Wood fired pizza ovens create a unique flavour and texture to pizzas that regular ovens can’t achieve. This is why many homes and hospitality businesses choose to invest in a pizza oven to get authentic wood-fired pizza. One element that can impact the quality of your pizza is the wood you use – so what’s the best wood for your wood fired pizza oven?
Types of wood for fuel
The ideal species of wood will depend on your state, as the preferred flavour and quality of wood varies. In general terms, you can opt for softwood or hardwood. Softwood has a quick start-up burn, ignites quickly but also burns quickly. Hardwood has a slower ignition but burns for longer, they also produce more heat per unit, so are more fuel efficient than softwood. Hardwood is also denser so has a lot more to burn.
Firewood to avoid
It’s easy to think that a healthy looking block of wood is going to produce a great burn, but the moisture of a lush, fresh looking piece of firewood is far to high to produce the authentic taste and crisp of a good woodfired pizza. Wet wood also produces a lot of smoke and take a long time to heat up. If you’re sourcing wood on your own, choose the dry pieces, cracking firewood is even better.
Does moisture content impact the cooking?
The ideal moisture for wood-burning ovens is 20%, and any higher can impact the cooking and the taste of your pizza. Wet or damp wood should be avoided, which means ensure you store wood in a dry place away from uncovered ground.
How much wood do I need?
The quantity of wood needed to cook your pizzas will depend on a few factors, and if you’re new to wood fired ovens it might be a matter of trialling what works best. A 12 inch piece of wood is usually the standard length, and generally speaking people will start with 5 small pieces to start up their oven.
Where to buy wood for pizza ovens
It’s advised that you source your wood specifically from places advertising firewood for pizza ovens, as these will be sourced with your specific use in need. You can usually find these wood on local online marketplaces and listings, otherwise source your firewood from the manufacturers of your oven. You may find that you can use fallen dry twigs in your nearby woodlands to get your fire started. The best advice is to ensure you’re looking for completely dry wood, and suppliers will usually be the best choice as they only source the best.
The best wood fired pizzas from Sydney’s leading manufacturers
Sydney Fire Bricks have been manufacturing wood fired pizza ovens for commercial and residential use since 2012, operating in Sydney’s Northern Beaches and supplying ovens Australia-wide and internationally. We pride ourselves an internationally recognised standard of quality, and prioritise the performance and experience of all of our ovens. If you are interested in investing in a wood-fired pizza oven, reach out to our team to discuss your options. Call us on (02) 8411 2546.