New York and New Haven-style coal-fired pizza has been a rave since the 2010s, and rightly so. The unique smoky and piquant flavor of coal-fired pizza comes from the high temperature of around 900 °F achieved in the coal-fired pizza oven. This quick cooking process of 2-5 minutes, infuses the smoky flavor in the bubbly crust and makes it crisp and charred on the outside but chewy inside. This fiery take on classical pizza makes coal-fired pizza a culinary experience — a must-have for all pizza lovers.
In this blog, we’ll explore how to master coal-fired pizza baking at home and understand why it’s worth heading out to a spot that truly excels in this art — like Anthony’s Coal-Fired Pizza and Wings.
Coal-Fired Vs Wood-Fired Vs Brick Oven Pizza
When it comes to pizza, the choice of oven makes a big difference in flavor, texture, and overall experience. Coal-fired, wood-fired, and brick ovens are the three most popular methods of cooking pizzas and people often get confused between them. Let’s tackle this confusion and see if coal-fired pizzas suit you or not.
A coal-fired pizza oven uses coal, mainly anthracite, which is clean-burning, to reach very high temperatures and infuse the smoky flavor and the recognizable blackened crust. Straightly speaking, for those who love bold, smoky flavors and a crisp texture, coal-fired pizza is the winner. Its intense heat caramelizes the ingredients and adds a signature char. If you love the sight of golden crust with blistered spots and enjoy robust flavors, go for it.
Next comes the wood-fired, which uses hardwoods like oak, hickory, or cherry as its fuel to reach a temperature of 700 to 900 degrees Fahrenheit. It leaves the crust soft and airy with slightly chewy edges. Wood-fired pizzas are also slightly smoky and aromatic, with small dots of charring, which makes them the perfect spot between coal-fired and brick-oven pizza. Wood-fired ovens are ideal for Neapolitan-style pizzas, where the focus is on fresh, simple ingredients and a delicate crust.
Brick ovens are the most versatile pizza ovens out of these three. Brick ovens are defined by their structure rather than their fuel. They can either use coal, wood, or gas as fuel. Talking about the flavor, it depends on the fuel used. Gas-fired brick ovens have a more neutral taste, while wood or coal adds smoky notes.
The brick oven cooks the pizza evenly with minimal charring. From thin crust to thicker pan pizzas, you can make them all here. Their slower cooking time of around 5-8 minutes and low heat of 600 to 700 degrees Fahrenheit allows for more nuanced cooking of toppings, making them ideal for gourmet or heavily topped pizzas. If you’re not a fan of crunchy bites and rather will suit yourself to soft, fluffy mouthfuls, this one is for you.
If you are planning to have any kind of pizza oven at home, an expert’s help will help a lot. But many a time, we like to be brave and risk-taking, and if that’s the case with you, researching well about how to make a pizza oven at home and learning from people who have already done this project. But before committing to the whole project, why not try to make pizzas in your home oven? Yes, it’s possible to mimic a pizza oven using your home oven.
Tips to Make the Perfect Coal-fired Pizza
Preparing the Right Dough
The dough is the heart of any great pizza, especially in the case of a coal-fired oven. Three things have the majority of say in how the crust will turn out: Type of flour, yeast, and water.
For a chewy yet sturdy crust we use high-protein flour. This helps develop the gluten in the dough, which gives the dough its flexible structure allowing it to rise and stretch properly during baking. The other two tips are to activate the yeast properly for optimal rise and texture and to use cold water to slow the fermentation process, hence allowing the dough to develop rich flavors.
Sauce and Toppings Pairing
The crusty charred crust goes best with thick, saucy, and cheesy toppings like Italian plum tomato sauce, a generous amount of mozzarella, pepperoni, and meatballs or chunks of flavor-infused vegetables.
The Perfect Crust
Thin crusts are the go-to for the ultimate coal-fired pizza. They cook well when intensely baked in a flash. Thick or double-layered crusts would require a slow low-level heat, to cook through the insides.
Choosing the Right Coal for Cooking
The type of coal you use significantly impacts your pizza’s flavor and texture. For that restaurant-style coal-fired grill, lump charcoal and hardwood coal are excellent options. They burn cleanly and reach the high temperatures necessary for a true coal-fired pizza.
Not Burnt, But Charred
Coal-fired pizza ovens should have an unwritten disclaimer – Don’t burn the pizza!
There is this fine line between charred and burnt, mastering which is essential for a perfect coal-fired pizza. You don’t want your pizza crust to taste bitter and flaky, but rather strong and bubbly. In short, get the pizza out of the oven, before the char starts breaking and thickening too much.
Control the Temperature Accurately
Maintaining the right temperature throughout the cooking time and distributing equal heat in the pizza is the key step here. Just use a thermometer to maintain consistent heat and evenly expose all sides to the heat by rotating the pizza in between for a balanced cook. Keep an eye out for 5 minutes and you’ll have the best homemade coal-fired pizza ever!
Top Coal-Fired Pizzas at Anthony’s Coal-Fired Pizza and Wings
We have known the art of perfecting coal-fired pizza and the preference of our core customers for more than a decade now. And these are some recipes that have pleased crowds many times. You can take inspiration from our recipes and try making it at home, with your own twist, of course.
Carnivori
We consider Carnivori to be the ultimate meat feast. The topping of thick-cut pepperoni, Italian sausage, baby meatballs, and smoky bacon along with the charred thin crust makes every bite of this pizza feel straight out of a barbecue.
Roasted Cauliflower
We aren’t just partial towards meat lovers, and that’s why this roasted cauliflower pizza has the flavor and taste to combat any meaty pizza. This square pizza is flavored with olive oil, crushed red pepper, garlic-roasted cauliflower, Pecorino Romano, mozzarella cheese, and breadcrumbs. You can imagine how hearty and flavorsome every bite of this pizza is!
Mike’s Hot Honey Pizza
Sweet and spicy surely hits the bliss point for many. If this flavor combo excites you, Mike’s Hot Honey Pizza is a must-try for sure. We serve this pizza with thick-cut pepperoni over fresh mozzarella & our own tomato sauce drizzled with Mike’s Hot Honey which will leave you wanting for more every time you have this.
Caprese Pizza
Simplicity still holds its top position when it comes to pizza toppings. This simple take on combining Italian pizza and salad is a hot shot at Anthony’s Coal-Fired Pizza and Wings. Our Caprese pizza is topped with mozzarella, vine-ripe tomatoes, and fresh basil. Give it a try if simplicity suits you the best.
Our Signature Folded Pizza
Let’s end this list with our Signature Folded Pizza, the star of the show. The pizza dough is folded into a stromboli with a savory fusion of pepperoni and Nonna’s Italian sausage, mozzarella, and Romano. The bite-sized pieces of this pizza feel like handy little pockets of flavor and cheesiness. We highly recommend not missing this one!
You can visit our Instagram for more such inspiration for coal-fired pizzas, discount updates, and pizza aesthetics. If you are searching for “coal-fired pizza near me” in the States, find the nearest Anthony’s Coal-Fired Pizza and Wings. Or just chill indoors while we deliver your orders in minutes. Order NOW!
