My brother likes buying things.
Like most males, he doesn’t buy a lot of things but when he does shop, he buys big-ticket items. A windsurfer. A vintage electric keyboard or guitar. A top-of-the-range bicycle. A wood-fire pizza oven.
When he and his then flatmates went in for a $1200 wood-fire pizza oven six years ago my parents and I shook our heads. How often would they use it? It was one of those indulgent purchases you make when you are on a good salary and unburdened with the expense of kids or a mortgage. 
But then he invited us over for a pizza party and we saw the light.
Yes, the cost per usage ratio is high. Realistically, it only gets an outing a handful of times a year, making the pizzas the most expensive ones we’ve ever eaten.
But on those rare occasions when my brother fires up the wood oven, those invited experience pizza nirvana.
We were lucky enough to experience it a couple of weekends go, when my brother and his wife decided to throw a pre-Christmas pizza party for 60 friends and family.
In the lead up, my heavily pregnant sister in law made 28 pizza bases and all the toppings from scratch. That’s right – from scratch. The fact that she did so with her usual good humour, grace and lack of hysterics just shows you the type of amazing woman she is.
During the party, my brother and his friend Andrew took turns cooking the pizzas and garlic bread.
Here are the results. First up, a Garlic Bread appetizer:
Then, Salami, Cherry Tomatoes, Buffalo Mozzarella and Fresh Basil Pizza:
Followed by Mushrooms Two Ways, Taleggio and Fresh Basil Pizza:
Ham & Pineapple Pizza for the kids:
My favourite to finish: Marinated King Prawns, Spanish Onion, Lemon and Chilli:
Have you every made pizza at home? What are your favourite pizza toppings?
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Backyard Wood Oven Pizza Party
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 pizzas (plus garlic bread) 1x
Description
Everything you need for your own pizza party: a great dough recipe and three tasty toppings! The dough recipe is based on various pizza recipes and techniques from Jeff Varasano, Russell’s Wood-Fired Pizza Recipe on SBS Food and Pizza Modo Mio by John Lanzafame.
Ingredients
Pizza dough (makes 4 bases):
- 375 g (12 oz) strong white bread flour (over 11 1/2% protein), plus more for dusting
- 125 g (4 oz) wholemeal flour
- 375 ml (1 1/2 cups) room-temperature filtered water
- 1 packet (7 g) dried yeast
- 2 level tsp salt
- 1 level tsp sugar
Garlic bread:
- 4 tbsp butter, softened
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
Salami and margherita pizza:
- 4 tbsp tomato pizza sauce
- 100 g (3 1/2 oz) sliced salami
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 150 g (5 oz) fresh buffalo mozzarella, torn
- A handful of fresh basil leaves
- Olive oil, for drizzling
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Mushroom pizza:
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 220 g (7 oz) mushrooms (a mix of button and field mushrooms), divided
- A small handful of fresh parsley, chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 155 g (5 oz) Taleggio cheese, sliced
- A handful of fresh basil leaves
- 1 tbsp olive oil, for frying
Ham and pineapple pizza:
- 4 tbsp tomato pizza sauce
- 150 g (5 oz) sliced ham
- 1 cup pineapple chunks (fresh or tinned, well drained)
- 100 g (3 1/2 oz) grated mozzarella
Prawn pizza:
- 220 g (7 oz) peeled raw king prawns
- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for brushing
- Rind (zest) of 1 lemon
- A small handful of fresh basil leaves
- A small handful of fresh mint leaves
- 4 tbsp tomato pizza sauce
- 125 g (4 oz) grated mozzarella
- 1 red onion, finely sliced
- 2 fresh red chillies, seeds removed and finely sliced
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
Make the dough:
- Combine both flours and the dried yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
- Dissolve the sugar and salt in the warm water, then, with the mixer on its lowest speed, slowly pour the water mixture into the flour. Mix until a rough ball forms, 1–2 minutes.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead gently into a smooth ball. Do not overwork.
- Place in a lightly oiled, high-sided bowl. Cover with oiled cling wrap and a tea towel. Rest for 20 minutes. (At this point you can refrigerate the dough overnight, or freeze it.)
- If using immediately, leave at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour total. If refrigerated overnight, remove 1 hour before use, divide into 4 balls, place on a floured tray, cover with oiled plastic, and let rise for 1 hour.
Garlic bread:
- Mix the softened butter with the minced garlic and parsley. Roll or stretch a dough base thin, spread generously with garlic butter, and cook in the wood oven (or a very hot 500°F/260°C conventional oven) until blistered and golden, 3–5 minutes.
Salami and margherita pizza:
- Stretch one dough ball to a thin round. Brush lightly with olive oil, spread a thin layer of pizza sauce, and scatter basil leaves over the base.
- Arrange the salami slices, cherry tomato halves, and torn buffalo mozzarella over the basil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook in the wood oven until the crust is charred and blistered, 3–6 minutes depending on oven heat.
Mushroom pizza:
- Heat olive oil in a frying pan. Add the onion, garlic, half the mushrooms, and parsley. Cook until soft. Season, then blend until smooth to make a mushroom purée.
- Thickly slice the remaining mushrooms and fry in the same pan until golden.
- Stretch one dough ball and spread with mushroom purée. Scatter basil leaves and grated mozzarella over the base, then add the fried mushrooms. Top with slices of Taleggio.
- Cook in the wood oven until blistered and the Taleggio is melted, 3–6 minutes.
Ham and pineapple pizza:
- Stretch one dough ball. Spread with pizza sauce, then scatter grated mozzarella over the base. Arrange the ham slices and well-drained pineapple chunks on top.
- Cook in the wood oven until the cheese is bubbling and the crust is golden, 3–6 minutes.
Prawn pizza:
- Marinate the prawns overnight in 2 tbsp olive oil, the lemon rind, basil, and mint. Keep refrigerated.
- Stretch one dough ball. Brush with oil, spread with pizza sauce, and scatter the grated mozzarella and basil leaves. Add the sliced red onion and chilli.
- Arrange the marinated prawns across the top. Spoon a little lemon juice over each prawn and season with salt and pepper.
- Cook in the wood oven until the prawns are pink and cooked through and the crust is charred, 4–7 minutes.
Notes
- In a wood-fired oven the pizzas cook in 3–6 minutes; in a conventional oven cranked to its highest setting (ideally 500°F/260°C with a pizza stone), allow 8–12 minutes.
- Marinate the prawns the night before for the best flavor.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Pizza
- Cuisine: Australian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 310
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Yes. After the initial 20-minute rest, you can refrigerate the dough overnight. Remove it 1 hour before you plan to use it, divide into 4 balls, place on a floured tray, cover with oiled plastic, and let it rise for that final hour at room temperature.
Why does this dough use two different flours?
The base is 375 g of strong white bread flour with over 11.5% protein, which gives the dough its structure and chew, while 125 g of wholemeal flour adds a slightly nutty flavour and texture. Using high-protein bread flour (rather than plain all-purpose) is especially important for getting a good stretch and blistered crust.
Do the prawns really need to marinate overnight?
The recipe specifically calls for an overnight marinade of the king prawns in 2 tbsp olive oil, lemon rind, fresh basil, and mint, kept refrigerated. The notes confirm this is for the best flavor, so plan ahead if you want to serve the prawn pizza.
What is Taleggio and can I substitute it?
Taleggio is a semi-soft, washed-rind Italian cheese with a mild, buttery, slightly tangy flavour that melts very well. The mushroom pizza uses 155 g of sliced Taleggio as its main cheese. If you can’t find it, a mild Fontina or even a young Brie would give a similar creamy melt, though the flavour profile will differ slightly.
How do I adapt this for a conventional home oven?
Crank your oven to its highest setting — ideally 500°F (260°C) — and use a pizza stone if you have one. Pizzas that cook in 3–6 minutes in a wood-fired oven will take 8–12 minutes in a conventional oven, so keep an eye on the crust colour and cheese bubbling as your guide.
That oven looks great! I haven’t been able to achieve a pizza I’m impressed with at home, but was thinking of trying again today if I can muster up the energy.
It’s all about getting the crust right, isn’t it? It is hard to achieve this in a regular oven although I do know of people who have got reasonable results with a pizza stone placed in a regular oven.