Best Wood for your Wood Fired Pizza Oven

Not all wood is created equal! If you use the wrong type of wood, your pizza oven cannot get to the desired temperature and it might be difficult to clean. The initial heat-up time might be too long or the burn may produce too much smoke. Temperature and smoke can have a significant impact on flavors imparted in the food and the quality of the final pizza.

To cook pizza, a very hot oven should be used. This is the main reason you need that specific type of wood. Making a thoughtful choice will cut down on inefficiencies and the end result is your perfectly baked pizza.

The following are five factors that determine the best wood for a wood fired pizza oven:

1) Availability

2) Seasonality

3) Moisture content

4) Burn time

5) Heat output

If you want to cook the best pizza in your wood fire oven, you will need a hardwood. Hardwood provides the most heat possible and will last longer than softwood, which is lighter, less dense and will burn faster.

We recommend you use wood native to your region so you don’t waste time, money, and energy bringing in materials. The pest-free wood you can find locally is the best option.

There are many different types of hardwood, which are classified according to the level of heat they produce and flavor they have.

Here are some of our favorite woods to use with your home wood fired pizza oven:

Applewood – Pizza ovens work best with applewood and many pizzaiolos will swear by it. This particular tree is perfect for pizzas because of its high burning temperature. With a slightly sweet, fruity flavor, applewood goes with almost every topping. One small issue is that it ‘pops’ easily which could drop a little ash on your pizza if you have a small oven.

Ash – Ash trees are native to central and eastern America.

Ashwood is an excellent choice of fuel for pizza ovens because it burns hot and has a neutral, mild flavor.  It burns long and consistently and is easy to light.

Ashwood is an excellent option when cooking fish and red meats in your home pizza oven. It has a clean burn, without smoke and takes only about 6 months to season. 

Beechwood – Beechwood is a great alternative when cooking fish, poultry, and vegies in your wood fired oven. Beechwood has a high water content which means it requires a longer time for seasoning than other types of cooking wood – It will take over a year to properly season, but the best result will come with two years of drying time. This wood gives off a slightly nutty and mild aroma. It is readily available and affordable, making a great option to heat your home wood fired pizza oven.

Oak – This is one of the most popular choices of hardwood because it can be found in many places. The slow burning and mild flavor of oak makes it perfect for cooking. It can be used to prepare seafood, lamb, beef, vegetables and various other dishes like pizza. Oakwood is the easiest wood to use in a wood oven and one of the most popular choices. If you are unsure about which type, this could be a very good starting point.

Oak is a very heavy, dense wood that’s perfect for cooking pizzas. These are perfect for the high temperatures that you need in your home wood fired pizza oven.

Hickory – Hickory wood gives off a stronger taste than oak, but not as strong of a flavor as mesquite. Hickory is one of the most popular woods because it creates a nice bacon-like smoky flavor. Known for its heat output, this type of wood is perfect for meat racks such as sausages, bacon, ham or pork ribs.

Don’t use too much of it though, because you may end up with a mild bitter taste to your food. Because of that, we recommend that you mix it with a milder wood such as pecan or oak. Hickory wood can be hard to split. It can take about one year to season, to ensure it only gives off a small smoke content.

Maple – Maple wood is perfect for heating your wood fired pizza oven. It produces a very high heat, and has a nice sweet aroma. Maple is suitable for cooking many types of food, with the most popular, aside from pizza, being vegetables, poultry and pork. When cooking, make sure to use more of this wood because of its lower density.

Cooking in a wood-fire oven is much more pleasurable, and the pizzas tastier, when you pick the correct type of wood to burn. More nutrients are preserved in food that is cooked in the wood fire oven because the higher cooking temperature means a shorter cooking time. The quick cooking time also means your toppings will not dry out.

Not all wood is created equal!  Well-seasoned hardwood, with its dense composition and long, high burning temperature is the wood of choice for your home wood fired pizza oven.