As someone that owns an Ooni myself, I've learned through trial and error that you need to lower the flame once you slide your pie in. Even if the stone is up to temp, the bottom won't cook enough by the time the top burns. Once you do that you'll get an amazing neapolitan!
💯 this. I've got a Koda 16 and find I get best results if I preheat on high between pizzas then turn it right down as soon as I put it in. Position matters in the Koda too, if you've got a pizza with a bit more toppings positioning it further from the burner (front right in the Koda 16) will give the base more time to set before you have to turn it
I imagine the Koda has a stronger flame than the Fyra, for the Fyra it works great heating the stone to 430C and then putting the pizza in, no change to the flame.
Alex, your blur plugin seems to not be cooperating, it shows some of the people's faces, just thought you might want to know! Awesome pizzas, must be great to be your cameraman! ;D
@Alex at 11:37, 11:52 & 11:54 the blur went of the person showing their faces. Great video, can't wait for more Pizza creations (or other things to cook in a pizza oven?)
@@gildardo The tracker probably couldn't catch up with the motion in the image, very common in video editing programs. Most of the time you need to fix it by hand
Hey Alex, I am thrilled that you love the oven! I am an engineer at Ooni and I take great pride in watching people bond over our products and more importantly pizza! That is what our company revolves around and it’s amazing you got to show that in the video! To improve your cook going forward make sure you have the door and chimney on. The door helps with the heat up, the chimney (make sure the baffle in it is open too!) helps draw the flame through the oven. I love to wait a little longer then after I launch the pizza turn the flame down and turn the pizza a few times then turn it back to full for a final bake for 15-20 seconds! All in all do experiment and find what works best for you, that’s the fun part! 😁
Can I just say your customer service is the best I have experienced as well. I picked up a 12 from a garden centre, ex display and it was missing a bit and you guys sent it out for the price of postage, good stuff.
@@RedRisotto Great idea, do you know where I can find said small smoker box or tube? Any images, links or product names you can let me know of? Smoke flavor is where I struggle to mimic true neapolitan style pizza.
It must be rough being one of Alex's neighbors. The daily struggle of if you should bring lunch or is Alex going to make something a few times for a video and feed everyone to not waste food.
oh 100% and for more factors than just taste. its highly customizeble, so lets say you have vegan friends or friends thar have Coeliac disease you can just make a vegan pizza or a gluten free pizza. its a shareable food that anyone can enjoy.@@tiacho2893
Small hints from a humble amateur : maybe let the stone preheat a bit more, then lower the flame while cooking the pizza. And before going in, you should just pop the big air bubbles to avoid the pie starting to burn 🙂
Some tips from an Italian home pizza maker who has built his own portable oven (electric with rotatory stone): 1)Wait at least 45 minutes to heat up well the stone 2)To make a fluffier pizza increase the hydration of the dough at minimum of 70% 3)Under 400° the air bubbles doesn't expands (i use 420° and 1:30 minutes) 4)If you want step up in pizza game try to make a "pizza contemporanea" (contemporary pizza) by doing the "biga" which is a preferment of the dough with only 45% of hydration and that will increase the the flavor 5)If you use flour type 0 (instead of type 00) the pizza will be more flavorful (eg. Caputo nuvola) and use a flour of 270W/300W, don't go to high or the pizza will be like bread (for my contemporary pizza i make the biga with a mix of type 0, type 1 and regrinded semola and hydration of 75%) tip. Use icy water 6)Flatten the pizza dough on regrinded semola and not flour so it doesn't absorb much humidity and doesn't stick to the pizza peel. Also be careful to push the air of the pizza ball from the center outwards and don't flatten the crust 7)Use a pizza peel with holes, so the excess regrinded semola stuck in the bottom of the dough will fall and doesn't burn 8)I strongly recommend to replace the refractory stone with a "biscotto" fiesoli and you can leave the pizza in the oven for as long as you want, and the under side will always be perfectly cooked (search on google "fiesoli arte biscotto")
A huge thing that most people miss is using either poolish or biga in their dough recipes, and the importance of keeping the top part of the dough on top always so it cooks correctly. If you wonder why some of your pies come out doughy and others almost perfect, that might be why! 🍕
I'm so glad you have a proper pizza oven now and don't have to worry about burning down your studio with your "absolutely voided the warranty" domestic oven!
Thats the best reason ever to get a pizza oven, you're feeding your neighbours and letting everyone get to know you. The right reason to cook food - much love.
Salut Alex ! Here's an idea for you: I've been experiencing putting a thin layer of olive oil on the crust around the pizza using a small brush before putting it in the oven. Although it is not the proper traditional way, I think it brings something more to the crust : as crunchy, but less carbonated, and more flavorful thanks to the taste of the oil. Maybe something you might want to try out someday 😉 Thank you for your great videos!
I had a similar epiphany last year. I got the Ooni Fyra wood pellet oven, and it was life changing! Instantly went from pretty average pizza, to pizza that rivals most restaurants around here (there are still a few that blow mine out of the water 😅). Just like pancakes, the first one is usually under or over cooked.
I borrowed one of those Ooni ovens from a grood friend of mine for a weekend. I did not change anything concerning my dough recipe. That was exactly the same as always. And normally I do the "first in a cast iron pan on the hub, then under the grill in the oven"-method, which works fine. But its just not the same. With this oven and real woodfire the difference was astonishing. And those things are absolutely fiercely hot. You basically have to count maybe to like 20 in your head and then need to turn the pizza or it will immediately burn. But some things that I learned from this experiment (which was delicious): 1) The closer you are to the burner the faster the TOP of the pizza cooks. 2) To cook the bottom first and really nicely you should put the pizza closer to the entrance of the oven first, let it bake a little bit and then move it closer to the burner 3) The best result was using 2 first, and then using the Pizza peel to lift the pizza up and nearly into the flames for some seconds to get the top really bubbling and cripsy. This gave the best overall result. And dont instantly put in the next pizza. If you have a laser thermometer you should check the temperature of the stone. if its below 400°C you should wait a bit, until it comes up to temperature. As alwys love your videos and was excited, since I got a chance to test the same thing as you :D
As a passionate pizza amateur cook and having used multiple portable pizza ovens from multiple brands including Ooni, my gas-based oven preference goes to Gozney's Roccbox because of it's thicker stone and better insulation. It retains heat better when making multiple pizza's in a row compared to the Ooni. Getting yourself a pizza turning peel to rotate the pizza's during cooking is super handy for all these ovens 😉 You could also start try cooking with cast iron skillets in these ovens for new-york style pizza's or other brilliant non-pizza oven dishes
I also have the Ooni oven and i noticed that you have to preheat it much longer because of the special Cordierit-Stone. I usually preheat it for 30-40 minutes. So the bottom doesnt come out pale. Greetings from Graz/Austria. 😉 Ps: we also bought a woodfire oven from Aldi for 699€ and it is stainless steel so when it‘s a little bit colder outside it doesnt hold the temp so well but with a bigger oven and woodfired it‘s just 5 levels up. 😉
If you wanna get next level results, consider either PizzaParty or Gozney. Pizza party has been around for 20 years and is an Italian company. Their Ardore and Emozione gas ovens our second to none in terms of what you get for the price you pay. Same goes for their wood fire ovens. Meanwhile, the Gozney options are just top quality. As someone who’s owned two different Ooni ovens, I can tell you that quality is severely lacking for Ooni. Once you’ve owned a Gozney oven, either the Roccbox or the Dome, or a PizzaParty you’ll understand.
@@ElGrecoDaGeek yes, there are also the „Alfa“ Pizza oven from Italy - also great. But we first wanted to try a cheap one to see if we can handle the woodfire and if we see a difference. Now we NOW that there is a BIG difference between gas, charcoal and woodfire - so we stick to the woodfire oven. We want to get a real one with bricks but about 5000€ is a bit too expensive - now. 😉
The thermometer reads the ambient temperature inside the oven not the stone's temperature. It takes my Roccbox around 40-60 minutes to get the stone up to temp. You can use an IR thermometer to check the stone before launching a pizza.
In the end you said a big truth, everyone loves pizza and can be a connection with the people, they appreciate your talent and taste something great done by a friend already! Big hug from Italy
Amazing video as always alex! LOVED the ending! Food always has a way to bring people together, making us share great experiences and generally be friendlier. Very happy to see that you're beign welcomed! You deserve all the love❤❤❤❤❤😊😊😊😊😊
I've had the same Karu 16 for a year now and for best results I don't launch the pizza until the stone measures 450°C and that can take 20-30 minutes. An IR thermometer is your friend. After that I don't turn the gas down but with careful placement and turning 2-4 times it doesn't burn. It is such a pleasure to use this oven.
When you let the oven preheat for a bit longer (or do pizza #2) you get a bit more heat from the stone tiles in the bottom of the oven. I have a wood-fired version of this oven and it's so awesome. It takes a little practise to be able to get the pizza into and out of the oven, without crashing it, but you probably have lots of experience from that already with all the other versions of pizza baking you have done in real pizza ovens etc.
My brother has one and uses it every sunday to make pizza for his family. With a 5 and 3 year old, they all have their particular tastes but it's fun whenever I'm visiting to see the whole group celebrate a good home made pizza all for themself!
Where there's pizza, there's a party! 👍😋 That's fantastic that some of the neighbors came out to say "hello" and see what was going on. Bringing people together one slice at a time, nice job Alex.
When making the dough, you need to pay attention to the flour, the W strength is important to make the perfect Neapolitan pizza with leopard look for my best flour what I use in my portable pizza oven EFFEUNO p134H 509 -PETRA 5037 - CAPUTO PIZZERIA - 5 stagioni pizza napoletana CAKE PARAMETERS - number of balls: 6 - ball weight: 280 g - hydration: 60% NEEDED INGREDIENTS - flour: 1031 g - cold water with ice: 618 g - salt: 31 g - fresh yeast: 0.77g RISING TIMES - total time at ambient temperature(20*C-26*C): 8 hours - total time in the fridge: 48 hours Pizza souce is so simple Just san Marzano pomodore with salt nothing more!
What a beautiful ending, and you're right. Food makes things so much easier, even if it's just for a moment. It can connect people and show people who you are or who you can be in some way.
Alex, I think you’re wife must be thrilled that you’ve found something that will keep your from hacking the family oven. 😂 Glad to see that you have lovely neighbors at your new studio and are having fun!
I'm a long time Ooni cooker. You want to keep the heat lower when you pop it in, so the stone gets more time to transfer its heat to the bottom. I've got a Koda 12, so unsure how this translates to your oven. It's trial and error. But lower flame heat = slower cook = more time on the floor; you need to get a feel for that balance. So stone pre-heat is important as others are stating, but a feel for balance is arguably even more important. Be sure to use your IR thermometer to gauge the stone heat. In the center you want it around 400-430 Celsius before you throw a pie on. Also you might wanna redo the censors at 11:37 and 11:54 😉
So years ago there was a seller of traditional pizza ovens and he had instructions on how to build the pie. Once the dough was pressed out and round, he brushed olive oil on the dough as a barrier so the sauce wouldn't make the dough soggy. Also he had tool to roll over the dough to prevent the big bubbles that form. You can also use a fork to do the same thing.
This is a perfect video, as a pizza enthusiast myself this video made every point necessary. The feeling of having friends over for a pizza party where everyone gets to make their pie and have fun is a top tier memories in my heart
Here's the technique I've had the most success with if you want similar results without a pizza oven: -use a high hydration dough (80%, do the whole stretch and folds to handle it correctly, it takes proper technique to handle it, but this will prevent the dough from solidifying too quickly when cooking) -use a flat cast iron (pan/plate, etc. so it can retain heat when you transfer it to the oven later) -get it ripping hot on a stove (5-10 min or so, this allows for a high enough temperature in the base, and to shock the pizza with enough heat as it rises into the dough from below) -preheat your oven's grill/broiler for 10-15 min (again, more heat = better, and this gets you up to 300c unlike the oven) -when you form your pizza and put it on the plate, it will take about 60 seconds to assemble - but this is good as it means the dough has a little time to heat from beneath and rise upwards around the crusts without solidifying straight away -when the base is browned, put it under the grill/broiler -once browned, take it out, and enjoy the chewey and floofy goodness
I've had an Ooni for a while. We've cooked for large groups (25 pizzas at a time). A few tips I use now. 1) Pre-bake the crust. Pre-heat the oven, turn the heat as low as it will go. Stick the dough on the Ooni for a minute or so, rotating often. Just to when it holds it's shape and starts to brown. We sometimes freeze them at this point. Then let people put on their own toppings, put it back in the oven to finish. Crust gets twice the time to cook and much easier to handle. Makes the final bake go much faster. 2) As others have said, preheat the stone for a long time. Use a temperature gun to check the surface temp. I usually shoot for 550 to 600F at the front before I start baking. Higher if I'm patient. 3) When cooking the pizza, turn the oven down. The top will cook. Maximize the bottom baking time. 4) "Pizza dough docker", rolling pin with pricks in it. Doesn't prevent, but minimizes the bubbling in the middle, especially if you pre-bake the crust.
That’s awesome! An impromptu pizza party with your new neighbors! I noticed you started whispering then at the end you were speaking normally. Glad you have cool people around you.
I have one of there for 1 year now and all you have to do is try try try.... the oven can deliver percet temperature, but you have to understand it to the full extend. Its not like - set temperature to XY and everything will be fine. The stone has the have the right temperature and the air has to have a slightly lower temperature to get a perfect result.
I own a Roccbox pizza oven and honestly it takes a lot of practice to get right. The main learning curve is temperature control. You definitely need to get the stone as hot as possible before launching the pizza. Also, lower the flame right before launching because the heat will be so intense that the pizza would burn on top before the bottom cooks enough. Another thing to do is make sure you use semolina flour and 00 flour (~50:50 mix) to stretch, then shake off as much as possible before building the pizza. That way, there won't be a ton of bunt flour and the cook will be much better overall. Lastly, invest in a turning peel because it makes baking the pizza a lot easier and more even because you can turn the pizza while it is still in the oven. Hope this helps and I'm looking forward to your new pizza journey!
Alex, I found your channel a few years ago and devoured all of your content you had produced back then. Now I find myself doing a little bit of catching up. I know you have a new studio and it is lovely. My only wish is that you will post a video about how you constructed it like you did with your latest studio. You have taught me a lot about cooking and I love your passion in your love of doing do. Merci bo coup mon ami.
I started with the Uuni 3 now Ooni Then the Roccbox Now I have the best electric pizza oven the EffeUno pizza oven so easy to use and not constantly needing to turn all the time. Results are amazing
YEEEEEESSSSSSS!!!! been waiting for you to get one of these. I got a karu 12 during the pandemic after many failed attempts at cobbling together a frankenoven from junk i had lying around and random building materials.
I have the predecessor to the karu, the Ooni Pro. I love the large capacity and almost always cook with wood. You could get a whole episode out of heating the machine. I use a more dense wood to warm the oven and then a fast burning piece to get the intense heat while the pizza cooks. Others even preheat their wood inside the oven while making the pizza. So long as you flour the base enough, you basically can't fail with these machines.
Been using my Ooni for years now - it really is a game changer. Once you've got your technique down you can bang out restaurant-quality pizzas in no time.
I'm using a G3 Ferrari pizza oven to do neapolitan pizza. It's portable, can be used indoor, is electric and can reach 400° C. I get quite good results with it. I think there are even versions of the pizza oven available which can reach higher temperatures.
I got my Ooni 2.5 years ago after watching your first pizza series. Been using it every weekend since! Thanks for sharing your love/knowledge of cooking. Have fun with your new oven. Can't wait to see what you do with it.
I totally agree! I have been using my Ooni Koda for two years now and with the help of your videos to perfect the dough I constantly make really good pizzas.
I backing Pizza in a self built, gas driven pizza oven without a stone but with using a backing tray made of 5 mm steel. Its got a type K thermocouple welded on the underside which makes the tray temperature perfectly controllable which is key due to the steel sheet. I get the best results with approx. 320°C on the tray before putting the pizza in. For backing, i suggest a higher temperatures then ~400°C. I'm usually runing approx. 460-480°C top heat which creates perfect results for not-too-thick neapolitan margheritas within 90 seconds backing time. During backing, the backing tray will drop from 320°C to ~270°C which is fine.
I just started working in a local pizza joint after 3 years of making pizza at home every week and experimenting and learning. I love it. Its hard and hit work but its awesome. Im gonna have to save up and buy a ooni for home use. My regular oven is just not on the level i need anymore.
Welcome to the Ooni club. Yes pizza party is automatic ! And is now a family tradition. My bread maker produces the dough and my guests build their pizzas its so easy and fun
Love that unexpected ending! 😊 I watched your pizza episodes many times, and now I have a pop-up pizzeria. Thank you Alex!!! Pizza party is such a good way to practice pizzaiolo skills - ingredient cost is not that high. - 1 pizza can be shared/feed an adult easily - By continuously baking pizza, you will understand how your oven perform. - many people love pizza😁
I used to make my pizza somewhat MacGyver style. Normal oven preheat on maximum heat with grill on (let it preheat for at least an hour) Use a DeBuyer iron pan, cover the pan with flower, lay your dough in the pan, sprinkle your toppings. Works like a charm every time. May not be exactly like the Italians do but crispy edges and cooked bottoms guaranteed.
I considered an Ooni when I was stuck in upstate NY (pizza wasteland) during the pandemic. However, since the winters there do not lend themselves to cooking outdoors, I bought the Breville Piazziolo. It goes up to 750F. It is fabulous!
As others have said, lower the flame during the bake. With high hydration dough in particular you need that really hot stone to do a lot of work before for top burns. A thicker stone holds the heat better (higher and for longer) so the cook is better and your recovery time between bakes reduces. Oh and get a turning peel rather than just using the launch peel that comes in the box. Your fingers will thank you.
The experience I've had with my Ooni Karu 12 is similar to yours. When the oven is the right temperature to make pizza, I wait another 3-5 minutes so the floor of the oven can trap a little more heat. If I don't wait and chuck it in right away, the bottom is undercooked. Also, my Oooni gets way hotter when I cook with wood instead of propane. The pizza can come out pretty great, but you can't walk away for a second when it's baking. And depending on the proximity of the neighbors, cooking with wood might waft some smokey fumes to the people around you. I make a habit of only cooking with wood in the colder months, when people are likely to have their windows closed.
I own one portable oven myself (the Glowen one) and yes the problem is the stone not having enough heat retention to cook perfectly the bottom. Still you can work around it by regulating the burners (with gas) or or using the shovel to to deflect the irradiation (with wood). If you want the easy game there are ovens with burners under the stone like the Witt Etna, which also rotates.
I have this oven and let me tell ya, 2 min pizzas are amazing. It does take a bit of practice but it is so worth it. Especially considering the cost of ordering an actual pizza. Also I ordered a thingy that pokes holes in the dough to get rid of the air bubble troubles.
Ooni is great, and kudos to them for popularizing an instrument that, at last, makes pizza as we like it and are used to in Italy. There wasn't an alternative to a massive pizza oven, it was as simple as that. Yes, it takes some trial and burning out few pizzas during the learning curve, but it is simply worth it. It has been so successful that here in Italy there are now some very specialised artisans that are producing similar portable pizza ovens that, if you are prepared to pay a bit more, but never as much as building a proper brick pizza oven, you should be prepared to be surprisingly delighted with the results.
The options for home pizza ovens have been amazing in the last 2-3 years. Ooni probably made it popular, but there are other options in the market, some with better fire distribution and rotating stone, so there's almost no room for error and it's perfect every time. Effeuno or Effeoven electric options for indoors are amazing too.
While I watched Alex piling up pizzas for his experimentation, I was a little sad that so much of it was going to waste. The ending, cheered me up. Way to go!
Great video and so happy to see this Alex! I have an Ooni as well and a few lessons I've learned: You need a turning peel and IR thermometer. Oven is ready when the center of the stone is just over 400. I load at 430 at the center which seems to work for my local humidity and temps. You have to turn the burner down to low right before loading. Let the stone have time to do the cooking without scorching the top. Use the turning peel to rotate the pizza while cooking. It's much more precise and faster than using a loading peel. I have been using Stäedtler's cold ferment pizza dough recipe for Neopolitan pie with excellent results. Upping the water content and learning how to work with sticky dough has been a rewarding challenge. Enjoy your Ooni!!
The thing a lot of people forget is that the pizza oven is just like any other thing you use In a kitchen. It takes time and experience to learn your own oven the best, like you would learn how to use a new knife or pan.
I bought the Ooni 16 about 5 weeks ago. My first two pizza launches were a complete disaster. They both stuck to the launch vehicle and went all over the stone! I still have great difficulty stretching the dough and launching them, but hopefully after a few years I will be okay at it
I have the ooni that works on hardwood pellets. It actually heats up faster than yours did, and one thing THAT one says it to cook with the door closed. Not long- in, close the door for ~30s. Open, rotate, close for another ~30s. Done. So. Good.
As someone that owns an Ooni myself, I've learned through trial and error that you need to lower the flame once you slide your pie in. Even if the stone is up to temp, the bottom won't cook enough by the time the top burns. Once you do that you'll get an amazing neapolitan!
💯 this. I've got a Koda 16 and find I get best results if I preheat on high between pizzas then turn it right down as soon as I put it in. Position matters in the Koda too, if you've got a pizza with a bit more toppings positioning it further from the burner (front right in the Koda 16) will give the base more time to set before you have to turn it
Literally says to do this n the owners manual of the koda
I imagine the Koda has a stronger flame than the Fyra, for the Fyra it works great heating the stone to 430C and then putting the pizza in, no change to the flame.
Without trial and error he has almost no content. It's all for show folks...
@@thecrowfliescrooked Trial and error is how people use things for the first time. I don't understand your point.
Alex, your blur plugin seems to not be cooperating, it shows some of the people's faces, just thought you might want to know! Awesome pizzas, must be great to be your cameraman! ;D
@Alex at 11:37, 11:52 & 11:54 the blur went of the person showing their faces.
Great video, can't wait for more Pizza creations (or other things to cook in a pizza oven?)
I think that was on purpose. HAHA
@@gildardo he has an automatic filter that "detects" faces, not working properly tho
@@RaidMonkeys Oh, I don't do video editing myself. It looked intentional since the video is public.
@@gildardo The tracker probably couldn't catch up with the motion in the image, very common in video editing programs. Most of the time you need to fix it by hand
@@LeeAnnGlenn That make sence, thanks for explaining it.
Hey Alex, I am thrilled that you love the oven! I am an engineer at Ooni and I take great pride in watching people bond over our products and more importantly pizza! That is what our company revolves around and it’s amazing you got to show that in the video!
To improve your cook going forward make sure you have the door and chimney on. The door helps with the heat up, the chimney (make sure the baffle in it is open too!) helps draw the flame through the oven. I love to wait a little longer then after I launch the pizza turn the flame down and turn the pizza a few times then turn it back to full for a final bake for 15-20 seconds! All in all do experiment and find what works best for you, that’s the fun part! 😁
I also keep the door closed while cooking the pizza as it tends to get too cold otherwise
Is it possible to add wood/wood chips to the oven to get a smokey effect?
Can I just say your customer service is the best I have experienced as well. I picked up a 12 from a garden centre, ex display and it was missing a bit and you guys sent it out for the price of postage, good stuff.
@@Scubadooper there’s a wood version as well
@@m1r4c thanks.
You prompted me to search. There's a multi fuel option as well, which I think is the one I want... Now to save up my pennies!
I think you needed to let the stone heat up more. I use an IR thermometer to check the stone before putting in a pizza.
Yes, and lower the flame little bit, in that way the bottom and the top cooking speed will be equal ;)
@@gabor.kovacsyes I was going to comment the same, blast it until the stone is hot enough then lower the flame after you launch the pie
also there is an un-even cooking bc the door looks to be left open also
Agreed
@@RedRisotto Great idea, do you know where I can find said small smoker box or tube? Any images, links or product names you can let me know of? Smoke flavor is where I struggle to mimic true neapolitan style pizza.
I LOVE that this is how you got to meet your neighbors. How could they not love you? We all do.
Unexpectedly heartwarming
IMO, Pizza is the ultimate shareable food that everyone seems to enjoy.
I would forgive any grievances I could ever have if my neighbor provided free neapolitan pizza semi regularly
It must be rough being one of Alex's neighbors. The daily struggle of if you should bring lunch or is Alex going to make something a few times for a video and feed everyone to not waste food.
oh 100% and for more factors than just taste. its highly customizeble, so lets say you have vegan friends or friends thar have Coeliac disease you can just make a vegan pizza or a gluten free pizza. its a shareable food that anyone can enjoy.@@tiacho2893
Alex: I don't want to make a ruckus in my new neighborhood
Also Alex: throws an impromptu pizza party 🥳❤
I love unexpected edings.
Don't we all
Small hints from a humble amateur : maybe let the stone preheat a bit more, then lower the flame while cooking the pizza. And before going in, you should just pop the big air bubbles to avoid the pie starting to burn 🙂
Very good suggestion, plus I would try to buy a special pizza stone the saputo kind.
As a long term Ooni pizza oven owner I can confirm the original message in this thread
+1
I wonder if a (preheated) pizza steel would bring more concentrated heat to the underside?
@@BiggMo it's not necessary with the Ooni ovens, you just have to let the stone preheat properly (+/15min for the Ooni Koda 16 in general).
Some tips from an Italian home pizza maker who has built his own portable oven (electric with rotatory stone):
1)Wait at least 45 minutes to heat up well the stone
2)To make a fluffier pizza increase the hydration of the dough at minimum of 70%
3)Under 400° the air bubbles doesn't expands (i use 420° and 1:30 minutes)
4)If you want step up in pizza game try to make a "pizza contemporanea" (contemporary pizza) by doing the "biga" which is a preferment of the dough with only 45% of hydration and that will increase the the flavor
5)If you use flour type 0 (instead of type 00) the pizza will be more flavorful (eg. Caputo nuvola) and use a flour of 270W/300W, don't go to high or the pizza will be like bread (for my contemporary pizza i make the biga with a mix of type 0, type 1 and regrinded semola and hydration of 75%) tip. Use icy water
6)Flatten the pizza dough on regrinded semola and not flour so it doesn't absorb much humidity and doesn't stick to the pizza peel. Also be careful to push the air of the pizza ball from the center outwards and don't flatten the crust
7)Use a pizza peel with holes, so the excess regrinded semola stuck in the bottom of the dough will fall and doesn't burn
8)I strongly recommend to replace the refractory stone with a "biscotto" fiesoli and you can leave the pizza in the oven for as long as you want, and the under side will always be perfectly cooked (search on google "fiesoli arte biscotto")
Great comment
bro can you make a video about this please, I'd like to see!
this is interesting
A huge thing that most people miss is using either poolish or biga in their dough recipes, and the importance of keeping the top part of the dough on top always so it cooks correctly. If you wonder why some of your pies come out doughy and others almost perfect, that might be why! 🍕
I'm so glad you have a proper pizza oven now and don't have to worry about burning down your studio with your "absolutely voided the warranty" domestic oven!
Thats the best reason ever to get a pizza oven, you're feeding your neighbours and letting everyone get to know you. The right reason to cook food - much love.
Salut Alex ! Here's an idea for you:
I've been experiencing putting a thin layer of olive oil on the crust around the pizza using a small brush before putting it in the oven. Although it is not the proper traditional way, I think it brings something more to the crust : as crunchy, but less carbonated, and more flavorful thanks to the taste of the oil.
Maybe something you might want to try out someday 😉
Thank you for your great videos!
@Alex between 11:53 and 11:57 the automatic blur is blurring the lines of what it should be blurring and also 11:36 and 11:38
I had a similar epiphany last year. I got the Ooni Fyra wood pellet oven, and it was life changing! Instantly went from pretty average pizza, to pizza that rivals most restaurants around here (there are still a few that blow mine out of the water 😅). Just like pancakes, the first one is usually under or over cooked.
I borrowed one of those Ooni ovens from a grood friend of mine for a weekend. I did not change anything concerning my dough recipe. That was exactly the same as always. And normally I do the "first in a cast iron pan on the hub, then under the grill in the oven"-method, which works fine. But its just not the same.
With this oven and real woodfire the difference was astonishing. And those things are absolutely fiercely hot. You basically have to count maybe to like 20 in your head and then need to turn the pizza or it will immediately burn.
But some things that I learned from this experiment (which was delicious):
1) The closer you are to the burner the faster the TOP of the pizza cooks.
2) To cook the bottom first and really nicely you should put the pizza closer to the entrance of the oven first, let it bake a little bit and then move it closer to the burner
3) The best result was using 2 first, and then using the Pizza peel to lift the pizza up and nearly into the flames for some seconds to get the top really bubbling and cripsy.
This gave the best overall result.
And dont instantly put in the next pizza. If you have a laser thermometer you should check the temperature of the stone. if its below 400°C you should wait a bit, until it comes up to temperature.
As alwys love your videos and was excited, since I got a chance to test the same thing as you :D
As a passionate pizza amateur cook and having used multiple portable pizza ovens from multiple brands including Ooni, my gas-based oven preference goes to Gozney's Roccbox because of it's thicker stone and better insulation. It retains heat better when making multiple pizza's in a row compared to the Ooni.
Getting yourself a pizza turning peel to rotate the pizza's during cooking is super handy for all these ovens 😉
You could also start try cooking with cast iron skillets in these ovens for new-york style pizza's or other brilliant non-pizza oven dishes
there is no bigger pleasure for the chef as to share his food with other and see they enjoy it! awesome thing!!!
I also have the Ooni oven and i noticed that you have to preheat it much longer because of the special Cordierit-Stone. I usually preheat it for 30-40 minutes. So the bottom doesnt come out pale. Greetings from Graz/Austria. 😉 Ps: we also bought a woodfire oven from Aldi for 699€ and it is stainless steel so when it‘s a little bit colder outside it doesnt hold the temp so well but with a bigger oven and woodfired it‘s just 5 levels up. 😉
Yeah I'm not sure where "10 minutes" came from. I think the manual says 30 minutes.
If you wanna get next level results, consider either PizzaParty or Gozney. Pizza party has been around for 20 years and is an Italian company. Their Ardore and Emozione gas ovens our second to none in terms of what you get for the price you pay. Same goes for their wood fire ovens. Meanwhile, the Gozney options are just top quality. As someone who’s owned two different Ooni ovens, I can tell you that quality is severely lacking for Ooni. Once you’ve owned a Gozney oven, either the Roccbox or the Dome, or a PizzaParty you’ll understand.
@@ElGrecoDaGeek yes, there are also the „Alfa“ Pizza oven from Italy - also great. But we first wanted to try a cheap one to see if we can handle the woodfire and if we see a difference. Now we NOW that there is a BIG difference between gas, charcoal and woodfire - so we stick to the woodfire oven. We want to get a real one with bricks but about 5000€ is a bit too expensive - now. 😉
The thermometer reads the ambient temperature inside the oven not the stone's temperature. It takes my Roccbox around 40-60 minutes to get the stone up to temp. You can use an IR thermometer to check the stone before launching a pizza.
I really hope that the blue wall is going to serve as a replacement for the blue fridge. Cooking equations will look so cool on there.
In the end you said a big truth, everyone loves pizza and can be a connection with the people, they appreciate your talent and taste something great done by a friend already! Big hug from Italy
Amazing video as always alex! LOVED the ending! Food always has a way to bring people together, making us share great experiences and generally be friendlier. Very happy to see that you're beign welcomed! You deserve all the love❤❤❤❤❤😊😊😊😊😊
Love the community outcome of this video
New space looks nice. I am curious to see more.
Also, I hope that the courtyard is large enough for a solar pizza oven, to compare
I've had the same Karu 16 for a year now and for best results I don't launch the pizza until the stone measures 450°C and that can take 20-30 minutes. An IR thermometer is your friend. After that I don't turn the gas down but with careful placement and turning 2-4 times it doesn't burn. It is such a pleasure to use this oven.
11:36 the face being blurred can be easily seen
When you let the oven preheat for a bit longer (or do pizza #2) you get a bit more heat from the stone tiles in the bottom of the oven. I have a wood-fired version of this oven and it's so awesome. It takes a little practise to be able to get the pizza into and out of the oven, without crashing it, but you probably have lots of experience from that already with all the other versions of pizza baking you have done in real pizza ovens etc.
Ive got a Gozney pizza oven and it cooks some amazing pizzas. I've also used it for steaks. A great item to have for cooking.
Food is art, food is flavor, food is entertainment, food is nutrition, food is energy...but most importantly food easily is the center of community!
I feel like you need to test Colin Furze's pizza oven, a truly portable pizza oven.
Great video as always.
My brother has one and uses it every sunday to make pizza for his family. With a 5 and 3 year old, they all have their particular tastes but it's fun whenever I'm visiting to see the whole group celebrate a good home made pizza all for themself!
Looks great! I would highly recommend a small round peel for turning.
As I’ve been watching your videos for the past few years, I just realised why I love your channel. Not only is it informative but also therapeutic 😍
Where there's pizza, there's a party! 👍😋 That's fantastic that some of the neighbors came out to say "hello" and see what was going on. Bringing people together one slice at a time, nice job Alex.
You are one of the few creator/cook on TH-cam that makes me excited about cooking. Thank you Alex.
When making the dough, you need to pay attention to the flour, the W strength is important to make the perfect Neapolitan pizza with leopard
look for my best flour what I use in my portable pizza oven EFFEUNO p134H 509
-PETRA 5037
- CAPUTO PIZZERIA
- 5 stagioni pizza napoletana
CAKE PARAMETERS
- number of balls: 6
- ball weight: 280 g
- hydration: 60%
NEEDED INGREDIENTS
- flour: 1031 g
- cold water with ice: 618 g
- salt: 31 g
- fresh yeast: 0.77g
RISING TIMES
- total time at ambient temperature(20*C-26*C): 8 hours
- total time in the fridge: 48 hours
Pizza souce is so simple
Just san Marzano pomodore with salt nothing more!
!!!!!
loooks amazing and simple
im love it
amazing recipe
nice
At 11:55-12:00 there are a few times the face blur isn’t actually on people’s faces
What a beautiful ending, and you're right. Food makes things so much easier, even if it's just for a moment. It can connect people and show people who you are or who you can be in some way.
LOVE your pizza series Alex! Learned so much! You're the Best 🎉🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤❤
Good neighbors are key and everyone loves the neighbors who cooks and shares
Alex, I think you’re wife must be thrilled that you’ve found something that will keep your from hacking the family oven. 😂 Glad to see that you have lovely neighbors at your new studio and are having fun!
Congrats on the 2M! Great to see you sharing the joy with the new neighbours..
I’m really glad you now have a beautiful outdoor space to cook and dine.
11:54 great job on the face blur
he needs to reupload
I'm a long time Ooni cooker. You want to keep the heat lower when you pop it in, so the stone gets more time to transfer its heat to the bottom. I've got a Koda 12, so unsure how this translates to your oven. It's trial and error. But lower flame heat = slower cook = more time on the floor; you need to get a feel for that balance. So stone pre-heat is important as others are stating, but a feel for balance is arguably even more important. Be sure to use your IR thermometer to gauge the stone heat. In the center you want it around 400-430 Celsius before you throw a pie on. Also you might wanna redo the censors at 11:37 and 11:54 😉
Alex mate! *Ending😅😅😅😅😅
Sharing food work people, is one of the joy of life. It is like sharing love ❤
Unexpected EDING
So years ago there was a seller of traditional pizza ovens and he had instructions on how to build the pie. Once the dough was pressed out and round, he brushed olive oil on the dough as a barrier so the sauce wouldn't make the dough soggy. Also he had tool to roll over the dough to prevent the big bubbles that form. You can also use a fork to do the same thing.
11:35 Face blurring mistake...
11:55 Again, sorry.
This is a perfect video, as a pizza enthusiast myself this video made every point necessary. The feeling of having friends over for a pizza party where everyone gets to make their pie and have fun is a top tier memories in my heart
Here's the technique I've had the most success with if you want similar results without a pizza oven:
-use a high hydration dough (80%, do the whole stretch and folds to handle it correctly, it takes proper technique to handle it, but this will prevent the dough from solidifying too quickly when cooking)
-use a flat cast iron (pan/plate, etc. so it can retain heat when you transfer it to the oven later)
-get it ripping hot on a stove (5-10 min or so, this allows for a high enough temperature in the base, and to shock the pizza with enough heat as it rises into the dough from below)
-preheat your oven's grill/broiler for 10-15 min (again, more heat = better, and this gets you up to 300c unlike the oven)
-when you form your pizza and put it on the plate, it will take about 60 seconds to assemble - but this is good as it means the dough has a little time to heat from beneath and rise upwards around the crusts without solidifying straight away
-when the base is browned, put it under the grill/broiler
-once browned, take it out, and enjoy the chewey and floofy goodness
I've had an Ooni for a while. We've cooked for large groups (25 pizzas at a time). A few tips I use now. 1) Pre-bake the crust. Pre-heat the oven, turn the heat as low as it will go. Stick the dough on the Ooni for a minute or so, rotating often. Just to when it holds it's shape and starts to brown. We sometimes freeze them at this point. Then let people put on their own toppings, put it back in the oven to finish. Crust gets twice the time to cook and much easier to handle. Makes the final bake go much faster. 2) As others have said, preheat the stone for a long time. Use a temperature gun to check the surface temp. I usually shoot for 550 to 600F at the front before I start baking. Higher if I'm patient. 3) When cooking the pizza, turn the oven down. The top will cook. Maximize the bottom baking time. 4) "Pizza dough docker", rolling pin with pricks in it. Doesn't prevent, but minimizes the bubbling in the middle, especially if you pre-bake the crust.
That’s awesome! An impromptu pizza party with your new neighbors! I noticed you started whispering then at the end you were speaking normally. Glad you have cool people around you.
I have one of there for 1 year now and all you have to do is try try try.... the oven can deliver percet temperature, but you have to understand it to the full extend. Its not like - set temperature to XY and everything will be fine. The stone has the have the right temperature and the air has to have a slightly lower temperature to get a perfect result.
I own a Roccbox pizza oven and honestly it takes a lot of practice to get right. The main learning curve is temperature control. You definitely need to get the stone as hot as possible before launching the pizza. Also, lower the flame right before launching because the heat will be so intense that the pizza would burn on top before the bottom cooks enough. Another thing to do is make sure you use semolina flour and 00 flour (~50:50 mix) to stretch, then shake off as much as possible before building the pizza. That way, there won't be a ton of bunt flour and the cook will be much better overall. Lastly, invest in a turning peel because it makes baking the pizza a lot easier and more even because you can turn the pizza while it is still in the oven. Hope this helps and I'm looking forward to your new pizza journey!
I love how from your neighbor's perspective, you came in and threw a pizza party. Best neighbor ever.
Alex, I found your channel a few years ago and devoured all of your content you had produced back then. Now I find myself doing a little bit of catching up. I know you have a new studio and it is lovely. My only wish is that you will post a video about how you constructed it like you did with your latest studio.
You have taught me a lot about cooking and I love your passion in your love of doing do. Merci bo coup mon ami.
Our oven has brought us closer to our neighbours too, great ice breaker. Looking forward to seeing where you take this. Thanks Alex!
I started with the Uuni 3 now Ooni
Then the Roccbox
Now I have the best electric pizza oven the EffeUno pizza oven so easy to use and not constantly needing to turn all the time. Results are amazing
YEEEEEESSSSSSS!!!! been waiting for you to get one of these. I got a karu 12 during the pandemic after many failed attempts at cobbling together a frankenoven from junk i had lying around and random building materials.
I have the predecessor to the karu, the Ooni Pro. I love the large capacity and almost always cook with wood. You could get a whole episode out of heating the machine. I use a more dense wood to warm the oven and then a fast burning piece to get the intense heat while the pizza cooks. Others even preheat their wood inside the oven while making the pizza. So long as you flour the base enough, you basically can't fail with these machines.
This one made me feel warm and fuzzy❤
Been using my Ooni for years now - it really is a game changer. Once you've got your technique down you can bang out restaurant-quality pizzas in no time.
I'm using a G3 Ferrari pizza oven to do neapolitan pizza. It's portable, can be used indoor, is electric and can reach 400° C. I get quite good results with it. I think there are even versions of the pizza oven available which can reach higher temperatures.
I got my Ooni 2.5 years ago after watching your first pizza series. Been using it every weekend since! Thanks for sharing your love/knowledge of cooking. Have fun with your new oven. Can't wait to see what you do with it.
Bought my Ooni 16 last year. Best money I ever spent. Also the turning peel is a must-have!
Thanks for sharing Alex! I will surely get one in the near future... can't wait for your next video!!
I totally agree! I have been using my Ooni Koda for two years now and with the help of your videos to perfect the dough I constantly make really good pizzas.
I backing Pizza in a self built, gas driven pizza oven without a stone but with using a backing tray made of 5 mm steel. Its got a type K thermocouple welded on the underside which makes the tray temperature perfectly controllable which is key due to the steel sheet. I get the best results with approx. 320°C on the tray before putting the pizza in. For backing, i suggest a higher temperatures then ~400°C. I'm usually runing approx. 460-480°C top heat which creates perfect results for not-too-thick neapolitan margheritas within 90 seconds backing time. During backing, the backing tray will drop from 320°C to ~270°C which is fine.
i saw the true joy in your eyes after the first bite of pizza and as someone who loves food seeing that brought such joy to myself
I just started working in a local pizza joint after 3 years of making pizza at home every week and experimenting and learning. I love it. Its hard and hit work but its awesome. Im gonna have to save up and buy a ooni for home use. My regular oven is just not on the level i need anymore.
Welcome to the Ooni club. Yes pizza party is automatic ! And is now a family tradition. My bread maker produces the dough and my guests build their pizzas its so easy and fun
Welcome to the ooni family Alex! I love using my ooni and sharing it with the family!
Love that unexpected ending! 😊
I watched your pizza episodes many times, and now I have a pop-up pizzeria.
Thank you Alex!!!
Pizza party is such a good way to practice pizzaiolo skills
- ingredient cost is not that high.
- 1 pizza can be shared/feed an adult easily
- By continuously baking pizza, you will understand how your oven perform.
- many people love pizza😁
I used to make my pizza somewhat MacGyver style. Normal oven preheat on maximum heat with grill on (let it preheat for at least an hour) Use a DeBuyer iron pan, cover the pan with flower, lay your dough in the pan, sprinkle your toppings. Works like a charm every time. May not be exactly like the Italians do but crispy edges and cooked bottoms guaranteed.
I love that your baking attracted your neighbours and you got to meet them all like this! And share your passion :)
I considered an Ooni when I was stuck in upstate NY (pizza wasteland) during the pandemic. However, since the winters there do not lend themselves to cooking outdoors, I bought the Breville Piazziolo. It goes up to 750F. It is fabulous!
wonderful community you stumbled upon, i'm sure they're loving your presence!
As others have said, lower the flame during the bake. With high hydration dough in particular you need that really hot stone to do a lot of work before for top burns. A thicker stone holds the heat better (higher and for longer) so the cook is better and your recovery time between bakes reduces.
Oh and get a turning peel rather than just using the launch peel that comes in the box. Your fingers will thank you.
I notice you use Franco Pepe's method of stretching the dough--chapeau! Very excited for your new studio and next series!
The experience I've had with my Ooni Karu 12 is similar to yours. When the oven is the right temperature to make pizza, I wait another 3-5 minutes so the floor of the oven can trap a little more heat. If I don't wait and chuck it in right away, the bottom is undercooked. Also, my Oooni gets way hotter when I cook with wood instead of propane. The pizza can come out pretty great, but you can't walk away for a second when it's baking. And depending on the proximity of the neighbors, cooking with wood might waft some smokey fumes to the people around you. I make a habit of only cooking with wood in the colder months, when people are likely to have their windows closed.
i love the neighbor interaction as much as i love the pizza he made, good job alex
I own one portable oven myself (the Glowen one) and yes the problem is the stone not having enough heat retention to cook perfectly the bottom. Still you can work around it by regulating the burners (with gas) or or using the shovel to to deflect the irradiation (with wood).
If you want the easy game there are ovens with burners under the stone like the Witt Etna, which also rotates.
I have this oven and let me tell ya, 2 min pizzas are amazing. It does take a bit of practice but it is so worth it. Especially considering the cost of ordering an actual pizza. Also I ordered a thingy that pokes holes in the dough to get rid of the air bubble troubles.
Ooni is great, and kudos to them for popularizing an instrument that, at last, makes pizza as we like it and are used to in Italy. There wasn't an alternative to a massive pizza oven, it was as simple as that. Yes, it takes some trial and burning out few pizzas during the learning curve, but it is simply worth it.
It has been so successful that here in Italy there are now some very specialised artisans that are producing similar portable pizza ovens that, if you are prepared to pay a bit more, but never as much as building a proper brick pizza oven, you should be prepared to be surprisingly delighted with the results.
The options for home pizza ovens have been amazing in the last 2-3 years.
Ooni probably made it popular, but there are other options in the market, some with better fire distribution and rotating stone, so there's almost no room for error and it's perfect every time.
Effeuno or Effeoven electric options for indoors are amazing too.
While I watched Alex piling up pizzas for his experimentation, I was a little sad that so much of it was going to waste.
The ending, cheered me up.
Way to go!
I really wasn't expecting that eding
Cool, especially the party effect at the end, thanks for showing it!
Great video and so happy to see this Alex! I have an Ooni as well and a few lessons I've learned:
You need a turning peel and IR thermometer.
Oven is ready when the center of the stone is just over 400. I load at 430 at the center which seems to work for my local humidity and temps.
You have to turn the burner down to low right before loading. Let the stone have time to do the cooking without scorching the top. Use the turning peel to rotate the pizza while cooking. It's much more precise and faster than using a loading peel.
I have been using Stäedtler's cold ferment pizza dough recipe for Neopolitan pie with excellent results. Upping the water content and learning how to work with sticky dough has been a rewarding challenge. Enjoy your Ooni!!
I will buy mine next spring. Finally made the decision to get the ooni karu 16, instead of having a wood fired one build in the garden.
He really should've tried Gozney's lineup. They're definitely the next evolution of pizza ovens.
Best eding of all time
The thing a lot of people forget is that the pizza oven is just like any other thing you use In a kitchen. It takes time and experience to learn your own oven the best, like you would learn how to use a new knife or pan.
I bought the Ooni 16 about 5 weeks ago. My first two pizza launches were a complete disaster. They both stuck to the launch vehicle and went all over the stone! I still have great difficulty stretching the dough and launching them, but hopefully after a few years I will be okay at it
I have the ooni that works on hardwood pellets. It actually heats up faster than yours did, and one thing THAT one says it to cook with the door closed. Not long- in, close the door for ~30s. Open, rotate, close for another ~30s. Done. So. Good.
got mine this summer and absolutly love it. Need to make much more pizza to get on a higher lvl but it is already very good and so much fun