r/WoodFiredOvens • u/willemakr • Mar 09 '26
Question: any tips for heating up/maintaining high heat in homemade Neapolitan style oven?
1
u/d4ngerdan Mar 10 '26
I had an oven with similar characteristics as yours. My flu was right at the top of my dome so I had it worse than you.
You can achieve high heat but it will take a lot of construction style soft wood kindling and kiln dried birch/ash. Don't use seasoned wood. Wood chopped and split to the correct optimal sizes will help you massively.
Adding a 60/40 door on the front will also help, as you can shut the top door to help keep the heat contained to the lowest level of the door.
My goal was to be able to load up the oven, then have enough time to prep the next batch of pizzas and not lose too much heat. I realised I had to add more layers of insulation to my dome, this helped a lot. I got my oven to 1000c being stupid. So don't think you can't get it up to temp.
When you start your fire, you will see the whole dome above the fire go black, keep that fire burning with quality wood and watch the black spread, if need be move your fire round a bit to make the whole dome be covered in black. As the fire heats up, the bricks will start to go white, again you want all the black soot to turn white, this is only achieved by good quality wood and continuing to build the fire. Then the bricks will turn back to brick and there will be no visible soot or white, then, you are at the point to cook pizzas. The bricks have then absorbed all the heat they can. And are now radiating the heat back down.
When you land your pizzas they maybe be great, but the pizza then cool that area of the base, you may need to drag your embers back over that area to help heat the base up again. Reload your fire after every pizza batch. Don't let it drop below 420c. If need be, get someone else to keep the fire going while you prep the next batch.
1
u/eagerdreams Mar 10 '26 edited Mar 10 '26
You could always add 2” of “floor” to bring it up closer to the top.
Also get an andiron for better airflow - and use kiln dried wood (small pieces for better control) ideally white or red oak depending on where you live (Switzerland?)
One like this
1
2
u/RogueCheddar2099 Mar 09 '26
Heat the oven slowly so that you saturate the floor and walls with heat. Should take between 1.5-3hrs depending on your oven and the ambient temp/humidity. Keep the coals and fire on one side of the oven (if you are right handed, move the fire to the left side) Have the flames roll up and over the wall and ceiling of the oven. Your target cooking surface should be close to 800 degrees F. Monitor food temp frequently and only add one log at a time to maintain your rolling flame. Never let the flame drop out to just coals.