Do you like pizza? (That is somewhat rhetorical). When I met my husband, he said his 3 food groups were PB&J, BBQ and Pizza. We are big pizza lovers and the low FODMAP diet was not going to keep us away.
We have worked hard here at FODMAP Everyday® to bring you lots of pizza recipes and tips and tricks so that you can get your pizza fix, all while following the low FODMAP diet.
For Neapolitan Style Pizza, we use our Ooni Karu 16 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven – and we use it for wings, rib roasts, fish and a host of other dishes. This article will help you get the most out of this versatile tool; it’s all about Using The Ooni Karu 16 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven.
6 Minutes To Set Up
Everything you need will come in one, albeit large, box. Unpack carefully and make sure you don’t miss the tiny plastic bag containing the screws and Allen wrench. Also make sure you have a large heatproof surface to set your oven upon; we use the Large Ooni Modular Table. It has a stainless-steel work surface, pegs on the side to hang your various pizza peels, and shelves to hold extra wood and charcoal fuel, ingredients and the like. If you are using the optional Ooni Karu 16 Gas Burner, you can place your propane cylinder on the lower shelf as well.
Simply reference the easy-to-follow set-up guide. Set the oven body on your table and pull out the legs. With the oven still on its side, attach the thermometer; there is a thermometer bracket and then the thermometer itself. Make sure to carefully thread the thermometer wire on the underside of the oven, using the two clips to keep it in place, then plug the male end into the female receptacle. Now set the oven upright.
The Cordierite stone baking boards are put into place next. Push the fuel tray/grate into place via the front opening, pushing it to the back of the oven. Attach the door, then the chimney. Around back, attach the Draft Defender Plate, if you will be cooking with wood/charcoal. Otherwise, the gas burner goes in the same place.
All of this takes about 6-minutes, and you need no extra tools. TA DA! Even if you do not think you are a handy sort, you will be able to do this with ease.
The Right Pizza Dough
You will be cooking pizzas in about a minute at about 950°F (510°C) and this demands a particular dough. Neapolitan-style pizzas, cooked in wood ovens at high heat, have a high hydration. This simply means that the dough is prepared with more water than you might for a dough to be cooked in your home oven at 450° (230°C).
We highly recommend that you follow the directions in our recipe for Low FODMAP Neapolitan-Style Pizza. Read the recipe through and plan your timing accordingly, as you need to start a few days ahead.
Pizza Sauce
Now, you don’t have to put Pizza Sauce on your pie – you could make a white pizza, for instance – but if you want sauce, we have the recipe for you. It can be made ahead, too.
Pizza Toppings
Pepperoni? Peppers? Bacon? Mushrooms? Extra cheese? Dare we say, pineapple?
Be sure to read out article, Top 10 Low FODMAP Pizza Toppings. You will be pleasantly surprised to see that you can have all your favorites.
Have The Right Cooking Tools
Before you fire up the oven, make sure you have everything at hand. Pizzas cook in 60 to 90 seconds, so there is no time to walk away and begin looking for things one you launch your pie.
You will want a work surface nearby on which to pat out your dough and hold all of your toppings and sauce. I keep two peels at hand: a large pizza peel to launch the pizza into the oven, and a Turning Peel.
I didn’t have the Turning Peel at first, but it makes a huge difference in my opinion. You can get into the high heat oven with its extra-long handle and small round surface and rotate your pizzas effortlessly.
And gloves. Trust me. You need heavy duty heat-proof gloves. Do not touch and of the oven – except the door handle – with bare hands. Like the little lever that turns the baffle. It will be very hot. Use caution.
Use The Right Fuel
You have a choice of using hardwood, a combo of hardwood and charcoal, or the optional Ooni Karu 16 Gas Burner. The burner is made specifically for this oven, so if you want to cook with gas, either propane or natural, make sure you order the right one, as they are both additional accessories to the oven.
Buy The Right Wood
You want hardwood for your Karu 16 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven or Ooni Pro oven (shown below).
Good choices are white oak, red oak and hickory. Steer clear of anything resinous and/or considered soft wood such as pine, fir or cedar. Here are some products we love:
Buy The Right Charcoal
Do not, we repeat, do not use any type of cheap box store charcoal that has been treated with starter fluid. Beware labeling that says, “quick start” and similar language. You want pure lump charcoal.
- Ooni Premium Lumpwood Charcoal
- Rockwood All-Natural Hardwood Lump Charcoal
- Jealous Devil All Natural Hardwood Lump Charcoal
- Kamado Joe KJ-CHAR Big Block XL Lump Charcoal
Fire Starters
To get your wood and/or charcoal fire started effortlessly, use a couple of these natural fire starters:
Fire Her Up!
Watch our video of us prepping pizzas and launching into the Ooni. It will give you a sense of timing.
One caveat. The first time we ran our Karu we were having trouble bringing it up to temp and then we realized it was our user error.
When you place the back batch cover in place, make sure it is on, and not partially askew, as shown below.
When put into place properly it snap shuts, as seen in the second image, below.
You will be tending to your oven and pies. You will not be walking away! Get into the Zen of it. One marathon afternoon we made about 40 pies on succession, and it was one of the most enjoyable afternoons I have spent in my yard, ever. Gather friends, family and neighbors and get cooking!
And get creative! White pies, vegetable laden pies, meat-centric pies, pesto pies, seafood – skies the limit.
Below we have a pizza with low FODMAP pepperoni, green peppers and black olives, hot from our Ooni Karu 16 Multi-Fuel.
Here is one with low FODMAP amounts of spinach and artichokes emerging from an Ooni Pro.
How about a white pizza featuring feta, black olives and red pepper flakes?
Sometimes we add fresh basil before blasting in the hot oven. Classic Margherita style is always popular.
More On Low FODMAP Pizza
Here, at a glance, are the links you need. Not all of these apply to cooking in a high heat oven, but we figure you’d want all the pizza info at hand:
- Top 10 Low FODMAP Pizza Toppings
- Cooking Pizza Outdoors: Grills, Campfire & Pizza Ovens
- Low FODMAP Pizza Sauce
- Easy Low FODMAP Pizza
- Low FODMAP Pizza 2.0
- Caputo Fioreglut Gluten-Free Low FODMAP Pizza
- Low FODMAP Grilled Pizza
- Low FODMAP Deep-Dish Pizza
- Low FODMAP Sourdough Pizza and our Low FODMAP Sourdough Starter
- Wood-Fired Low FODMAP Neapolitan-Style Pizza
- 72-Hour Ferment Low FODMAP Pizza
- Low FODMAP Pizza Ingredients & Equipment
- Low FODMAP CBD Oil Pizza with Sausage & Fresh Tomato
- We also have Mini Polenta Pizzas and Wood-Fired Low FODMAP Hot Honey Chicken Wings
