Date Night at Home— Wood Fired Pizza Night
Wood-fired Pizza night at home
It was one of those early spring days in Montana where 50 degrees feels like a gift — sunny, a little breezy, the kind of day that makes you want to do something outside even if outside still requires a jacket. Chad had asked that morning — the way he always does — what's for dinner.
And I already knew. Wood fired pizza. We're firing up the Solo Stove pizza oven.
Our youngest son was out with a friend, it was just the two of us, and there's something about a quiet house on a beautiful day that makes you want to cook something really good. Not complicated. Just delicious.
Around 3:30 I started the dough and set it aside to rise. While the dough was doing its thing I started on the homemade pizza sauce. I opened a can of Giadzy tomatoes and poured myself a glass of Prosecco— because sauce-making is more fun with a glass of Prosecco.
The start of something good — Giadzy Pomodorino di Corbara tomatoes, fresh basil, and a glass of prosecco. Friday night starts here.
Five ingredients. No stovetop. No blender. Just good tomatoes doing exactly what they're supposed to do.
Yes, your hands. It's the right way to do it.
I've been cooking with Giada De Laurentiis's Giadzy line of Italian products since I first discovered them a year or so ago, and her Pomodorino di Corbara tomatoes are one of those ingredients I keep coming back to. Small, sweet, intensely flavored - and for a no-cook pizza sauce, they're unbeatable.
Fresh basil is non-negotiable. Don't skip it.
One tablespoon of good olive oil makes all the difference. This one is Giadzy's organic extra virgin and it's worth it.
That's it. No cooking required. Let it sit while the dough finishes and it just gets better.
Once the sauce was done I still had a little time to wait on the dough. That's the thing about pizza night — it has a rhythm to it. You can't rush it and after a while you stop wanting to.
Good dough takes time. Start it early and the rest of the evening takes care of itself.
When the dough was finally ready I called Chad in to start the fire. That's how we do it — I handle the kitchen side of things, he manages the flame. While the Solo Stove pizza oven was heating up I stretched and pulled the dough by hand, working from the center out, and started building the pizzas on the peel.
Sauce on dough — the moment it starts to look like pizza.
Tear it, don't slice it. The irregular pieces melt better and look more beautiful.
This is where I'll make a note for next time — drain a little of the liquid from the can before you crush the tomatoes. My sauce was wetter than I wanted and when I spread it onto the dough I could see it immediately. I knew. But I put them in anyway and here's the thing — it cooked down beautifully. The fire does that. Those high temperatures take care of things a regular oven just can't, and what came out was a pizza that tasted fresh and special in a way that's hard to explain. The kind of thing that makes you wonder why you ever order delivery.
He manages the flame.
Our backyard setup on a perfect Montana evening. This is why we never want to go out.
Chad pulled them when the cheese was bubbling and the edges had that perfect char — the kind you just can't get from a regular oven. We finished them with fresh basil and brought everything to the counter. Not the table. The counter, where it's informal and close and dinner just becomes part of the conversation.
700 degrees of wood fire does things to a pizza crust that no conventional oven ever could.
We poured two glasses of Coppola red — Francis Ford Coppola's wine, and yes, part of the reason I always reach for that bottle is because I've been a fan of The Godfather my entire life. It's not the most expensive bottle in our wine fridge but it's the one I keep coming back to. That night it was exactly right.
We switched to red when the pizzas came out. Francis Ford Coppola's wine — and yes, The Godfather has everything to do with it.
Some Friday nights are planned down to the last detail. This one wasn't really — just a beautiful Montana day, the two of us, a fire Chad started in the backyard, and a sauce that came together in about five minutes. That's the kind of night that stays with you.
The Sauce Simple. No cooking required.
1 can Giadzy Pomodorino di Corbara tomatoes
Handful of fresh basil, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon good olive oil (I used Giadzy's organic extra virgin — worth it)
Pinch of salt
Pinch of sugar (balances the acidity)
Tip: drain a little of the liquid from the can before you start crushing. The sauce can get wet, and a drier sauce means a crispier crust.
Pour the tomatoes into a bowl and crush them with your hands. Yes, your hands. It's messy and it's the right way to do it. Add the basil, the olive oil, salt, and sugar. Stir it together and let it sit while you roll out your dough. No stovetop, no blender, no simmering. The tomatoes do the work.
The Dough Makes 2–3 personal pizzas
2¼ tsp active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2½ cups 00 flour (all purpose works too, but 00 gives you that chewy Neapolitan texture)
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp honey
Dissolve the yeast and honey in warm water and let it bloom about 5 minutes until foamy. Add flour and salt, mix until a shaggy dough comes together, then turn it out and knead for 8 minutes until smooth and elastic. Let it rest covered for at least an hour.
The Pizza
We use the Solo Stove Pi — a wood fired pizza oven attachment that sits right on top of the Solo Stove. If you have one, you already know. If you don't, wood fire does something to a pizza crust that no conventional oven can replicate. There's a smokiness, a char on the edges, a bottom that blisters in a way that makes every other pizza feel like a compromise.
Stretch your dough by hand, working from the center out. Spoon on the sauce, tear fresh mozzarella over the top, and launch it into a hot oven. The Solo Stove Pie runs around 700–800 degrees so your cook time is fast — watch it, rotate it, and pull it when the crust has color and the cheese is bubbling with those gorgeous dark spots. Finish with fresh basil and a drizzle of olive oil.
Products I Used & Love
These are products I genuinely use and love. Some links are affiliate links — if you purchase through them I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting At Whiskey Ridge.
Giadzy Pomodorino di Corbara Tomatoes — giadzy.com
Giadzy Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil — giadzy.com
