome and there should be a large fire going with the flame reaching the middle of the oven. If using a hand held thermometer the floor should read approximately 650 degrees. Pizzas are baked right on the floor next to the fire. The door is left off during Pizza baking and smaller pieces of wood are added approximately every 20 minutes to maintain a large flame.
Roasting Oven (floor temp 550 F)
The Roasting Oven Environment refers to an oven which has first been prepped to reach Pizza Oven temperatures and then allowed to drop in temperature. The goal is to have a deep constant heat throughout the oven for initial searing and then allow the oven to slowly drop in temperature to the desired level. There should be no visible black on the dome, a medium sized bed of coals and a small flame of 2-4" high. The door may be left off for shorter roasting times (under one hour) or positioned inside the arch opening to help regulate the heat for hours of roasting.
The door is used to regulate both the air coming in to fuel the fire and the exhaust going up the chimney. Experiment with the exact placement of the door such as to not put the fire out or to create a smoky environment. If the oven is cooling off add more wood and open the door more. Inspect food periodically during
roasting and use the different heat zones in the oven to adjust for temperature i.e., move your pan deeper into the oven for more heat or forward for less heat. Add small pieces of wood as needed to maintain temperature. Roasting temperatures may start as high as 600 degrees for initial searing and allowed to drop to no less than 450 degrees.
3. Bake Oven (floor temp 450 F)
The Bake Oven Environment refers to an oven environment which has first been prepped to reach Pizza Oven temperature for total heat saturation, possibly used for other cooking, and then allowed to drop in temperature. The goal is to create a deep even heat throughout the entire oven to allow for baking items that do no need the high heat or browning that a live fire provides. You are actually cooking with the retained heat in the oven dome and floor.
The door is positioned inside the arch to completely close the oven. There should be no live flame at this time but some live coals are ok. Maintain the fully closed oven for at least thirty minutes and then remove door to check the floor temperature. If the oven is too hot either wait or leave the door off for 5 minutes then put back in place for 5 minutes before checking temperature again. Failure to do this may give you a false reading because the deep heat in the oven will raise the floor temperature once the door is in place again. A floor temperature of 450 degrees works well for baked pastas, casseroles or fruit cobblers. To bake, simply place your dish in the oven and close the door. If there are live coals in the oven keep the door cracked so the oven doesn’t get smoky. You may wish to elevate delicate items off the floor after initial searing by using a trivet or inverted sheet pan. |