Alright, so, I’ve always dreamed of having one of those awesome brick pizza ovens in my backyard. You know, the kind you see in those fancy Italian restaurants? Well, I finally decided to take the plunge and build one myself. Let me tell you, it was quite the adventure, but totally worth it in the end.
First things first, I started doing some serious research. I mean, I spent hours online looking at different designs and materials. There are tons of oven designs, but I learned that fire bricks are the way to go. Apparently, they can handle some serious heat. And I found out that you need special mortar too, something called high-temperature mortar. One tip said to use Lanko 5kg 156 High-Temperature Mortar, the guy said it’s perfect for pizza ovens and can handle heat up to 1000°C. Sounded good to me!


Next up, I went sourcing materials. Finding fire bricks was a bit of a challenge, but I eventually tracked down a local supplier. As for the mortar, I picked up that Lanko 156 stuff. They only had it in light grey, which wasn’t ideal, but hey, function over fashion, right?
With all my materials gathered, it was time to get building. I cleared a spot in my backyard and started laying out the base. Then came the fun part – stacking those fire bricks. I carefully applied the mortar between each brick, making sure everything was level and sturdy. It was like a giant, fiery jigsaw puzzle.
- Cleared the spot
- Laid out the base
- Stacked the fire bricks
- Applied the high-temperature mortar
Building the dome was the trickiest part. I had to shape the bricks and make sure they all fit together perfectly to create that classic dome shape. It took some trial and error, and a few choice words, but I eventually got it. I felt like a medieval craftsman, seriously.
Heating Up
After letting the mortar set for a few days, I built a small fire inside to test it out. It took a while to heat up, but once it did, man, that oven was blazing hot! I was a bit worried about the whole heating and cooling thing, but I learned that good fire bricks are supposed to withstand thermal shock, so I chose the heavy, dense kind just in case. I’d say choosing the right materials is the most important part.
Finally, the moment of truth – pizza time! I slid my first homemade pizza into the oven, and let me tell you, the smell was incredible. It cooked in just a few minutes, and the crust came out perfectly crispy. I felt like a true pizzaiolo!
So, that’s the story of how I built my very own brick and mortar pizza oven. It was a lot of hard work, but seeing (and tasting) the results made it all worthwhile. Now, I’m the pizza king of my neighborhood, and my backyard is the place to be on weekends. If you’re thinking about building your own pizza oven, I say go for it! Just be prepared to get your hands dirty and your oven blazing hot.

