What Can You Cook in an Outdoor Pizza Oven?

You have probably already used your outdoor pizza oven for cooking pizza. So, what’s next? Well, your pizza oven is also an excellent tool to cook a wide selection of recipes, from desserts and meat to sourdough bread and vegetables.

Here, we’ll tell you about all the delicious recipes and treats you can cook in your brand-new outdoor pizza oven!

4 Things You Can Cook in a Pizza Oven

Your outdoor pizza oven is perfect for cooking pizzas, but that’s obvious. However, you can also use it for cooking a wide selection of recipes. Whatever dish you can make in a regular oven, you can make it more delicious, thanks to the high temperature of a pizza oven.

1. Bread

Making delicious homemade bread is the perfect way to use your outdoor oven for something more than cooking pizzas. This type of bread is crispy and salty and has a delicious soft center, perfect as a side dish for pasta or your breakfast.

Ingredients:

• ½ pound of white bread flour
• 7 ounces of 00 flour
• 2 teaspoons of sea salt
• ⅓ cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 25 ounces of active dry yeast
• 11 fluid ounces of warm water

These are the steps you need to follow to make bread in a pizza oven:

1. Combine the salt and two types of flour in a large mixing bowl. Mix them well before proceeding to the next step.
2. Now, mix the warm water and the dry yeast in another mixing bowl.
3. Make a hole in the middle of the flour mix and add oil and the water and yeast combination.
4. Stir the mix until it becomes a soft dough. Be careful not to make it too sticky.
5. You now need to knead it until it becomes soft and elastic. Depending on your preference and available time, you can do it in a dough mixer or by hand.
6. Now let the dough rest in a warm environment for around 40 minutes. You’ll notice after this that it has doubled its size.

While the dough rests, you can start preheating the oven. You’ll need an oven temperature of around 390°F. Once the oven is preheated, you can proceed to the next step.

1. After 40 minutes have passed, you can knock down the dough. Sprinkle a tray with polenta and put the dough back on it. Brush the dough with olive oil and let it rest for another 45 minutes.
2. It is time to mix the remaining water and olive oil in a single mixing bowl.
3. Make holes over the surface of the dough and spread the water and olive oil mix around. You can now sprinkle on some salt and rosemary if you want.
4. Now it is time to place the tray in the oven. Spray some water in the oven to create steam.

Let the dough bake for around 25 minutes or until the surface turns golden brown. Remove the tray and let the bread rest for a few minutes. After a few minutes, you can start enjoying your fresh homemade bread.

2. Meat

You can also cook pulled pork, roasted chicken, and other meats. If you love steaks, you’ll be glad to hear you can also cook a delicious steak in your oven. You only need a cast-iron skillet, the right seasoning, and high heat.

Ingredients:

• One 1"-thick ribeye steak
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper

These are the steps you need to follow to cook a steak in your pizza oven:

1. Season the ribeye steak with a mix of pepper and salt.
2. Preheat the oven to a temperature of around 450°F.
3. Add oil and seasoning to the skillet.
4. Place the steak on it.
5. Put the skillet with the ribeye inside the oven.

When cooking steak in the oven, you need to avoid overcooking or burning it. If you overcook the steak, it will be dry and hard. To avoid this problem, you should invest in a leave-in thermometer.

1. Insert a leave-in thermometer into the steak.
2. The thermometer will tell you when the core of the steak has reached the desired temperature. For example, if you want a medium-rare doneness, you’ll want a core temperature of 130 to 140°F.
3. Cooking steak shouldn’t take longer than 15 minutes. After 7 minutes, you can flip the steak to the other side.
4. Now remove the steak and let it rest for a few minutes before eating.

3. Vegetables

Thanks to the design of the oven, you’ll get a delicious smoky flavor when roasting potatoes and vegetables. All you need for this recipe is the right seasoning, some fresh vegetables, and the right type of potatoes. 

Ingredients:

• 2 Dutch cream potatoes
• 2 carrots
• 1 bell pepper
• Chopped onion
• Chopped garlic
• Chopped mushrooms
• Butter or olive oil
• Salt and pepper

These are the steps you need to follow to cook roasted vegetables and potatoes in your pizza oven:

1. For this recipe, you’ll need to remove the skin from the potatoes and cut them into slices.
2. Cut the carrots into circular slices.
3. Chop the bell pepper into four to five pieces, depending on the size.
4. Add the chopped mushrooms, garlic, and onion into a cast-iron skillet.
5. Now add the potatoes, carrots, and bell peppers.
6. Add the olive oil or butter and season it with salt and pepper.
7. Preheat the oven to around 500°F.
8. Once the oven is ready, place the skillet with your vegetables in it.
9. The cooking time varies depending on the serving sizes, but it shouldn’t take longer than 15 minutes. Once you notice the potatoes are ready, it is time to remove the skillet from the oven.
10. Let the vegetables rest before serving.

Note: This side dish is perfect for complementing your oven-made steak.

4. Desserts

Another option you have for your wood-fired pizza oven is a delicious dessert. It can be a batch of brownies, s’mores, a sweet pizza, or even cinnamon rolls. You only need to decide which one you want to cook.

Ingredients for wood-fired cinnamon rolls:

• Leftover pizza dough
• ½ cup ground cinnamon
• ½ cup caster sugar
• Four teaspoons melted butter

Here are the steps for cooking cinnamon rolls in a pizza oven:

1. Preheat your pizza oven. It needs a temperature of around 290°F. It can be less than this temperature, but it shouldn’t go higher.
2. Spread some sugar and flour over the surface of your bench.
3. Place the leftover dough on it and spread it until it forms a rectangle.
4. Now, brush the surface of the dough with the melted butter.
5. Sprinkle over the sugar, cinnamon, and any other fillings you’d like.
6. It is time to roll up the dough. Do it carefully and slowly. You do not want the dough to break while you roll it.
7. Once the dough is rolled as a swiss roll, you’ll need to cut it. We recommend slices of around 1.4 to 1.8 inches.
8. Now put the rolls on a tray and place them inside the pizza oven.

The cooking time for this dessert is around 12 minutes but will depend on how big the rolls are. However, it shouldn’t exceed more than 15 minutes, or you’ll dry out or burn the dough.

Find the Right Pizza Oven for Your Home with CAPO Building Specialties

Are you looking for a brand-new outdoor pizza oven? CAPO Building Specialties should be your go-to option. We offer a wide selection of high-quality pizza ovens in multiple sizes and shapes. Check out our website for more information about all our products and services near you!