Building your own pizza oven with a Pizza Oven In A Box mould? You’re probably keen to fire it up straight away. Hold your horses. There’s a critical step you don’t want to rush: drying out the oven properly.

Here’s why it matters — and what really happens inside that dome.

Why Refractory Cement Needs Time

When you build your oven, you're laying down refractory cement. It looks solid, but it’s loaded with water trapped inside. That water needs time to slowly find its way out. If you fire the oven too hot, too soon, the water inside gets forced to turn into steam fast — and steam needs room to expand.

If the steam can’t escape gently, it builds pressure and tries to blow its way out. That’s when you get cracks, popping, or even chunks breaking loose. It's not about bad luck — it’s basic physics.

What Happens If You Rush It

Go too hot too early, and you’ll cause two big problems:

• Cracks: The steam inside the cement blows through the walls.

• Weakened Dome: Even tiny cracks make the oven lose heat faster and shorten its life.

An oven that’s properly dried out is denser, stronger, and holds its heat like a beast.

How Long Should You Wait?

After you build it, let your pizza oven sit for at least a week. No fires yet. Doesn’t matter if it rains — that moisture actually helps the cement cure slower and stronger.

After that, you can start gentle fires — and I mean gentle. Think of it like warming up a big old engine, not flooring it straight out of the shed. Start at low temps for a few days and work your way up.

Curing Your Pizza Oven: The Short Version

• Let it sit untouched for 7 days.

• Start your first fire small and central.

• Day 1: 300°F (150°C) max.

• Day 2: 350°F (175°C).

• Day 3: 400°F (200°C).

• Day 4: 450°F (230°C).

• Day 5: 500°F (260°C).

Slow and steady wins this race. Get it right and you’ll have an oven that cooks pizza, bread, roasts — and holds heat like a champion.