Lighting and preparation of the wood oven

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WARNING: Follow the instructions before turning on the oven.

Do not use flammable liquids or other fuels to light the oven. Make sure that there are no flammable materials near the oven and that the minimum safety distance is respected.

1 – In the center of the oven or slightly right of center create a cross stacked pile of ALFA Wood using smaller pieces. Include 2-3 QwikWik brand or your favorite fire-starters to help start the fire quickly.

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2 – Light the QwikWik firestarters to ignite your initial cross stacked wood pile in the oven

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3 – After the wood is on fire, replace the oven door on the oven warming shelf leaving a small gap of 1-2 inches so air can enter the oven and to help keep the fire roaring. This helps keep the fire in the oven and heat the oven to your desired temperature faster.

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4 – Slowly add larger wood logs to create a larger fire. Do this for about 15-20 minutes depending on the size of your oven. Larger ovens can take longer to heat up. Do not put too much wood in at one time and replace the door as noted in section 3 to help keep the flame inside the oven.

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5 – After you’ve built a nice fire and hot bed of coals move them to the left side of the oven with the help of the ember mover. The fire should be on the opposite side of the thermometer for the most accurate oven chamber temp.

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6 – Clean the refractory floor with the brush tool.

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7 – Using a laser thermometer check the temperature of the oven floor. You want it to be about 370°- 430°C (700°- 800°F).

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8 – When the oven floor is the right temperature you’re ready to begin cooking your pizzas! Cook pizzas with the oven door off and feel free to replace the oven door with the same gap for air as mentioned in section 3 to keep heat and flame in the oven.

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Lighting and preparation of the wood oven | Alfa Forni