AirCrete Earth Pizza Oven

Our Earth Pizza Oven consists of an earth structure surrounding and supporting the oven, consisting of heavy clay.

Clay in Oregon’s rainy weather would dissolve over time, so we cover it with waterproof AirCrete.

The Oven is designed to accommodate firewood storage beneath the oven. A dome feature reflects the shape of the oven and includes a chimney.  Our AirCrete Earth Pizza Ovens can form an integral component of the cooking space, allowing opportunities for getting together.

Pizza aficionados know that a really good pizza isn’t judged by its topping but by the quality of its crust. Big, floury dough lumps don’t highlight a good pie, but not to worry: Earth Oven Pizza has elevated the crust to new heights, thanks to the wood-fired oven that dominates the center of the narrow space. Pies are baked to crispy thin deliciousness.

Cooking in an AirCrete Earth Oven Pizza

Freshly made dough, cooked in an earth oven, next to a live fire is just about one of the tastiest foods you could ever put in your mouth.  There is just so much satisfaction in eating pizza that you rolled out with your own hands and then cooked in an oven which is also made with your own two hands.   It just tastes better this way!

 FIRE

First off, get your fire going hot!

Start by using small kindling up near the oven opening and once it’s burning well, push the fire back farther into the oven and continue to feed it.  Continue this process until you have a clean, well-burning fire burning towards the rear of the oven; you will start to see the flames actually curling up out of the opening.  Keep feeding the fire for the next 45 min. – 1hr.

Once the oven is so hot inside that you can’t hold your hand inside of the oven for more than a couple of seconds, and you have a nice bed of hot coals around the perimeter of the oven, you’re ready to cook!

Roll out a small handful of dough on a non-stick surface.   Sprinkle some flour or cornmeal down to prevent sticking.  The dough should only be 1/8″ – 1/4″ thick once rolled out and a 10″ – 12″ circle makes for a good personal size pizza and easy to handle once in the oven.

Arrange your sauce, toppings, and cheese on the pizza.

Transfer the pizza onto a pizza peel; be sure to sprinkle the peel with flour or cornmeal to prevent sticking.

Stoke the fire again prior to cooking a pizza; be sure you have a well-burning, hot fire going.

Slide the pizza in with the peel.  With a quick ‘jab,’ the pizza will slip right off of the peel and on to the hot firebrick hearth.

Instantly, you will start to see the cheese bubbling, the dough curling up, and that wonderful aroma starts to hit you in the nose!

After approx. 1 min, rotate the pizza around 180 degrees.  You could use your peel, but we found a long handle spatula or long handle tongs worked well for this rotation.

Let the pizza cook for another 1-2 min. and once it looks evenly browned around the edges and browned on top, use your spatula or peel to remove pizza from the oven.

Notice in the picture how the coals and the fire spread around the full perimeter of the oven interior vs. burning only in one spot

You should be able to cook 3 or 4 pizzas before having to re-stoke the fire.  Continue to stoke the fire and keep a live fire going as long as you want to keep cooking.

The pizzas are a huge hit at any party and you can easily feed around 35 people with no problems.
Cooking around the oven outside made for a great atmosphere and everyone will fully enjoy the experience.

RECIPE

Here is the recipe we used for the pizza dough:

• 2 teaspoons of active dry yeast
• 2 1/4 cup warm water
• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 5 cups bread flour
• 1 tablespoon salt

Dissolve the yeast in warm water and let stand for 5 min.

Add sugar, oil, and flour and stir. Add salt last and stir.

Knead dough until soft, smooth, and elastic (about 8-10 min).

Transfer the dough into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

Wait until the dough doubles inside and then punch down.

Cover and refrigerate or use instantly.

Remove from refrigerator about 1 hr. before using; allow to become room temperature.

For more information contact:

• info@earthpizzaoven.com
• Sustainable Living Center
• 541-75-2109
• 82 Siletz Highway
• Lincoln City, OR