Building a wood fired oven for bread and pizza is a great way to experience the tastes of authentic Italian food from the comfort of home. Doing so can be surprisingly simple, making the task possible for most any homeowner with basic carpentry and masonry skills.

If you have ever had the pleasure of taking traditional Italian pizza, you know that the food that passes for "pizza" from most carry out restaurants is a far cry from the real deal. The same is true for traditional crusty breads. Though it is possible to find pizza and bread at nearly any grocery store or super center as well as from an infinite number of fast food and take-out restaurants, it simply is not the same. Not only do these knock offs use completely different ingredients than the traditional recipes call for, they are also cooked in an entirely different manner. Electric and gas ovens cannot provide the same flavors that are found in traditional, wood fired foods. Building a wood fired oven for bread and pizza is the only way to ensure delicious tasting bread and pizza from home.

Wood firing offers numerous benefits in comparison to cooking indoors using an electric or gas powered oven. The wood burning method adds an entire dimension of flavor that simply is not found when using other methods. In addition, this method creates bread that is much crustier, and pizza dough prepared in a wood fired oven is chewier yet more tender. Wood firing is also a faster method of cooking these items, which is beneficial not only because it gets the food on your plate faster, but it also works to help seal in the flavors of the food rather than cooking them away.

Building a wood fired oven is easier than most people think. They can be build outdoors using basic supplies such as bricks, concrete, and 2x4s. There are several resources where one can find detailed instructions as well as building plans for these ovens. When built outdoors, they are also very safe, and they do not require any sort of costly home renovations. It is possible to add wood burning ovens to an indoor living space as well, but doing so requires much greater knowledge of building and carpentry, and it also poses much greater risks. In most cases, such projects require the help of a professional. Building outdoors, however, can be a great project for most any do-it-yourselfer.