Instructions

1. Clear the oven. It's important to make sure that the oven is clear of ashes and debris from the last use, so before you start your fire, sweep all the soot and ashes off the oven floor. Just make sure everything has fully cooled, otherwise you may burn yourself.

2. Build your fire. Start with two medium-sized logs, set parallel to each other about five inches apart. Crumple your sheets of newspaper and place them between the logs. Take eight or nine sticks of kindling and place them over the newspaper, perpendicular to the original logs. This will be the starting fuel for your fire.

3. Start the fire. Place your stack of logs, paper and kindling inside the oven and light the paper in a few places. Wait until the paper and kindling have burned, so that your fire is burning well, and then add a few larger logs. Remember to leave space for oxygen in between the logs and to build the fire up rather than out.

4. Leave the oven to heat. It will take between one and three hours for your oven to be hot enough to cook with, so leave your fire to burn. Check the fire every 30 minutes or so, adding logs when necessary. A hot oven should be about 700 degrees (350 Celsius). Until you are familiar with your oven, it may be helpful to check your temperature before you begin cooking.

5. Prepare your food. Use your favorite pizza dough and toppings to assemble your pizzas. Grab your cornmeal and pizza peel and bring all your supplies out to the oven.

6. Prepare to cook. The hot ash that has accumulated on the floor of your oven should be swept away to make room for your pizza or bread, and the pizza peel should be generously sprinkled with cornmeal so your pizza slides off the peel and into the oven.

7. Put the pizza on your prepared peel and ease the peel into the oven. If you used enough cornmeal, a good jerk should slide the pizza off the peel and onto the oven floor. Watch your food carefully; stone pizza ovens cook much faster than a traditional oven, a pizza will cook in one to three minutes. Wait until the crust becomes puffy and browned, and the cheese and toppings begin to bubble. When it looks ready, remove the pizza from the oven with your peel and enjoy.