How to Light Your Gozney Dome Using Wood

You should only ever use hardwood in your Gozney Dome. Softwood may be cheaper but it will burn through quickly, create a lot of black smoke, struggle to get your oven to temperature and leave behind a lot of excess ash, 

Make sure the wood you use in you pizza oven is dried to well below 20% moisture so it burns hot with minimal smoke.

It's also important to make the sure the hardwood you use in your Gozney Dome is cut to the right size. The airflow is really important to keep the fire going so don't stuff the oven full of big, thick logs which will smoulder and smoke. 

Our Gozney Dome Logs are 100% British beech hardwood, cut 15cm long and up to 10cm thick and dried well below 20% moisture.

We recommend bringing your oven up to temperature with our Pizza Oven Hardwood Kindling then using our Gozney Dome Logs to maintain it.

Find them both in our Gozney Dome Fuel Kit

Hit play to watch our video guide for lighting the Gozney Dome, using our Pizza Oven Hardwood Kindling and Gozney Dome Logs.

• Two natural firelighters
• Hardwood kindling
• Hardwood logs 
• Extra long matches or a lighter
• Digital thermometer gun
• Turning peel or wood rake

Don't forget to take the chimney cap off, and if your Dome is dual fuel, remove the puck from the wood air inlet and place it in the gas inlet. Switch the inbuilt digital thermometer on to track air temperature.

In the middle of the stone, build two "log cabins" out of hardwood kindling with a natural firelighter nestled in the corners of the kindling stacks.

Using hardwood kindling instead of softwood will create long lasting embers, making the process of getting to temperature much easier.

Use matches or a lighter to light the natural firelighters and step back. 

Keep an eye on the development of the fire during the first few minutes and if the kindling isn't catching fire then move around the top layer of kindling to ensure it's in the flame created by the firelighters.

Check on the fire every 5 minutes from lighting to around 25-30 minutes in. 

You're aiming to hit and maintain a consistent air temperature of around 450°C or 850°F, which will saturate the stone and ensure it stays hot and cooks consistently.

Add fuel when needed but don't overdo it - more wood doesn't always mean more fire, so be careful to maintain good airflow through the fire.

The stone in the Dome is saturated after about 30 minutes meaning it won't lose temperature too quickly between pizzas - you could probably cook after as little as 15 minutes if you rush the oven up to temperature, but the overall experience will be much easier if you heat up slower for longer.

Use your turning peel or wood rake to push the fire over the air inlet on the right hand side of the oven, and add one or two Gozney Dome logs which should burn for around 15 minutes, allowing you to relax and prep your first pizza.

Use your handheld digital thermometer to check the temperature of your stone. The ideal cooking temperature for Neapolitan pizza is 420-430°C but in reality, anything from 350°C to 500°C floor temperature will work.

Time to cook! Have fun, and if you need any help with the next stage, there are more videos below