The Wood-Fired Blog

Lobster and Asparagus Pizza

Hailing from the province of Ontario, Canada, Chief Psychologist and professor, Dr. Jon Mills, is a long-time fan of wood fired cooking. He submitted this recipe for our 2020 Recipe Contest and we think it looks and sounds amazing! Cooking new dishes always involves an element of risk, but they can also yield many happy surprises. This pizza is one of those winning flavor combinations. Notes from the Chef: “This... Read More

Pizza Crust Stuffing

If you love pizza, and you love Thanksgiving, here is a fun way to combine the two! Mark and Jenny Bello of Pizza School NYC have concocted a delicious recipe that puts a new twist on a classic stuffing combination. By first baking pizza dough with onions for the bread element, you get a perfect flavor infusion built into the base of this stuffing mix that really takes it up... Read More

Chicken and Pancetta Pizza

It’s easy to overthink – and over top – a wood fired pizza. Too much cheese, too many flavors, too much weight can all bog down the dough and reduce the crust’s oven spring, making it greasy or flat (or difficult to slide off the peel, resulting in a pizza disaster. Yikes!) This yummy pizza combination was contributed by guest chef and Forno Bravo oven owner, Gerry Speirs at Foodness... Read More

Spicy and Smokey Sausage Pizza

Guest chef, Gerry Speirs of FoodnessGracious.com is the proud owner of a tiled Napolino wood fired oven. He loves coming up with interesting pizza topping combinations like this Spicy and Smokey Sausage Pizza. It uses two kinds of sausage for a blend of flavors that are a step up from a classic meat pizza. One key ingredient is Calabrese Sausage. It is a dry-smoked, pork sausage from the Southern Italian... Read More

Pancetta and Doming

Two weeks ago, I posted information on wood and the flavor characteristics that the different woods can impart in the overall flavor of the pizza.  This week, as a follow-up, I wanted to talk a little about “doming” the pizza during the cooking process. To “dome” the pizza or “doming” is the practice of lifting the pizza off the hearth and holding it close to the dome for a short... Read More

Naan Bread is a versatile form of flat bread that has its roots in India and the Middle East. It is also super easy to make in a wood fired oven! This recipe for Lavender and Fennel Pollen Naan Bread is a gourmet adaptation of the basic recipe and brought to us by Chef Ryan Kirby of Wisconsin. Chef Kirby has a passion for making dishes with local, fresh ingredients. You can... Read More

Sausage and Gorgonzola Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

About the Chef: Chef Anthony Iannone is the co-founder of the North American Pizza and Culinary Academy (NAPCA) in Lisle, IL (just outside of Chicago.) Originally from Queens, New York, Chef Anthony is an experienced chef who has worked in many high-end restaurants around the country, and the world! Now, as a chef instructor at the school, he specializes in teaching wood fired cooking, and many other dishes and styles.... Read More

Wood Fired Porchetta

Big thanks to Paul Dunaway for submitting this wonderful recipe!  Note: You can also check out Brad English’s recent guest post on Pizza Quest with Peter Reinhart discussing Porchetta, and offering several delicious options for using it on pizzas and sandwiches! Modified Porchetta recipe for a wood fired oven Read More

Wood-Fired Pizza Dough

Sometimes, you just need a bit of dough for a small group and you don’t want to drag out a big mixer for the effort. There can also be something soothing about getting your hands into a ball of dough and working it to perfection. With these things in mind, Chef Leo Spizzirri, Master Instruttore, PFC, and Co-Founder of the North American Pizza and Culinary Academy developed this recipe for a simple,... Read More