How To Build a Wood Fired Pizza Oven in Your Backyard
by
Nikki Wills
$5000
6 Months
Advanced
Have you ever had real Neapolitan pizza? It's cooked in a wood-fired pizza oven at around 1000 degrees, and only takes 90 seconds to cook. It's also insanely delicious. I became obsessed with the idea of building a pizza oven in my backyard, despite having no masonry experience at all, and ended up with an amazing outdoor kitchen.
It's the perfect outdoor entertaining space, and we can feed a crowd--easily, deliciously, and quickly! It's dinner and a show, all in one.
A concrete pad and simple dry-stacked concrete block wall created a solid foundation. I did this all myself. While I was pregnant. I nest with power tools.
The floor of the oven came next--a counter height concrete slab on which I'd build my brick oven dome.
The firebrick dome was built over the course of the long Thanksgiving weekend.
We built the enclosure out of metal studs and concrete backerboard. No fire should ever get out there anyway, but it never hurts to be extra careful! That's a picture of me signing my masterpiece. Nobody will ever see it, since it's enclosed, but I know it's there! ;-)
Finishing touches--stone veneer. I did so many squats applying the stone! Best leg workout ever.
And the end result? AMAZING pizza. We actually can get three days of cooking from the retained heat from a pizza fire. Pizza the first night, artisan breads the next morning (500ish degrees), calzones and lasagna made from leftover pizza ingredients the second night (375ish degrees), and then low, slow cooked things like beans or some meats overnight and into the third day (225 degrees). I love my WFO!
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Comments
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3 of 118 comments
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This is incredible! The coolness factor of your house just skyrocketed!!!
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I mean it!
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I am inspired and I love projects that are budget friendly! Fabulous idea and awesome outcome!
Frequently asked questions
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Hey
When you said you cooked for 2 or 3 days with the retained heat, where there still flames/ burning coals? Or was all the fire extinguished and it still retained the heat?
Thanks!
How many brick you use y the proyect
Would you share your technical designs.... Love your creation.