Home Courses - The School of Artisan Food Breads & Baking Woodfired Pizza Workshop

Woodfired Pizza Workshop

£250.00

Beginner

Duration:

1 Day

Timings:

09:00 - 16:30

Course start dates:

21 May 2027
16 Apr 2027
21 May 2027
11 Jun 2027
23 Jul 2027
08 Aug 2027

Hourly Schedule

Time

9:00
Arrival & welcome
Tea, coffee and warm pastries from the kitchen.

9:30
Course Start

13:00
Lunch
Seasonal lunch prepared by our catering team.

16:30
Course End

Take your pizza-making skills to the next level on this hands-on course with David Finn, founder of Sherwood Fired and an accomplished pizzaiolo with years of experience crafting and refining exceptional pizzas.

Whether you own a home pizza oven, are considering investing in one, or are exploring the idea of starting a pizza business, this practical course will give you the knowledge and confidence to produce outstanding pizzas with consistency.

Throughout the day, you’ll learn the principles behind dough preparation, fermentation and baking while exploring three distinctive styles of pizza. Working with doughs of different hydrations and baking at varying temperatures, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of how technique and oven management influence flavour, texture and structure.

With the focus firmly on practical baking, you’ll spend plenty of time working with the ovens, stretching, shaping and baking pizzas while learning tips and techniques drawn from David’s professional experience.

What You’ll Learn

Through practical demonstrations and hands-on baking, you will:

Understand the key ingredients used in pizza making
Learn dough mixing and fermentation principles
Explore the differences between high and low hydration doughs
Develop confidence in stretching and shaping pizza dough
Master launching, turning and removing pizzas from the oven
Understand effective workflow for successful pizza production
Learn about equipment options for home and professional use
Gain practical experience using both gas and wood-fired pizza ovens

What You’ll Make

During the course, you’ll create:

Neapolitan Pizza
Learn the techniques behind this world-famous style, characterised by its light, airy crust, soft centre and rapid high-temperature bake.

Roman Tonda Pizza
Explore the distinctive characteristics of this thin, crisp Roman-style pizza, focusing on dough development, shaping and achieving a beautifully crisp finish.

Calzone
Master the techniques required to shape, fill and bake this classic folded pizza, creating the perfect balance of flavour, structure and texture.

Additional Course Features

As well as hands-on baking, the course includes:

A dough mixing demonstration from David, exploring different mixing techniques and processes
Guidance on dough preparation and storage
Practical experience using a range of domestic gas and wood-fired pizza ovens, alongside a larger mobile wood-fired oven
A dedicated Q&A session to help troubleshoot challenges and answer your pizza-making questions

To maximise your time working with the ovens, doughs will be prepared in advance for stretching, shaping and baking during the course. All recipes and guidance for making the doughs from scratch at home are included.

Who Is This Course For?

This course is ideal for home cooks, aspiring pizzaioli, pizza oven owners and anyone interested in improving their pizza-making skills. It is also well suited to those considering a pizza-based food business or searching for the perfect gift for a pizza enthusiast.

No previous experience is required, just enthusiasm and a willingness to learn alongside fellow food lovers.

Please Note:
Whilst we make every effort to adhere to best practices regarding allergen control and cross-contamination at The School of Artisan Food, we sincerely regret that we are unable to cater for severe food allergies or coeliac disease. This is due to the continuous and varied use of our teaching spaces, common areas and food preparation areas.

If in any doubt, please contact us to discuss your individual circumstances prior to making a booking, as this will then enable us to produce a personalised Risk Assessment based on your own specific circumstances and better judge if we can safely accommodate you on site.

Your Tutors

Tutor

David Finn

David Finn

David Finn attempted a corporate office job for a few years on completion of his Management Degree, before realising his true passion for food was worth pursuing. David trained and worked as a chef for 7 years, before converting a transit van into a mobile pizza business, Sherwood Fired.

In 2016, David attended both the Food Business Start-up course and the Wood Fired Pizza Making course as part of his journey into setting up Sherwood Fired, both of which proved invaluable and allowed David’s business to grow and develop into the thriving business it is today.

David has remained a constant supporter of The School of Artisan Food, sharing his knowledge, and pizzas, with the full-time students, and is now returning as a tutor to pass on the knowledge and skills to those wishing to learn the art of creating their own wood-fired pizzas.

David’s experience, knowledge, and passion will make you want to start making your very own pizza, as soon as you get home