Pumpkin Spice Muffins

There are countless recipes you can make in a brick oven. This holiday season try baking your favorite dessert in your wood fired oven. The added flavor from this method of cooking will suprise you.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins (With Cream Cheese Frosting)

Ingredients
 Muffin Ingredients:
1 cup All-purpose Flour
1/2 cup Sugar
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1-1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon Salt
4 Tablespoons Butter, cut into pieces
1 cup (heaping) Pumpkin Puree
1/2 cup Evaporated Milk
1 whole Egg
1-1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 cup Golden Raisins (optional!)


TOPPING:
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg

FOR FROSTING:
1/4 cup Softened Butter
4 ounces, weight Cream Cheese
1/2 pound Powdered Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla

Preparation Instructions
Preheat wood fired oven to 400 degrees. Generously grease 12 muffin tins.

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Cut in butter with two knives or a pastry blender until it is fully incorporated. In a separate bowl, mix together pumpkin, evaporated milk, egg, and vanilla. Pour pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture. Add raisins. Fold gently until mixture is just combined.

Pour into a greased muffin pan—batter hardly ever fills all twelve unless you keep it down to 1/2 full. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon-sugar-nutmeg mixture over the top of each unbaked muffin.
Bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove and allow to cool. Ice with cream cheese frosting.

To make the frosting, mix all ingredients on high until soft and whipped. Spread onto completely cooled muffins, or place into a large pastry bag with a large star tip and go crazy! Store in the fridge, as icing will soften at room temperature.

How-To Install a Wood Fired Pizza Oven Installation Instruction 2 of 2

Below are the basic instructions on how to install one of our wood-fired oven kits. This is part two of a two part post. View one of two here.

5. Apply a small amount of mud to the outer seams of the dome to seal the oven.  There is no need to cement in the dome pieces because the oven dome is self-supporting.  

6.Cover the entire dome with a ceramic fiber insulation blanket (sold separately).  Lay wire mesh (such as chicken wire) over the insulation to hold it tightly against the oven.  

7.If the finished oven is enclosed with masonry walls, cover it with at least 6 inches of loose vermiculite for optimal insulation.  If the finished oven is left dome-shaped, the vermiculite should be mixed with cement so that it will stick together.  Mixing ratio: 10 cubic feet of vermiculite to 45 lbs. of Portland cement.  Add water as needed.

8. For dome-shaped ovens, cover the vermiculite with 1 inch of stucco reinforced with chicken wire.  If the dome-shaped oven is left outdoors, it should be waterproofed to prevent moisture from seeping into the oven. (For further details, download our wood-fired oven installation guide from our website.)

The installation of the wood-fired oven and outdoor living space construction was done by Italco Construction Inc.

How-To Install a Wood Fired Pizza Oven Installation Instruction 1 of 2

Below are the basic instructions on how to install one of our wood-fired oven kits. This is a two part post so please check back next month for the final steps.

1.  Construct a 4” concrete slab supported by 2 masonry walls. If space between walls is over 42”, build a third center wall. The width and length of slab will be determined by the size of the wood fired oven being installed. The slab should be large enough to have room for at least 6” of insulation (ceramic fiber blanket and vermiculite) all around. At the front of the wood fired oven, the slab should be large enough to accommodate the front arch or any other finishes (stone, bricks, tile, etc.). 
2.  For better insulation, lay one or two rows of fire bricks over the slab or use ceramic fiber board. 
3. Then, lay the oven floor pieces without any mortar or grout. This will prevent possible cracking due to thermal expansion. Be sure to leave enough space for the front arch. If the joints of the floor pieces are uneven, smooth them over using an angle grinder or coarse sand paper. This will prevent the edges from chipping in the future. 
4.  Assemble the wood fired oven starting from the door pieces. Be sure that all the dome pieces fit tightly together. The space between the wood fired oven floor and the dome pieces should be left open. The ash from the first several fires will fill this space and lock the wood fired oven in place.

Indirect Wood Burning Oven Offers More

What is a Indirect Wood Burning Oven?

This indirect wood burning oven isn't just perfect for pizzas. You can also cook a variety of foods link roasts, porchetta, breads, desserts, and delicious Thanksgiving turkeys. The indirect heat system reduces wood consumption and oven preparation time. The Forno Classico 80 or Forno Premium 100 wood burning oven is a great choice if you are starting on your path to cooking with wood fired ovens!  It has a stylish design and a premium stainless steel interior!

The Forno Classico 80 wood burning oven offers three cooking surfaces and doubles as a convection oven if you don’t need a real fire.    It’s perfect for the beginning food connoisseur.

Which Wood Fired Pizza Oven is for you.

Forno Rustico 120 Wood Fired Pizza Oven 

Cooking Chamber Dimensions:

Interior Dimensions: 47"   diameter
Exterior Dimensions: 52" x 61"
Cooking Surface: 12.5 sq.ft.

12" Pizza 6
1 lb. Loaves 10
Roasting Pans 3 - 16" x 13"
Turkey Size 3 Large

Forno Rustico 100 Wood Fired Pizza Oven
Cooking Chamber Dimensions:

Interior Dimensions: 39" diameter
Exterior Dimensions: 44" x 53"
Cooking Surface: 8.6 sq. ft.

12" Pizza 3
1 lb. Loaves 6
Roasting Pans 2 - 16" x 13"
Turkey Size 2 Large

Forno Rustico 80 Wood Fired Pizza Oven
Cooking Chamber Dimensions:

Interior Dimensions: 31" diameter
Exterior Dimensions: 36" x 46"
Cooking Surface: 5.3 sq. ft.

12" Pizza 2
1 lb. Loaves 5
Roasting Pans 2 - 15" x 12"
Turkey Size 2 Small

Forno Rustico Quadro Wood Fired Oven
Cooking Chamber Dimensions:

Interior Dimensions: 27" x  30"
Exterior Dimensions: 35" x 32"
Cooking Surface: 5.6 sq. ft

12" Pizza 2
1 lb. Loaves 4
Roasting Pans 2 - 15" x 12"
Turkey Size 2 Small

Best Pizza Oven Firewood

Perhaps the most important aspect of firing a wood-fired oven is the type and condition of the wood.  The best types of wood are oak and olive.  Olive is used in pizzerias all over Italy and it tends to burn hotter than other woods.  Oak is popular because it is easier to find and it also burns very hot and creates nice embers that help maintain temperature.  Other types of wood, such as hickory, walnut, and fruitwoods, can also be used.  However, whichever wood you use, it must be well seasoned and dry.  If you use freshly cut, or green, wood, the fire will not burn as hot and it will create excessive amounts of smoke.  The same is true of damp wood.  Wood is extremely vulnerable to changes in humidity so simply keeping the wood from getting wet may not be enough.  The best way to dry wood properly is to place the pieces inside the oven while firing with the fire on one side and the drying pieces on the other.  The heat of the fire will help evaporate any residual humidity in the wood.

Outdoor Pizza Oven and Fireplace

Outdoor kitchen with the works, including a wood-burning pizza oven and fireplace, offers cooking outside at its best. This Forno Rustico 100 pizza oven was installed in San Juan Capistrano, Ca by Italco Construction Inc. Italco Construction provides custom outdoor pizza oven installation to the southern California area.

 

 

Tuscany wood fired pizza oven

Our newest addition the Tuscany wood fired pizza oven is perfect for your backyard and light enough to easily move around your patio. Our Tuscany wood fired oven combines old world pride and craftsmanship with the latest in wood fired oven manufacturing technology.  This authentic Italian wood-fired oven gives you the performance found in Italian restaurant wood fired ovens in a design you can take anywhere.

Turkey Cranberry Wreath

Baking in a Wood Fired Oven: After pushing the coals to the back of the wood fired oven near the wall, brush the ashes off of the floor.  The chunks of glowing hardwood coals should have little or no flame when the apple pie goes in. Every 15 minutes, turn apple pie so the other end faces the fire.


2 packages (8 ounces each)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons honey Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper.
2 cups cooked turkey, chopped (about 12 ounces)
1/2 cup celery, sliced
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, snipped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
4 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded (1 cup)
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1 egg, separated



1. Heat Pizza Oven to 375F. Unroll crescent dough; separate into 16 triangles. With wide ends of triangles toward the center, arrange 8 triangles in a circle on Large Round Stone. Corners of wide ends will touch and points will extend 1 inch beyond edge of Baking Stone. Match wide end of each remaining triangle to wide end of each outer triangle; seal seams using Dough and Pizza Roller. (Points will overlap in center, do not seal.)

2. Measure mayonnaise, mustard and black pepper into classic batter bowl. Chop turkey using Food Chopper. Slice celery using Chef's Knife. Snip parsley using Kitchen Shears. Add turkey, celery, parsley and cranberries to Batter Bowl. Grate cheese into Batter Bowl using Deluxe Cheese Grater. Mix filling using Mix 'N Scraper®. Using Medium Scoop, scoop filling over seams of dough, forming a circle.

3. Coarsely chop walnuts using Food Chopper, sprinkle over filling. Beginning in center, lift one dough triangle across mixture. Continue alternating with outer strips, slightly overlapping to form wreath. Tuck last end under first.

4. Separate egg over Small Batter Bowl using Egg Separator. Beat egg white lightly; brush over dough using Pastry Brush. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cut and serve using Slice 'N Serve®.

Yield: 10 servings
Recipe found in Season's Best Recipe Collection (Fall/Winter 2000)

Prosciutto & Arugula Pizza in a Wood Burning Oven

Use one of our Forno wood burning ovens to create this light summer pizza.

Basic pizza dough (recipe on previous blog)
Flour, for rolling out dough
Extra virgin olive oil
Thinly sliced prosciutto Fresh arugula, washed
Parmigiano Reggiano shavings

Roll out pizza dough, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking. Drizzle with olive oil and bake directly on stone in wood-burning oven at about 600-700F (300-350C) until crisp and golden-brown on the edges. Remove from oven and top with prosciutto, arugula, and parmigiano. Serve right away.

Safety and Your Wood Burning Pizza Oven

Cooking with a wood burning oven is a fun experience that produces delicious food, but when proper safety precautions are not followed bad things can happen.  Newer wood-fired ovens are marvels of modern innovation and technology that contain a wide variety of options that make operating the oven as safe as possible. Even with these conditions, however, it’s important to operate the oven with caution in mind so that no unnecessary injuries or burns occur. In the end you’re still cooking with fire, so paying close attention to safety is paramount.

The primary safety precaution a person can take is simple; wear protection. If embers from the wood fire are flying everywhere when you adjust or add wood then wear goggles to protect your eyes from being burned. When putting food in and out of the oven make sure you are wearing protective gloves that can stand the very high temperatures that some wood burning ovens get to.  Also, whenever you have a fire roaring in the pit keep at least one eye on the oven. It’s not necessary to watch it like a hawk; although if children are around you should, but make sure you are checking in often to make sure nothing goes wrong. Wood burning ovens are fun, but an accident or simple mistake can ruin everything quickly.

Learning about Your Wood Fired Oven: Terms Part Two

Last blog post we discussed some of the terms associated with some wood fired ovens. This is a continuation of terms that will help you to appreciate your oven even more.

Insulation - The layers that enclose a wood fired oven and stops heat from escaping. Without proper insulation, heat will conduct through the Oven Hearth and Oven Enclosure, making the outside of the oven hot to touch. A poorly insulated oven will not retain heat well and will make baking and cooking inadequate.

Oven Firing - The fire inside the oven chamber that heats the refractory material that comprises the oven. Make sure you know how long it takes to fire your oven for the type of cooking you plan for so that you can fire your oven at the right time.

Pizza Peel - The tool you use to set and turn pizza, pots and pans to put in and out of your wood burning oven. They can be either wood or steel, short- handled or long-handled. Take a look at some of the other accessories for pizza ovens.

Refractory Materials – This is material that is design to withstand heat and high temperatures. Unlike a typical fireplace, where all of the heat goes up the chimney, a refractory fireplace uses refractory material to absorb and reflect heat into the space in front of it.

Retained Heat Cooking - This is a style of cooking where you rake the fire and coals out of the wood burning oven and cook using the retained heat. You can cook a wide range of foods this way, taking advantage of the various levels of heat the oven goes through as it cools. For example, you can cook bread at round 500F, roasts, cakes and other Dolce around 400F, then beans and soups overnight as the oven temperature falls.