Do Outdoor Pizza Ovens Need A Door? (We’ve Got The Answer)

Does an outdoor pizza oven need a door, and how do you decide what kind is the best one for your oven? I’ve already covered how to build a wood fired pizza oven, but if you’re planning to make more than just pizza in your new outdoor stove, you need to know the answer to this question

If you have had an outdoor pizza oven built at your home, you might be curious as to whether your oven needs a door. You could imagine yourself asking questions like: As long as it stays hot enough, is a door necessary? Would a door be better for retaining heat? Do outdoor pizza ovens even need a door?

Outdoor pizza ovens function best with a door, but when it comes to pizzas specifically, you do not need a door to cook one. It is not always necessary to keep the door closed, but for hot, even cooking, you are going to want a door for your outdoor pizza oven.

Read on to learn the benefits of having a door for your outdoor pizza oven. Whether you buy one or make your own, it is important that you have one that fits your oven and does its job. While an outdoor pizza oven should have a door, it must be used correctly.

Do Outdoor Pizza Ovens Need A Door?

As you have read above, an outdoor pizza oven would be best with a door. So, why is this? There are a few different reasons why an outdoor pizza oven needs a door:

  • Proper heating
  • Protection from the outside elements and insects
  • Cleanliness around your oven

The main reason your outdoor pizza oven needs a door is so that it can cook properly. If you use it for more than cooking pizza, it may be best to cook with the door closed. This is especially relevant if you are baking or roasting something for an extended period. Assuming it is a wood-burning oven, suppose you do not have sufficient enough flame for cooking. If this is the case, the lack of a door can prevent the oven from staying hot. 

A pizza oven with door.
A door is useful for putting the fire out when you are done using your outdoor pizza oven.

On the other hand, suppose your flame is too high. This could be a result of too much oxygen because you do not have a door on your pizza oven. A door helps you maintain the temperature of the oven. You can keep it slightly open just enough to allow heat to be retained while letting necessary air in to help keep the flame.

A door is useful for putting the fire out when you are done using your outdoor pizza oven. When you have finished, simply close the door to the oven so that it seals. This will cut off oxygen from getting in and help put the fire out.

Having a door on your outdoor pizza oven is also practical for preventing things from getting inside your oven. Especially if you live in an area thriving with nature, you do not want to run the risk of your oven becoming dirty or contaminated with unwanted debris, animals, or whatever else may find its way to your backyard. Even protection from precipitation is important. Sure, a bit of water may not hurt your outdoor pizza oven, but it is best to keep it as clean as possible.

Speaking of keeping things clean, a door can keep things inside of your oven from getting out. If you have burned wood, charcoal, food debris, and more, even a small gust of wind can blow particles out from your oven and onto the nice concrete, rock, or whatever else you have below your oven.

A closed door of a pizza oven.
A door can keep things inside of your oven from getting out.

Although it is called an outdoor pizza oven, that does not mean it is only used to cook pizzas. Of course, this might be what you use it for most. When you cook a pizza, you probably do not need a door. For something like a pizza, the outdoor oven cooks best with an open, oxygen-filled flame. If you have the door closed while trying to cook with a flame, it is simply not going to work.

So, it is convenient to have a door on your oven for cooking things on low heat for a long time. However, when you are cooking something quickly, no door, or said better, an open door works best. Still, having the door is good for cleanliness both inside and outside of your outdoor pizza oven.

How To Make A Pizza Oven Door

Making a pizza oven door can be an interesting task in that, particularly if you did not build the oven itself, making your own door gives your patio piece some personality. Plus, it can be satisfying to accomplish even a small project for your decorative style.

Pizza oven with a DIY Door.
Making a pizza oven door can be an interesting task.

If you decide that you want a door for your outdoor pizza oven, you might choose to make one yourself. So, how do you make a pizza oven door? Below are a few steps with different options on how to decide what your door will be made of, how to shape it to fit your specific oven, and more.

Cut Your Outer Layer

The first thing you need to do when making a pizza oven door is getting a solid piece of wood to use as the outer layer. Depending on whether the shape of the hole in your oven is rectangular, semi-circular, or anything else, carefully draw the shape in the wood and cut it out. Doing this first makes the rest of the process much easier. You might also choose to cut a smaller hole in the wood for ventilation without letting too much heat out.

Shape Your Interior Layer

Next, you need to cut sheets of steel or iron to fit the shape of the wooden door you have made. This inner layer acts to keep the fire in your outdoor pizza oven running. You should be careful when choosing the metal lining that you buy. If it is galvanized, the zinc coating could potentially be toxic to use around food.

Make Door Handles

After cutting the mainframe of the oven door, you need to put a handle or handles on it to be able to open and close the door. It might be easier to shape the handles while cutting the initial wooden layer of the door, though that is up to you. In any case, drill the handles into the wood panel. It might also be useful to add a small layer of heat-resistant glue to encourage a solid connection.

A open door of pizza oven.
It might also be useful to add a small layer of heat-resistant glue to encourage a solid connection.

Add Insulation

The metal on your oven door is not going to be able to keep your oven hot on its own. You will need to add some insulation between the wood and the metal interior. Just pack the insulation between them, ensuring you put a sufficient amount for retaining the heat within your oven.

Finishing Touches

Lastly, you should connect the wood and metal together with additional sheets of metal. Screw the sheets around the door, making sure that no insulation is exposed. It could be harmful if the insulation were to slip out of the door and in or around your food while cooking. After you have secured the door as one solid piece, it is ready for use.

A huge pizza oven with door.
After you have secured the door as one solid piece, it is ready for use.

Takeaway

Outdoor pizza ovens can benefit from having a door. Though it may be unnecessary for cooking things quickly with a large flame, an oven door can help when roasting or baking food slowly without a flame. If you choose to build a door for your outdoor pizza oven, it is a fairly simple process. Just make sure you gather the correct materials and follow the instructions above.

Last update on 2023-01-31 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Related stories

read this next

An outdoor kitchen is a great addition to any home, especially if you frequently entertain guests. Plan and design your outdoor kitchen with these ten handy tips.
If you love to cook outside, a sink is needed to wash your hands, utensils and anything else that gets dirty! Here are 10 of the best outdoor sinks. Includes details of design considerations as well as pros and cons of each.
Which woods are best for your smoker or grill? Hickory and charcoal are commonly used, but which ones do you choose? These 9 woods listed all have unique flavors, and use, and will add that signature smoke to your meats for a delicious taste.
Reheating pizza in the oven is a simple and tasty way to enjoy your favorite snack. If you’re wondering which heat settings are best for reheating a frozen pizza, or how long it will take for your frozen pizza to heat through, then this guide is for you.
You can use your pizza oven indoors as long as there is adequate ventilation. Your pizza oven should have its own space, since it will generate flames when cooking pizzas.
There is a long list of reasons that an outdoor pizza oven is worth it. Cooking pizza outdoors is fun, convenient and gives you so many more options than just grilling. From cooking corn on the cob right next to the pizza to making dessert pizzas.
An outdoor pizza oven can be used to cook your favorite pizza and give it that perfect crunchy crust. It takes about 20 minutes to cook a large pizza at 700˚F. The specific time will vary depending on the size of your pizza, the thickness of the crust and the temperature you use.
There are many ways to cook pizza in a pizza oven. It all depends on how you want the crust to be. You can either put your pizza directly on the walls of the oven, or bake it on stones inside the oven.
The brick pizza oven is a true labor of love. It can take months to build your brick pizza oven and countless hours to get it fully operational, but it’s well worth it. With your own personal brick pizza oven, you can enjoy delicious homemade pizzas all year long. This step-by-step guide will help you build your personal brick pizza oven in no time!
A gas pizza oven is a great way to make authentic pizzas outdoors. This type of oven is self-feeding, meaning it is continuously fed the fuel source automatically. Gas is the preferred option because it gives pizza oven owners a more consistent heat source and doesn’t require attention when using.
Fire glass is a unique product. It has a rough texture, works great when using fire pits, and can be more aesthetically pleasing than the traditional stones that were used in the past. It actually works like a fireplace would. Fire Glass uses convection to radiate heat, it is an inexpensive way to bring natural warmth into your yard for a fraction of the cost!
We all love to cook. But sometimes, the type of stove you’re working with can make a huge difference. If it’s wood-fired, or even electric, you’ll need some special pans to take advantage of the heat features. Here are 5 pans that you can use on an open fire.
An outdoor pizza oven is a great way to enjoy a good meal with the whole family. They are also the perfect solution for hosting pizza parties for friends. If you have an outdoor pizza oven, you’ve probably wondered if you can use it in the rain. This is a pretty common question and can help determine what type of weather you can cook in so you don’t end up getting stuck cooking inside because of an unexpected downpour.
Cooking outside has grown in popularity. There are many advantages of cooking outside over cooking inside of your home. It is an activity that has been happening forever and yields great results. Cooking outside can be fun and can be done by kids. There are six benefits of cooking outdoors over cooking inside that are listed below.

Receive the latest news

Get Our Cacti Newsletter

Stay updated with the latest facts, tips, advice, and more!

Your privacy is important to us.