Fingers crossed, but with any luck, those long hazy days of summer are on the way, and for many people, BBQs are so yesterday. The current favourite meal of choice for those planning a family or social event at home is pizza cooked in a wood-fired pizza oven. There are many reasons why wood-fired pizza's popularity has increased dramatically. These include the sheer variety and flexibility of choice, limited only by your imagination.
Secondly, for those families with young children making the pizza enables them to be involved and a part of the process, plus it's also a lot of fun. Homemade pizza also tastes better with fresh ingredients, and that melt-in-the-mouth experience, and the good news is that it doesn't have to be difficult; in fact, once you try it, you will be kicking yourself that you didn't try it sooner.
When it comes to cooking the best wood-fired pizza, you need three key things.
1 - A Wood-Fired Pizza Oven
These are not particularly expensive and provided you maintain them and keep them out of the elements when not in use, a good quality wood-fired pizza oven will last you for many years. Expect to pay somewhere between £200 to £500 depending on the size and quality of the oven you need.
2 - A Good Quality Flour
Look at any commercial pizza store; you will notice they offer a wide range of pizza bases, from deep pan to thin crust.
This is because they have identified that the base of the pizza is critical to the quality and enjoyment of their product. The key ingredient for any pizza dough is the flour used in its preparation; this is not the ingredient you want to skimp on.
At Nelstrops, we provide hundreds of pizza shops with the flour for their bases because our flour consistently delivers a beautiful texture, consistency and taste.
It stands to reason that if the professional pizza makers come to Nelstrop for the most important ingredient of any pizza, then anyone making pizza at home should follow their lead.
3 - Fresh, Tasty and Colourful Ingredients
Once you have experienced the taste and flexibility that your very own wood-fired pizza oven offers, you will never be able to imagine a pizza from anywhere else.
Provided you follow the tips above, purchase a nice quality oven and invest in the best ingredients, your new pizza oven will open a whole world of opportunities; the only drawback may be that you end up with many more friends and family popping around for a pizza! You have been warned!!