Are you a pizza fanatic? Do you want to be able to bake your own pizza in the comfort of your own home? If that's the case, you'll want to install an outdoor pizza oven right away! It's not only entertaining and simple, but it also ensures that you make the ideal pizza every time. We'll show you all you need to know about creating an outdoor pizza oven in this article. So, what do you have to lose? Let's get this party started!
Before You Build an Outdoor Pizza Oven, What Do You Need to Consider?
Before you start, you'll need to make a few key decisions that will affect the project's timing, cost, and scope, such as:
Skill level - While the instructions below are geared towards the average DIY'er, those with more advanced building or masonry skills may want to attempt a more complex build.
Size/Type of oven –Outdoor pizza ovens can be as tiny as a portable unit or as large as a built-in brick and mortar structure.
Investment - Your pizza oven can cost anywhere from one hundred to thousands of dollars, depending on the availability of supplies and whether you plan to do the project yourself or hire a professional.
Design Your Outdoor Pizza Oven
A DIY pizza oven can be built in a variety of ways. The beauty of this type of project is that you may tailor it to your specific requirements. When deciding on the size, form, and location of the pizza oven, consider the area available in your yard. Because this is a large installation that you can't relocate, make sure it's in a convenient area that's also away from anything flammable. To create a multipurpose cooking zone, consider adding a counter or other parts of an outdoor kitchen near your pizza oven.
We'll concentrate on igloo-style pizza ovens for the sake of this essay. You can, however, make a barrel-shaped oven. When choosing a size, think about the people you'll be cooking for. The following are some general suggestions:
Small family: 34″ diameter.
Large family: 42″ diameter.
Restaurant or party-size: 50″ diameter.
What Do You Need to Build a Brick Pizza Oven?-Material Needed
Backyard cooks prefer brick ovens because they offer the best results in terms of flavor and texture. However, for the inexperienced, constructing a brick oven might be a difficult endeavor. The materials you'll need to get started are listed below.
Bricks: To create a brick oven, you'll need at least 500 ordinary bricks. Depending on the size and form of your oven, you may require a different number of bricks.
Mortar: Mortar is used to hold the bricks together and form a strong building.To build a brick oven, you'll need about ten bags of mortar.
Trowel: To apply mortar to the bricks, you'll need a trowel.
Chisel: Cutting bricks requires the use of a chisel.
Hammer: A hammer is needed to break loose or excess mortar from between the bricks and to beat out faults in brick walls.
Wheelbarrow: To transfer supplies like mortar and bricks back and forth between your oven site and your home, you'll need a wheelbarrow.
What Tools Do You Need to Build an Outdoor Pizza Oven?
Level: To ensure that your brick oven is properly horizontal, you'll need a level.
Measuring Tape: To correctly measure the dimensions of your oven, you'll need a measuring tape.
Square: A square can be used to check the accuracy of right angles.
Pencil: A pencil is necessary for marking measurements and lines on the bricks.
Safety Glasses: Safety glasses are required while working with mortar, as they can cause irritation to the eyes.
Dust Mask: A dust mask will protect your lungs from the fine particles created while mixing mortar.
Work Gloves: Work gloves will protect your hands from cuts and abrasions while working with bricks.
Prepare the Foundation of the Outdoor Pizza Oven
To withstand the weight of the pizza oven, it requires a sturdy concrete base. Start by digging out the foundation's base and covering it with gravel, then a rebar grid. This will provide the concrete with additional strength and support. Pour the concrete over the grid, level it, and let it dry completely. Your climate will influence how long it takes to dry.
On top of the cement foundation, you'll probably want to build a counter or another base to boost the height of the pizza oven so you can reach it comfortably. Making a rectangle counter out of cinder blocks with the holes facing upward is the simplest method to do this. For further stability, pour concrete into the exterior blocks. Add a countertop to the base.
Cover the cinder blocks with plywood and a frame made of exterior-grade lumber or iron to make a DIY countertop. Make a simple, stable countertop by placing a rebar grid inside the frame and pouring concrete on top.
Build the Outdoor Pizza Oven
1. Stack fire bricks on both sides of the opening you intend to make. Add an arch of bricks on top, supported by foam, cardboard, or chipboard. The opening should be around 2/3 of the oven's overall height.
2. Place the initial layer of the dome in a circular pattern that extends outward from the aperture, keeping your bricks as close together as possible.
3. Fill the circle of bricks with sand and a piece of plastic. This will help to support your dome as you construct it.
4. Cement the first layer of bricks in place.
5. Fill up the gaps with sand and cement as you go, until you have a fully filled dome. If a chimney is desired, include a hole for it. As you build around the chimney aperture, a bucket can serve as a temporary placeholder.
6. Apply a coating of concrete to the completed dome's exterior.
7. Allow for thorough drying of the concrete. To prepare the pizza oven for use, remove the supports, sand, and plastic sheeting from the interior.
