First pizzas in wood-fired chiminea

Well, first pizza(s) tonight in my new chiminea! (Click here for the first part of the story and here for more recent updates.)

Here’s how it happened:

(I started at 5.41 in the evening – but I’m going to call that 0000. The notes are not as accurate as they could be, as I’m not sure I noted everything down – but they give you a rough idea.)

Colne Valley Yorkshire Bitter (bit slow with the camera - the head had subsided somewhat!)

0000 Poured myself a pint of home-made real ale (thanks, Leo!):

0002 Started the pizza dough – 200g white flour, 1 tsp Marigold stock powder, 1 teaspoon curry powder, 4 large pieces of grilled peppers, chopped small, plus 10g yeast dissolved in 125g lukewarm water and a good glug of sun-dried tomato oil.

0015 Dough finished and proving

0025 Ashes cleared from grate, and kindling placed in position

0026 Lit the fire

0033 Fire well alight, pizzas rolled out

0039 Added a layer of charcoal to the fire – manoeuvred oven shelf into position with my new welder’s gloves

0045 Placed the frying pan on (in the kitchen) with some oven chips

0055 Topping placed on the pizzas – a mixture of vegan pesto, mushroom pate and tomato puree plus slices of tomato and mushrooms

0103 2^nd layer of charcoal – spread out

0105 One pizza in bottom oven and one in the top. I used an oven tray to try and block the opening of the bottom oven – but there was still a large gap at the top.

0118 Pizza in bottom oven burned on the bottom, not cooked on top – swapped them over, but the top wouldn't cook

???? Turned the oven on in the kitchen – just the top element. Once it had reached 200C I put one of the pizzas in for four minutes to cook the top. The other I’ve left out – it can go in the freezer and then be cooked for 5 or so minutes.

0152 Sat down to dinner with large glass of home-made red!

Done underneath, but top not quite finished

The chips were well over done, but the pizza was delicious. Even though the bottom was a bit charred it made no matter.

Conclusions:
1. I need to light the fire on the shelf, rather than the floor of the oven, and just cook in the top oven. Once I’m happy with that, then I can start experimenting with two shelf cooking.
2. I need to give the charcoal quite a bit longer before I put the stuff in to cook
3. Just need to tweak a few timings - but we're on our way, folks!

I'd like to fire it every day - but there's only so many pizzas you can eat, and I've a freezer full of bread!