Carole Knits

october zinnia
october zinnia
martinis with a view
martinis with a view
gettysburg fence for
gettysburg fence for
germinate shawl on rocks
germinate shawl on rocks
field of flags 2
field of flags 2
color affection with edge
color affection with edge
cedar leaf shawlette 2
cedar leaf shawlette 2
3_27_2014
3_27_2014
3_18_13
3_18_13
2_24_2014
2_24_2014
1_11_13
1_11_13
peony-bouquet-for-carole-knits
peony-bouquet-for-carole-knits
dale-and-jackie-for-carole-knits
dale-and-jackie-for-carole-knits
nightshift-progress-for-carole-knits
nightshift-progress-for-carole-knits

ABC Along Adventures of Dale and Carole Arthritis Ask Me Anything Birthdays Bloggers Books Buy More Yarn Charity Knitting Circular Sock Machine Contests Crochet Dyeing Epic Sock Blanket Eye Candy Friday Feeling Crafty Fiber Festivals Food Good, Bad, Ugly Hmmm Joyful Wednesday Knitting Knitting Olympics Macro Monday March Money Madness Memes Mittens Monday On My Mind Movies Museum of Me Mutterings My Backyard NaBloPoMo One Little Word Patterns Photography Project Spectrum Quilting Random Ravelry Read With Us Reenacting Run For Your Life Saturday Posts Selfies Sewing Show & Tell Sock Knitting Spinning Sunday Funnies Swaps Ten on the Tenth Ten on Tuesday Thankfulness That's Life Think Write Thursday Three Things Throwback Thursday Thursday Things Uncategorized Vacations Wordless Words in the Wild

  • Home
  • Carole Julius Photography
You are here: Home / Food / Let’s Make Pizza

Let’s Make Pizza

May 11, 2022 By Carole

I don’t think it will come as a surprise to anyone when I say that I adore our new Ooni Pizza Oven. It was a purchase I thought a lot about, having wanted one since last summer. I read a bunch of articles rating various brands of pizza ovens and pretty quickly decided on Ooni, but then there was still the matter of deciding which model to get. I knew I wanted gas, but thought it would be cool to have the option of using wood, too. I talked to a couple of friends who have Oonis and got their take. And then I read a very thorough review from America’s Test Kitchen (I’d link to it but it’s behind a pay wall) which basically said that the pizza isn’t in the oven long enough to really impart any flavor from the wood smoke and it also pointed out that maintaining a hot enough fire with just wood is tricky.

I’m practical enough to know that any sort of barrier to using an item like this is going to mean I don’t use it at all, so I pretty quickly gave up the idea of wood fired and went with the Ooni Koda 12 Gas Powered Pizza Oven. I bought a bundle directly from Ooni so I also got a pizza peel, an infrared thermometer, and a carry cover. Knowing that we’d use it more with a permanent place to keep it set up, I bought a stainless steel cart with wheels from Amazon. My investment in this was just over $650. Like I said . . . not cheap. But 100% worth it. We’ve made 18 pizzas now which brings the per pizza cost down to $36. Ha!

I made my own dough using the recipe from Ooni. It makes enough for 4 pizzas and when I don’t make all 4 I stick the extras in the freezer. My hope is to have a stash of frozen pizza dough for those times when I don’t have the inclination to make it fresh. I also use the pizza sauce recipe on the Ooni website and it’s simple and quick and delicious. It’s even better now that I’ve got my own basil growing.

As for types of pizzas, my favorite is a simple margherita pizza with just sauce, fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil. Dale is partial to pepperoni. On Mother’s Day I got a little bit fancier and made one with fig jam, goat cheese, and arugula. The trickiest part of the process is launching the pizza into the oven. Sometimes it sticks and I haven’t been able to understand why that happens seemingly randomly, although I’m starting to suspect it’s when the dough is too warm to start. Out of the 18 we’ve made I’ve only had one be a total loss so I think that’s pretty good. And, as a friend said to me, even when it’s not perfect . . . it’s still better than anything I can get where I live. You know what else is better? A pizza cooks in 60 seconds. Yep. 60 seconds.

I’m looking forward to using this more as the weather gets warmer. I’m thinking pizza parties under the pergola all summer long! I sure wish you could join us!

Related posts:

Default ThumbnailP is for Pizza Default ThumbnailNeopolitan Cookies Default ThumbnailTen On Tuesday Default ThumbnailWeekending
« For the Love of Reading: April 2022
Three On Thursday »

Filed Under: Food

Comments

  1. Vera says

    May 11, 2022 at 6:56 am

    I believe I’m drooling! This sounds and looks so good and I can’t believe a pizza cooks in 60 seconds! Amazing.

  2. Kat says

    May 11, 2022 at 7:48 am

    Yum! Really… YUM! (and you are so right, we don’t use ours nearly as much because of the fiddly-ness of wood pellets)

    I am going to have Steve read your review! 🙂

  3. Bonny says

    May 11, 2022 at 8:14 am

    I’m sure your pizza cost will be coming down as you make more over the summer! I was wondering if it might be a bit too much trouble for me, but then I came to that 60 seconds. I certainly can’t have pizza delivered that fast. Friday night snacks (and lots of other occasions) have gotten more delicious!

  4. Kym says

    May 11, 2022 at 8:22 am

    I’m glad you’re so happy with your new pizza oven, Carole! The pizzas look divine. . . 😛

  5. Kym says

    May 11, 2022 at 8:24 am

    (That was the absolute wrong emoji thing. Not sure how that happened.) XO

  6. Sarah says

    May 11, 2022 at 9:04 am

    I have no doubt that this investment will be well worth it, especially given that you will likely continue to use it for years. The appeal of having fresh pizza in 60 seconds is a big one! My mouth is watering just looking at the photos. You’re going to have such fun with your pizza parties this summer!

  7. Debbie says

    May 11, 2022 at 10:48 am

    I think your investment is well worth it, the pizzas look delicious and you’ll have a lot of fun making pizzas! Enjoy!

  8. Robby H. says

    May 11, 2022 at 12:46 pm

    Thanks for reviewing this. I feel like you could maybe do some other things in there, but I’d have to read up on it. If you can control the temp as the site suggests, couldn’t you bake focaccia and maybe some other artisan bread in this baby. That would be especially nice for the summer when you don’t want to turn on the oven. Your dough might be sticking a bit if it’s a little wetter than usual, too (maybe humidity effects?). I can definitely see your per pizza cost coming down this summer. At 60 seconds to bake, it would be huge fun to have a pizza party and let people create their own masterpieces to share with the crowd. I bet everyone would find some new combo they like.

  9. Trina says

    May 11, 2022 at 3:54 pm

    Try some corn meal on the pizza peel before you put the dough on it. Before putting it in the oven give the whole thing a little shimmy to make sure it is loose enough to move. That is what my husband does when he makes pizza in the regular oven.

  10. Karen says

    May 11, 2022 at 4:19 pm

    We bought a pizza oven right before Christmas, but not an Ooni. We have a Bertollo. And we love it. But we decided if we are going to spend that much, that Saturday night needs to be pizza night. We make three small pizzas. Then we have leftovers for lunch. We have been trying to get creative with toppings. My husband’s favorite is pepperoni, but he has also made and loved taco pizza and cheesesteak pizza. He has also done a pierogi pizza. I tend to stick to ones with lots of veggies on them. My favorite is to use pesto as the ‘sauce’ then add broccoli, thinly sliced mushrooms, onions and peppers with a tiny bit of cheese. Ours does have the option to add wood and we have found it does add a slight smokiness to the crust. Yours look delicious!

  11. Mary says

    May 11, 2022 at 5:19 pm

    oh Carole – wow! Pizza is my favorite and I love every single thing you shared here (and even your initial investment is less than I expected). Fun! and Delicious!

Archives

carole AT caroleknits DOT net
my read shelf:
Carole's book recommendations, liked quotes, book clubs, book trivia, book lists (read shelf)

2021 Reading Challenge

2021 Reading Challenge
Carole has read 15 books toward her goal of 75 books.
hide
15 of 75 (20%)
view books

carolejuliusphoto

Friday night snacks look better from here. And als Friday night snacks look better from here. And also, I’m not oblivious to today’s news, I’m devastated. I’m also extra grateful to (a) live in Massachusetts and (b) be privileged enough to ignore it for right now while on vacation. #fridaynightsnacks #martinitime #baysidemaine #cheeseandcrackers #myhappyplace
Pizza night. What can I say? Wednesday is the new Pizza night. What can I say? Wednesday is the new Friday. #oonipizzaoven @ooni.it #pizzanight #outdoorliving #margaritapizza #imadeitmyself #homemadeisbest
Happy FriYay, friends! #fridaynightsnacks #friyayn Happy FriYay, friends! #fridaynightsnacks #friyaynight #helloweekend #martinitime #cheeseandcrackers #charcuterie #outdoorliving
Happy Sunday from Fred and George! #sundaymorningv Happy Sunday from Fred and George! #sundaymorningvibes #siamesecatsofinstagram #siamesecats #fredandgeorge
Friday night is pizza night these days. And those Friday night is pizza night these days. And those napkins? They sum up the secret to our 25 (next Tuesday!) year marriage! #oonipizzaoven #fridaynightsnacks #peaceloveandcocktails
It’s a perfect June morning for Sunday brunch un It’s a perfect June morning for Sunday brunch under the pergola. #sundaybrunch #brunchalfresco #pergolaliving #outdoorliving #inmybackyard #juneismyfavoritemonth
My patriotism is sorely lacking at the moment. Sti My patriotism is sorely lacking at the moment. Still, I’m grateful to head into Memorial Day weekend focusing on the good, remembering those who gave the ultimate sacrifice while serving our country, seeking common ground and (always) looking for hope. If all that fails, at least I’ve got a martini. And snacks. #fridaynightsnacks #memorialdayweekend2022 #cheeseandcrackers #martinitime
I love a hotel conference room with a view! #massl I love a hotel conference room with a view! #masslib2022 #libraryconference #aroomwithaview
Flower haul, day 2. #flowersaremagical #containerg Flower haul, day 2. #flowersaremagical #containergardening #timetoplant #givemealltheplants
It was a good day for plant shopping, my annual tr It was a good day for plant shopping, my annual tradition with my gardening bestie @doemack87 . I think we even left some plants behind … maybe. 🤣 #plantshopping #containergardening #plantsgalore #flowersaremagical
Pizza perfection tonight! Margherita for me and pe Pizza perfection tonight! Margherita for me and pepperoni for him. I’m loving our @oonihq pizza oven. #oonipizzaoven #ooni #margheritapizza #pepperonipizza #homemadeisbest #imadeitmyself #summernights
Fred has assured me that there is no pea under tha Fred has assured me that there is no pea under that pile of quilts. #fredandgeorge #siamesecatsofinstagram #siamesecat #princessandthepea #pileofquilts
First al fresco breakfast of the season, air fryer First al fresco breakfast of the season, air fryer hash browns with avocado and crispy fried eggs. Delicious! And so nice to enjoy under the pergola. #breakfastalfresco #inmybackyard #airfryerhashbrown
Fridays on the deck are the best Fridays of all. # Fridays on the deck are the best Fridays of all. #fridaynightsnacks #martinitime #cheeseandcrackers #happyhourathome #itsspringbutfeelslikesummer
Ranunculus season is short, gotta enjoy these beau Ranunculus season is short, gotta enjoy these beauties while we can. #ranunculus #flowersaremagical #springblooms #crossstreetflowerfarm
Two kitties in a basket! #fredandgeorge #siameseca Two kitties in a basket! #fredandgeorge #siamesecatsofinstagram #siamesecorner #siamesecats
It’s Friday night, friends. Time for snacks. Ooo It’s Friday night, friends. Time for snacks. Ooof, what a week. #fridaynightsnacks #cheeseandcrackers #martinitime #thosenapkinsthough #iwishiwasaunicornsoicouldstabpeoplewithmyhead #fuckyouscotus
Egg in the hole for breakfast this Saturday mornin Egg in the hole for breakfast this Saturday morning. So delicious with @paindavignoncafe bread and local eggs. #saturdaymorningvibes #egginthehole #itswhatsforbreakfast #localfood #eatlocal
In this week’s adventures with the Ooni, we have In this week’s adventures with the Ooni, we have expanded to pepperoni. It’s quite good! @ooni.it #oonipizzaoven #homemadeisbest #pepperonipizza #pizzafriday #fridaynightsnacks
Hoppy Spring! #happyspring #happyeaster #easterdec Hoppy Spring! #happyspring #happyeaster #easterdecor #daffodilbouquet
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Categories

ABC Along Adventures of Dale and Carole Birthdays Bloggers Books Charity Knitting Contests Eye Candy Friday Feeling Crafty Fiber Festivals Food Good, Bad, Ugly Hmmm Knitting Knitting Olympics Macro Monday Memes Monday On My Mind Movies One Little Word Photography Project Spectrum Quilting Random Read With Us Reenacting Run For Your Life Saturday Posts Selfies Show & Tell Sock Knitting Spinning Sunday Funnies Swaps Ten on Tuesday Thankfulness That's Life Think Write Thursday Three Things Throwback Thursday Thursday Things Uncategorized Vacations Wordless Words in the Wild

Copyright 2014 Carole Knits · Log in