Australian Gourmet Traveller - (05)May 2019 (1)

TheperfectNeapolitanpizzaneedsanovensittingat

450 degrees,DeFalcosays.Atthattemperature,it’s 90 seconds,

inandout.

BeforeditchingtheWeberaltogether,bearinmindthata

backyardpizzaovenwillstaywhenitsownersmoveon.“Even

thepre-castovensarefragileandshouldn’treallybemoved,”

Guilfordsays.Theonesmadefromscratchshoulddefinitely

stayinsitu– thebrickswon’tsurvivethedispatchandrebuild.

“Thinkofit as thoughyou’rebuildinga pool,”hesays.

“Enjoyit whileyoulivewithit andthenseeit as something

thataddsvaluetoyourhouse.”

Therealappealofa backyardpizzaovenis notsomuch

aboutthefoodbutthesenseofcommunityit inspires.“Because

youwouldneveruseit justtocookforyourself,a pizzaoven

is aninherentlyunselfishthing,”Guilfordsays.“It’sabout

friendsandfamily,andbringing people together to gather,

talk, eat and share.”●

Melbourne,whichsellshigh-endindoorandoutdoorwoodfired

ovenstoa rapidlyexpandingcustomerbase.“Myfathermakes

chickenwings;hejustsitsthemina trayandtheyquicklysear

withoutlosingtheirjuices.Seventonineminutesandthey’re

done,withoutanydryingout.”

There’snothinglikea woodfiredovenforfish,saysStanaway.

“Weseasonsalmoncutletsthenroasttheminit,”hesays.

“250to 300 degreesgivesit themostbeautifulcaramelisation.”

Settingupa backyardpizzaparlouris notwithoutits

challenges.Fora start,woodfiredovensareheavyandbulky.

Themostpracticaloptionscomeinpre-cutpiecesthatcanbe

assembledat home.Anentirelypre-fabricatedversionwilllikely

needtobedeliveredandinstalledbyforkliftorcrane.

Hardcoreenthusiasts,however,insistthatthebestpizzaovens

arebuiltwithbarehandsfromrusticmaterials,somethingthat

Guilfordbelieveswillimparta senseofearthyhonesty.Hesells

a kitthatallowscustomerstomaketheirown oven from the basic

elementsofbricksandmortar,rather

thanpre-cutpieces.A handfulof

suchkitsweresoldinhiscompany’s

firstyear,in2011.Thisyearhe

forecastssalesofmorethan 400 kits

as farafieldas theUS.“There’sthis

needforauthenticity,”hesays.“An

oventhattakesa whiletobuild,brick

bybrick,screamsauthenticity.”

Guilford’skitscomewithbricks,

thematerialtocreateaninsulated

slab,mortar,a flueanda stainless-

steeldoor,andrangeinpricefrom

$2,790to$4,490.Thebricksarecut

tosizeandthekitcomeswitha

trammelthathelpsbackyardbuilders

positionthemintherightspot.

Heestimateseachkittakesabout

60 hourstobuild.“Ifyou’rescared

ofputtingtogetherIkeafurniture,

thisisn’tforyou,”hesays.

Oncetheovenis inplace,

it’scriticaltofeedit therightfuel.

Stanawayusesgrapevinecuttings

fromRareHare’ssurrounding

WillowCreekVineyard,aswell

asredgumandyellowbox.Lucio

DeFalco,ownerofSydney’sLucio’s

Pizzeriaandwinnerofthebest

pizzainAustraliaawardat the

CampionatoMondialedellaPizza

in2018,alsolikesyellowboxfor

itsquickheatandhighflames.

Healsoaddsironbark,which

burnsslowlyandmaintains

the heat inside the oven.

Preheatpizzaovento

450°C.Dissolve30gm

saltin600mlwaterin

a largebowl.Add100gm

“00”flourandmixwell,

thenadd2gmyeastand

stirtodissolve.Gradually

add900gm“00”flour,

mixingtocombine.Place

doughona lightlyfloured

surface, then knead

untilsmoothandelastic

(around 10 minutes).Place

doughintoa deepbowl

andcoverwithplastic

wrapora teatowel,

ensuringnoairgetsin,

thenleavetorisefor18-19

hours.Dividedoughinto

6-8ballsandplaceona

flouredsurface.Cover

and leave to double in

sizefor3-5hours,then

stretchdoughbyhand

into6-8pizzeona lightly

flouredsurface.Add

toppingsofyourchoice

(tomato,mozzarellaand

basilis classic),transferto

pizzaovenandbakefor

around11/2minutesuntil

bubblingandgolden.

Serve immediately.

Neapolitan

pizzaSERVES

MAKES6-8PIZZE

LucioDeFalco,ownerof

Sydney’sLucio’sPizzeria,

shareshisrecipefor

Neapolitan pizza.

RECIPE LUCIO DE FALCO. PHOTOGRAPHY GETTY IMAGES (PIZZA OVEN).

GOURMET TRAVELLER 81