With a “Baby” in the garden, a new era has begun for us: a black Valoriani Baby (75 cm, wood-fired) has moved in. It sits on a substructure of gabions topped with a granite slab — and immediately became the focus of family life. Before things get really hot and fast, however, one fundamental task comes first: seasoning the oven.
Why seasoning matters
Seasoning means gently heating the oven so any residual moisture can escape from the dome and the refractory bricks. This reduces stress in the material and establishes the basis for consistent baking results. The steps below describe our practice — a gentle, multi-day routine proved best for us.
Wood and preparation
Prepare small, dry logs. The oven manual recommends wood about 20 cm long and roughly 4 cm in diameter. The key is a calm, controlled fire without large flames — it’s better to add wood more often than to overload the fire once.
Seasoning in stages: how we proceeded
Day 1: gently up to around 100 °C
Start a small fire and bring the oven evenly to about 100 °C, holding that moderate temperature for several hours. The Baby distributes heat well, which helps with gentle drying. When only embers remain, close the door — the residual heat will continue the process. You may see condensation drip from the dome; this is normal at this stage.
Day 2: increase to 150 – 250 °C
Light a small fire again (around 150 °C), then add a bit more wood and raise the temperature to about 200 °C. Hold that temperature for several hours and finish by carefully increasing to roughly 250 °C. Small droplets of condensate can reappear. Afterwards, when embers remain, close the door.
Day 3 to possibly Day 5: 200 – 300 °C
On the third day, relight and hold several hours at 200 – 250 °C. Then raise to approximately 300 °C. After a few days the condensation should subside or stop altogether. From that point the oven typically accepts heat better and responds more evenly — a sign that most of the remaining moisture has escaped.
How do you know the oven is fully dried?
A practical indicator is the absence of condensation on the dome. Temperatures also stabilise noticeably. From then on, reaching higher pizza temperatures becomes less risky.
First bakes during seasoning
Patience wasn’t our strongest suit — so early on, at about 200 °C, we pushed the embers to the side and baked baguettes. That works and tastes good, as long as you stick to moderate temperatures and don’t overstrain the oven. For very high pizza temperatures we waited until no more moisture was escaping.
Smoke flow and operation: a practical view
Heat rises from the fire through the dome towards the flue. With clean combustion and proper fuelling, little smoke usually reaches the baking chamber, so food typically doesn’t pick up particulate deposits. A calm, dry fire supports this — avoid overfired, heavily smoking fires.
Practical tip for getting started
Plan several days for seasoning with time windows of a few hours each, progressing consistently in small temperature steps. If you don’t yet have accessories like an oven door, damper or brush, it’s best to get them before your first hot pizza day — they make the handling much easier.
Outlook
Once the “Baby” is dry and well broken in, higher-temperature pizza sessions are on the agenda. In further instalments of our home story we’ll share experiences and recipes around the Valoriani Baby.
