Your Oven

Appears in
Wood-fired Oven Cookbook
Wood-fired Oven Cookbook

By Holly Jones and David Jones

Published 2016

  • About
Wood-fired ovens are flexible and adaptable, so think about what you want to use it for and what size of oven you need before you commit to building or buying one, to make sure you get the one that is just right for you. Positioning and structure are also very important, as is the finished look of the oven.
Wood-fired ovens can produce an intense, fierce heat or a more gentle, forgiving heat. The heat is produced in two ways:
  • The primary heat is produced from the fire built inside the oven and is used for quick cooking (eg pizzas, fish, steaks, kebabs). The heat from the fire swirls around the dome-shaped roof, producing heat that cooks the food from all angles.
  • The secondary heat is produced later by the bricks absorbing the heat from the flames and then slowly releasing this residual heat to cook dishes at lower temperatures. The heat is absorbed into the oven walls or thermal mass and is slowly released even after the fire has died down. It will continue cooking dishes but at lower temperatures.