Pizza Oven Update: 600-700 degree Bake - September 2025

With the weather-proofing complete on the oven (enclosure and roof structure/sheathing in place), I'm thinking I can start to use it a bit more regularly than I've been able to this Summer.  No need to look at the forecast and find windows where theres no rain in the next few days.  I had to peel off the tarp, install the chimney, fire-up the oven and use it.  Then, wait for it to cool down before I could remove the chimney and then re-cover with the tarp.  

Now, the oven is ready to roll when I am ready to bake.  My priority #2 for this year - making the oven function - is completed.  I've learned over the past six months that if I am planning to fire-it-up on a specific day, it is best to light a small fire the night before.  That helps get the oven up to temp and makes the second-day pre-heating go faster/better/easier/quicker.

That's what I did this past weekend.  I ran a 4-log fire on one evening.  The next day, I started the pre-heat of the oven 2.5 hours before I wanted to bake.  By the time I was ready, the oven was ready, too.

But...there's also something new that I worked on this time:  operating the oven in the 600-700 degree range.  Earlier this Spring, I posted the details of a long burn where I got the dome up to 900 degrees and the floor close to that, too.  The walls of the dome were in the 700 to 800 range.

This time, I wanted to try a lower temp.

I started by building a fire in the center of the oven.  I worked to spread the embers out to cover the cooking surface in the pre-heat phase.  

Once I was ready to bake, I worked to move the fire over to one side of the oven.  Helping me this time is this new andiron/separator that Nat gave me a few months back.  See below for a photo.   It is from Gi Metal and serves as both an andiron to help hold up some of the logs while allowing for circulation, but it also can serve as a fire/ember/ash separator.  Separating the cooking floor from where the heat source is located.  

Here's the page on GI Metals site along with a description where describe it (untreated steel).  I stuck that along the left side and moved the fire in behind-it. 

From there, it was pizza time. 

The floor was around 600 degrees, the walls and dome were in the 700's.  At first, I launched the initial pies in the throat of the oven, away from the fire.  I didn't want a repeat of last time where they scorched immediately.  To my delight, they baked up and released from the floor easily. 

With the turning peel, I moved it closer to the fire and onto the hotter part of the floor.  

The lower oven temps meant that these pizzas didn't cook in 90 seconds.  I also used a higher-hydration dough this time:  these were 68% hydration.   They were down for a few minutes.  Did they come out with true leopard spotting?  No.  But, were they crispy and didn't have any of the so-called 'flop'.  Below is a photo showing one of the pies coming out of the oven.  

My family prefers Neapolitan or Neapolitian-adjacent pizza.  I prefer thin and crispy tavern pizza.  

What I think sits in the middle is something closer to New Haven pizza. The hydration level (68%) means that the dough can be tougher to work-with, but between the stand mixer doing a proper mix along with a slow, long, cold fermentation (48 hours bulk) and finally a day-of box-fold-leading to balling, I was dealing with a dough that stretched easily and didn't break.  

Next time I'm going to try to achieve the same oven conditions:  600 to 700 degrees.  And, then, have-on hand: both pies that can go directly on the deck as well as some in pans.  I'm also going to try some rolled-out/partially cured skins vs. balls of dough.