If you're new to wood fired cooking, one of the first questions you'll ask is: which wood should I use? At Pizza Logs we get asked this all the time — and the honest answer is that both birch and oak are excellent choices, but they do different jobs brilliantly.
Birch — the fast lighter
Birch is the wood of choice when you want to get your pizza oven up to temperature quickly. It catches fast, burns bright and produces a clean, fierce heat that can push your oven towards the 400-500°C needed for authentic Neapolitan pizza in a remarkably short time.
Birch also produces a beautiful flame — something that adds to the whole wood fired cooking experience. If you're cooking for guests and want that dramatic fire roaring away, birch delivers every time.
The one thing to know about birch is that it burns faster than oak. For shorter cooking sessions or when you're just getting started, birch is your best friend.
Oak — the long burner
Oak is denser, heavier and slower burning than birch. Once your oven is up to temperature, oak is brilliant for maintaining that intense, sustained heat over a longer period. If you're cooking multiple pizzas, slow roasting or doing a long cook, oak keeps the temperature steady without constant refuelling.
Oak also imparts a very subtle, rich warmth to the cooking environment — many wood fired cooking enthusiasts swear by oak for the depth it adds to their food.
Size matters too
One thing that often gets overlooked is log size. All Pizza Logs boxes contain a mix of sizes — from larger splits to smaller pieces — and this is deliberate. The larger logs are ideal for getting your oven up to temperature, producing a strong sustained burn that builds the heat quickly. Once you're at cooking temperature, the smaller pieces give you much more control — add one or two at a time to regulate the heat and keep your oven exactly where you want it without overshooting.
This mix of sizes means you have complete control over your fire from start to finish, whether you're cooking one pizza or twenty.
So which should you choose?
The truth is the best pizza oven sessions often use both. Start with birch to get your oven fired up quickly, then add oak to maintain the heat for longer. It's exactly why we created The Signature Collection — our mixed bundle of Premium Birch and Reserve Oak — giving you the best of both worlds in one delivery.
If you're just starting out and can only choose one, go with birch. It's forgiving, fast and produces brilliant results.
If you're an experienced wood fired cook who loves long sessions, oak is your wood.
One rule that applies to both
Whatever wood you choose, always make sure it's kiln dried to less than 20% moisture content. Wet or poorly seasoned wood produces smoke, struggles to reach temperature and can damage your oven over time. All Pizza Logs products are kiln dried to less than 20% moisture — ready to burn straight from the box.
Ready to fire up? Shop our Premium Birch, Reserve Oak and Signature Collection with free next day delivery at pizzalogs.co.uk
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