Choosing the Right Wood for Wood Fired Pizza Ovens

This guide gives advice on how to choose the right wood for cooking wood fired pizza at home or in a restaurant in the UK. Pizza oven wood is readily available in Britain but you can't simply chuck any old log into your pizza oven and expect incredible pizza to emerge!

If you're a pizza enthusiast, chef or have simply been instructed to host a pizza party this summer and you're not sure which is the best wood to burn in the pizza oven - read on.

You Need Consistent High Heat For Perfect Pizza

Your pizza oven is designed to burn hot, like really hot. To cook perfect pizza the temperature should be around 400 degrees Celsius. Pizza likes to cook really quickly so your dough rises and crisps with heat from a hot stone below while your pizza toppings cook and toast from the flames above.

In a cold pizza oven, you end up with soggy pizza dough and weirdly burned toppings. This happens because while you're waiting for the dough to cook, the flames end up burning the top of the pizza.

The key is to create and maintain heat in the pizza oven at a high temperature so your pizza is in and out in a flash, everything crisps up and nothing has time to burn.

Achieving a High Temperature With Kiln Dried Logs

The best wood for pizza ovens is without doubt kiln dried hardwood logs. Anything that inhibits creating a very high heat output is the enemy of great pizza cooking and the main inhibitor is moisture.

If your logs are wet, any heat energy you create by burning the wood is first used to evaporate the moisture in the log. This also creates loads of smoke which can spoil your food.

Kiln dried firewood is specifically and deliberately dried to achieve a clean burn with minimal smoke thanks to it's ultra low moisture content.

Choose Hardwood Logs For Strong Heat

To achieve a very strong, consistent heat, we want to use hardwood species such as Ash and Oak logs. Hardwoods are more energy dense and so burn for longer at a higher temperature. This is the key to achieving that hot burn and consistent heat you need for great pizza.

Hardwood logs also produce less smoke but the smoke they do produce can help add flavour to your pizza for an authentic wood fired pizza oven taste.

In contrast, softwood logs burn really quickly, produce loads of ash and smoke and can never achieve as high heat as a hardwood log. When cooking in a pizza oven, hardwood logs are the best logs for pizza for their long burn and high heat.

Choose kiln dried ash logs for pizza if you cook at home, if you're a professional cooking pizza all day long in a larger pizza oven, definitely consider buying kiln dried oak logs because these are the most dense hardwood we sell and is the best firewood for achieving high temperatures and keeping them there all day with high demand.

Each pizza you cook will reduce the temperature of your oven slightly. Remember to allow time for your oven to come back up to temperature between each pizza. If you're cooking commercially with a long queue of customers, the Oak logs will help you maintain the high temperature needed to cook a lot of pizza one after the other.

Adding Flavour Through Different Species

When choosing the right wood for pizza ovens, flavour is often part of the appeal. A traditional wood-fired pizza already has that unmistakable smoky character, but different wood species can subtly change the aroma and taste of the food you cook.

Hardwoods used for cooking don't just produce heat, they also release aromatic compounds as they burn. These create gentle flavour notes that can complement different toppings, meats and ingredients. The effect is usually subtle rather than overpowering, especially in the very high heat of a pizza oven, but it can still make a noticeable difference.

Fruit Woods for a Sweet, Gentle Aroma

Fruit woods are popular for cooking because they produce a lighter, slightly sweet smoke that enhances food without dominating it.

• Cherry wood gives a mild, slightly sweet aroma and is excellent for classic pizza toppings, roasted vegetables and cured meats.

• Apple wood produces a delicate fruity smoke that pairs beautifully with lighter toppings, chicken, and pizzas with fresh herbs.

• Maple wood offers a smooth, gently sweet character that works well with rich toppings such as cheese, bacon or sausage.

These woods are often used in small quantities alongside your main hardwood fuel such as ash or oak. This lets you maintain high heat while adding a subtle flavour layer.

Pairing Wood Flavour With Pizza Toppings

If you enjoy experimenting, you can match wood types to what you're cooking:

• Sweet, fruity woods like apple or cherry complement lighter toppings and fresh ingredients.

• Maple pairs nicely with savoury flavours such as sausage or bacon, enhancing their richness.

• A mixed cooking wood blend can give balanced heat with a gentle all-round smoky character.

You don't need large amounts to influence flavour. A small log or two added to your main fire is usually enough.