Tuscan vs. Neapolitan Style Wood-
Fired Ovens
There are two basic styles of Italian wood-fired pizza oven:
the Neapolitan oven, which has a more aggressive curve,
flatter dome, and a lower dome height, and the Tuscan
oven, which has less aggressive curve and a higher dome.
While both oven styles perform well with all types of
cooking, the Naples-style oven is more tuned to pizza,
because the lower dome gets hotter and reflects more
heat from the fire for cooking pizza.
Because the Tuscan design has a larger oven space
above the door opening, it is more efficient at holding heat,
and uses less wood. The high dome also allows for a large
oven opening, making it easier to work with larger roasts
and pans. It is also true that the higher dome is somewhat
easier to build, as the inward curve is less pronounced,
and there is less risk of a chain of bricks falling in before
they are locked in place with a keystone.
The higher curve of the Tuscan oven.
A taller first course and steeper, lower dome characterize
the Naples-style oven.
A sample Naples-style oven dome curve.
Our view that the differences between the two oven styles
have be exaggerated, and we heartily believe that you will
be extremely happy with either design, or if you choose to
build your own hybrid between the two. Practically
speaking, the dome height difference between the two
oven styles in a typical 36” backyard oven is only about
3”-4”.
You can make perfect Pizza Napoletana in a higher
domed oven, and you can bake and roast in a lower dome
oven. The only real limitation is that with its physically
lower dome, and resulting smaller oven opening, the
Naples-style oven can keep you from cooking larger
roasts or from using certain types of pans. Regardless of
which style you choose, the spherical oven dome shape
evenly reflects heat down on the cooking surface.
Pompeii Oven Instructions
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