Ooni Karu 12 pizza temperature and bake time
Pandough estimates a Neapolitan starting point at 60% hydration: 455°C air, 455°C on the baking surface, and about 75-100 sec. These are model estimates for this oven, not manufacturer specifications.
The original multi-fuel Ooni, superseded by the Karu 2 but still the cheapest route to a real wood fire. Wood, charcoal or an optional gas burner, 500 C, and 12 kg with folding legs. The catch compared to the Karu 2 is that there is no glass door, so every check on the fire means opening the oven and losing heat.
- Cheapest genuine wood-fired oven in the catalogue
- Wood, charcoal or optional gas from one chassis
- 12 kg with folding legs, so it packs down for camping or a balcony
- Long production run means parts, stones and accessories are easy to find
- No glass door. Checking the fire means opening the oven and dumping heat
- Smaller fuel tray than the Karu 2, so it needs refuelling more often mid-session
- Gas burner sold separately
- Superseded by the Karu 2, so new stock is thinning out
- Gas to heat the stone, wood at the end if you want smoke. Lighting both from cold is slower than it looks.
- Turn every 20-30 seconds. A side flame will scorch the rim if the pie sits still.
- Wind at the mouth dumps heat. Face the opening away from the breeze or the stone never saturates.