Fresh Pizza!

Just a few years ago, Flying Cloud added a wood-fired stone-hearth baking oven to our kitchen repertoire, and we’ve been loving it ever since! For those who can’t quite imagine what I’m talking about, here are a few photos of the process for making one of our favorite products…. Pizza!

First, of course, here’s the oven. As you can see, it’s a large stone base, with a smooth stone hearth, and a brick arch on the inside where we build the fire. On top of that is a layer of clay to help store the heat, and above that is the roof to keep us dry while we work.

To get it ready for baking, we build a nice big fire inside, close up the door and wait a while. As the fire burns, it heats the stone of the oven. Once the fire dies down a little, we sweep out the coals, and then close it up again to give the heat a chance to equalize. After that, we’re ready for baking!

Step 1: Mixing the Dough and shaping it out into pizzas.

Step 1.5: “Proofing” or letting it rise, since everyone needs a little time to rest! (As you may note, those are whole wheat pizza crusts we’re making!)

Step 2: Topping and getting it to the oven. As you can see here, we’ve made a classic and it’s on the peel (the wooden paddle) waiting for its turn in the oven.

Step 3: Baking! Looks gorgeous, doesn’t it? You’ll note here that for a thin bread like pizza, we actually keep a fire going in the back, to make sure the toppings get nice and hot.

Step 4: Dinner time! As a pizza lover myself, I always consider the plain cheese the true test of quality, and I’m happy to say that ours is fabulous!

We’ve also instituted a bread chore this year, which means that every camper gets a chance to bake in the oven at least a couple times each summer, in addition to use on Cook Crew or for an activity. By all reviews, this thing rocks!