How To Light A Fire In A Wood Fired Pizza Oven

Lighting a fire in a wood fired pizza oven is not complicated, but doing it properly makes a huge difference to the way your oven heats, how clean your fire burns and how your pizzas cook. The goal is simple. Use clean fire starters, dry hardwood, good airflow and the right tools so your oven gets hot quickly without filling your cooking chamber with unwanted smoke, ash or chemical smells.

In our how to video down at the bottom, we use the Flaming Coals Premium Wood Fired Pizza Oven and walk through the full process from lighting the fire through to moving the coals, cleaning the oven floor and checking the stone temperature before cooking. In this blog, we break it all down step by step.

Quick Answer: How Do You Light A Fire In A Wood Fired Pizza Oven?

To light a fire in a wood fired pizza oven, start with natural firelighters, add kindling, then place 4 or 5 pieces of very dry hardwood on top once the kindling has caught. Keep the flue open for the first 15 minutes to let smoke and any residues escape, then partially close the flue and place the door on with a small gap for airflow. Once the oven reaches around 400 to 450 degrees Celsius and the stone is around 350 to 400 degrees Celsius, move the fire to the back, sweep the bricks clean and start cooking.

What You Need Before You Start

Before lighting your oven, it is worth getting everything ready. Wood fired cooking moves quickly once the oven gets hot, so having your tools close by makes the process safer and easier.

You will need:

1. Natural firelighters
   Use all natural firelighters where possible, we use compressed cardboard style firelighters because they do not contain the same chemical additives found in many white firelighters. Since the fire is inside the same oven where your food will cook, cleaner ignition matters.
2. Kindling 
   Kindling is thin, dry wood that catches quickly and helps build the first flame. Start with around 5 or 6 pieces and allow enough airflow around them so the flame is not smothered.
3. Dry hardwood
   Use around 4 or 5 pieces of hardwood, roughly forearm length. The most important part is dryness. Your wood should be properly seasoned, ideally dried for at least 6 months and preferably 12 months. Ironbark and red gum are great options for strong heat and reliable burn.
4. Heatproof gloves
   A wood fired oven gets extremely hot. Long heat resistant gloves are strongly recommended, ideally ones that protect up the forearm.
5. A lighter, matches or butane torch
   You need a safe way to light your firelighters. A butane torch works well, but matches can also be used.
6. Pizza oven rake or scraper
   Once the fire is established, you will need to move the coals and timber to the back or back corner of the oven with a pizza oven rake/scraper.
7. Pizza oven brush 
   Before cooking, sweep the oven floor to remove loose ash or soot so it does not end up on the base of your pizza with a good pizza oven brush.
8. Infrared thermometer 
   An infrared thermometer lets you check the stone temperature before launching your pizzas. Oven air temperature and stone temperature are not always the same, so this is a useful step.

Step 1: Build The Fire Base

Start by placing 3 natural firelighters on the floor of the pizza oven. Add 5 or 6 pieces of kindling over the top, making sure there is enough space for air to move through the stack.

Airflow is important at this stage. If the fire is packed too tightly, the flame struggles to grow and the kindling can smoulder instead of catching properly.

Once the kindling is positioned, light the firelighters.

Step 2: Add Your Hardwood

Once the firelighters and kindling are burning, add your hardwood. Use 4 or 5 pieces to start.

This is where dry hardwood becomes critical. Damp or freshly cut wood creates excess smoke, struggles to burn cleanly and can make it harder to bring the oven up to cooking temperature. Properly seasoned hardwood burns hotter, cleaner and more consistently.

Always wear heatproof gloves when adding timber, adjusting the fire or working near the oven opening.

Step 3: Keep The Flue Open At The Start

On the Flaming Coals Premium Pizza Oven, the flue includes a baffle plate. For the first 15 minutes, keep the baffle fully open.

This allows smoke and any resins from the firelighters, kindling or hardwood to escape through the chimney rather than staying inside the oven where your food will cook.

After around 15 minutes, close the baffle about halfway. Then place the oven door on, leaving it slightly open so air can continue feeding the fire.

Step 4: Heat The Oven Properly

Let the fire continue burning until the oven gets hot. In the video, the oven reaches around 450 degrees Celsius after about 20 minutes.

For pizza, a good oven temperature is usually around 400 to 450 degrees Celsius. At this range, the oven is hot enough to cook pizza quickly while still allowing you to manage the base, toppings and crust.

You also want the bricks to heat properly, not just the air inside the oven. A hot oven floor is what gives you that crisp pizza base.

Step 5: Move The Fire To The Back

Once the oven is hot and the fire has started breaking down, make room for the pizza.

Use a long handled scraper or rake to move the fire to the back of the oven. If your oven is large enough, you can also move the fire into one back corner to create more cooking space.

With the Flaming Coals Premium Pizza Oven, the oven is large enough to fit multiple pizzas, but it is often easier to cook 1 or 2 at a time because rotating and managing pizzas during the cook takes attention.

Step 6: Sweep The Oven Floor

After moving the fire, use a pizza oven brush to sweep the bricks where the pizza will sit. This removes ash, soot and loose debris from the cooking surface.

This step is simple but important. A clean oven floor helps protect the base of your pizza and gives you a better final result.

Step 7: Check The Stone Temperature

Before launching your pizza, check the oven floor with an infrared thermometer.

For pizza, aim for a stone temperature of around 350 to 400 degrees Celsius. We had the stone sitting at about 395 degrees Celsius, which is ideal for a fast pizza cook.

At this temperature, pizzas can cook in around 2 to 3 minutes, depending on dough thickness, toppings and how close the pizza is to the fire.

Step 8: Cook Your Pizza

Once the oven and stone are hot, the fire is moved back and the bricks are swept clean, you are ready to cook.

Launch the pizza into the oven using a pizza peel and rotate it during the cook so each side gets even heat. Wood fired ovens have hot spots, so turning the pizza is key to getting an even crust without burning one side.

Keep an eye on the base and the toppings. At high heat, pizza cooks fast.

What To Cook After Pizza

One of the best things about a well insulated wood fired pizza oven is that the heat does not disappear once the pizzas are done.

After cooking pizza, let the oven temperature come down to around 200 to 220 degrees Celsius. At that point, it becomes ideal for roasting meat, cooking vegetables, baking bread or making slower dishes that benefit from retained heat.

This is a great way to get more value from the fire you have already built.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

1. Using damp wood
   Wet or poorly seasoned wood produces excess smoke and makes it harder to reach proper cooking temperature.
2. Using chemical firelighters
   Chemical based firelighters can affect the smell and flavour inside your cooking chamber. Natural firelighters are the better choice.
3. Closing the oven too early
   Your fire needs oxygen, especially at the start. Keep the flue open early and leave a gap when using the door.
4. Cooking before the stone is hot
   The oven air might be hot, but the stone still needs time to heat. Always check the floor temperature if you want a crisp base.
5. Forgetting to sweep the oven floor
   Loose ash and soot can stick to your pizza base. A quick sweep makes a big difference.

Final Thoughts

Lighting a fire in a wood fired pizza oven is all about clean fuel, strong airflow and proper heat management. Start with natural firelighters, build the flame with kindling, use dry hardwood and give the oven enough time to heat properly.

Once the oven is sitting around 400 to 450 degrees Celsius and the stone is around 350 to 400 degrees Celsius, you are ready to cook fast, crisp and flavour packed pizzas.

If you want to cook and follow along, watch our step by step run down below.