In a wood fired oven, pizza dough temperatures reach as high as 800 degrees Fahrenheit. To get the best results, use fresh ingredients and a good pizza dough recipe.

Make sure to let the dough rise before baking. You can let it rise for 3–6 hours before making the pizza.

Fresh Dough

This pizza dough is made with a little bit of salt to add flavor, strengthen the gluten (creating a chewier crust), and slow down fermentation, which makes it more palatable. It also contains olive oil which serves several purposes when it comes to pizza crust: It creates an oily barrier that prevents sogginess, it adds color and flavor, and it helps create a good surface to bake the dough on.

You can store thawed/refrigerated pizza dough for 1–3 days* in a covered container. However, the dough will start to deteriorate after a day in the fridge because yeast has eaten all of the good food it needs to rise, and it will go slimy and discolored.

When you’re ready to make the pizza, take it out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before shaping it into a circle. Stretch it in the air, use a rolling pin, or pat it with your hands — but don’t overwork it!

Oil

The potatoes used on this pizza are boiled until very tender, which allows the outer layers to become soft while the insides remain crispy and firm.

Toss the potatoes in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil, a good sprinkle of salt and some rosemary. Cover the pizza dough round with this mixture in an overlapping pattern, leaving a 1cm border around the edges; don’t forget to spread the pancetta on top.

Once the pizza is ready, transfer it on to a pizza peel and slide it into a preheated wood fired oven. Don’t leave it in too long, or the crust will become crunchy instead of soft and pliable.

Temperature

The perfect pizza oven has a dome shape that disperses the heat evenly and maintains high temperatures. This makes it possible to cook a pizza in less than 5 minutes.

The key to making a great pizza in your wood fired oven is a dough recipe that has the proper ratio of flour, water, yeast, and salt. It’s also helpful to use a flour with around 12% protein content.

For the best results, you can make your own homemade pizza dough or purchase fresh dough from your local grocery store. Just remember to let the dough rest for 30 minutes before you use it on your pizza.

Time

The time it takes to cook a wood fired Pancetta & Potato pizza depends on how hot your oven or grill is. The dough will cook in about 90–120 seconds in a pizza oven with the deck at 800 degrees and dome at 1000 degrees plus, and in 8 to 12 minutes on a pizza stone on your grill.

Start by making the pizza crust. Make sure the dough is quite thin in the center and slightly thicker around the edges. Stretch it out on a sheet of parchment paper that’s been oiled or sprinkled with semolina or corn flour.

Next spread 1 tbsp of olive oil on the pizza crust, then spread the potato rounds and sprinkle with chopped rosemary, pancetta strips, mozzarella and smoked Gouda or Cheddar. Once the toppings are ready, assemble your pizzas and place them in the oven. Bake for 10–12 minutes until the potatoes start to brown and the cheese begins to melt.