So it’s time.  To cook your first pizza.

The fire must be started small at the front of the arch.  Here are the steps :

1. Using small kindling and paper get it started and get it really going – adding small bit of kindling for a good while.
2. We can wait up until 45 minutes before slowly shifting back to about the front of the oven – just past the arch.
3. It takes a bit of practice but take it slowly…practice and trial and error are your friends.
4. If the fire doesn’t go out when you do that first push back – slowly build it up again (it definitely will reduce in flame at this point), until you get a really strong fire going.   Roaring.
5. Then when that’s fully established push it further back in the oven and keep it firing and stoked for 2 -3 hours.  By which time you will have a very hot oven, some red and white coals and it will be ready to push back right to the back and side. (The side because it give your oven floor more room for pizzas!).    Using a fireproof brush clean up your oven floor as much as possible to take your pizza (or what ever you are cooking)
6. You will need to add the odd log to keep it going.    We usually don’t start cooking until about 4 hours after we start the fire.   It’s turned into a really great ritual which is enjoyed.

Now throw in our pizza – well carefully put it in using whatever technique you work out 🙂  We have the readied pizza on one floured pizza peel, and quickly scape it off with another, (by quickly removing the bottom peel).