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Dr Tony Balls wrote:gnangle wrote:get some steam going, this steam is super important since the steam is what inflates the risen dough (the yeast and lactobacilli do all the ground work) but the steam is what inflates. FYI theres a pretty good Ken Forkish book I have where he recommends baking loaves inside of preheated dutch ovens with lids on to maintain a steamy environment around the loaf.I do this. It works great!

gnangle wrote:get some steam going, this steam is super important since the steam is what inflates the risen dough (the yeast and lactobacilli do all the ground work) but the steam is what inflates. FYI theres a pretty good Ken Forkish book I have where he recommends baking loaves inside of preheated dutch ovens with lids on to maintain a steamy environment around the loaf.

I wouldnt expect it to do the steam trick at the same level as a commercial oven with steam piped in, TBH, but in the book its talked about as a better option for baking in a standard oven.

Dr Tony Balls wrote:maintain a steamy environment around the loaf.You're goddamn right.

I've been thinking about doing this as well, though more of a bread oven than pizza oven. Will probably take me a few years to get my shit together though. Thanks for the encouraging report.

my wife and our contractor friend built a nice wood-fired pizza oven on our back deck. Steve, did you see that when you came by my place that one time?We have 3-4 pizza nights a year, and my wife has a process.1. fire the oven, get it nice and hot, and do our pizzas.2. once the temperature has dropped, but in a few loaves of bread that have been pre-prepared and are ready to go.3. once the temperature has dropped more, put in a dutch oven with tomorrow night's dinner, or a big pot of beans, or both, and let that slow cook overnight with the dissipating heat. In short, if we fire it up, we like to get usage out of the whole heat dissipation cycle.

My Dad and I built one back in Kansas. I d highly suggest cheating and buying pizza screens. Not a classic approach to making pizzas in a wood fired oven. However, if you are looking for a short cut, it s a good one.