’Tis Dining Month, the tastiest time of year! This means we’re dishing up fun and fascinating food content throughout October. Dig in, Milwaukee! OnMilwaukee Dining Month is served up by Potawatomi Hotel & Casino and Wollersheim Winery & Distillery.
In this series, we’re exploring various types of pizza – from crackery thin Milwaukee style pies to Chicago-style deep dish – and sussing out the secret sauce behind each one. View the full list of features in the Knead to Know series here.
Wood-fired ovens have been an integral tool in pizza making since the very first Italian pizzaiolos introduced pizza to the world in the 1700s. For that reason, there are purists who believe that a pizza isn’t “true pizza” unless it’s baked in a wood-fired oven. Suffice it to say, wood-fired pies are distinctive, hand-crafted works of edible art.
While every restaurant has its own approach to wood-fired pies – from the style of dough and type and amount of toppings – the common denominator is the oven. A traditional wood burning oven is made of a heat-conductive material such as brick, clay or concrete and fueled by wood.
While a typical oven only reaches about 500 degrees F, a wood-fired oven can reach temperatures of 800 degrees F or more. In terms of cooking a pizza, this means that it will take mere minutes to cook an entire pie to crispy, bubbly perfection. Because the cooking process is relatively quick, your pizza will not be imbued with a discernibly smokey flavor, but – depending on the choice of dough – you’ll often get a pizza that’s doppled with bits of char, lending the pie a unique flavor.
To learn more, we headed to Sorella where they use their wood-fired oven for a variety of dishes, including their delicious pizza. [Video: Courtney Bondar]
Sorella
2535 S Kinnickinnic Ave., (414) 301-6255
sorellamke.com
[Read more]
More options
Curious about other places with wood-fired pizza? Here are some additional spots to try:
Flour Girl & Flame
8121 W. National Ave., West Allis, (414) 662-7921
flourgirlandflame.com
[Read more]
Hot Box Pizza
Zocalo Food Park
636 S. 6th St., (414) 293-7472
facebook.com/hotboxmke
[Read more]
Maggio’s Wood Fired Pizza
7212 W North Ave, Wauwatosa, (414) 485-6993
maggioswoodfiredpizza.com
[Read more]
Riverfront Pizzeria
509 E. Erie St., (414) 277-1800
mkeriverfront.com
Wood-fired pizza available Friday through Sunday only
[Read more]
Tauro Cocina / Leo Lounge
1758 N. Water St., (414) 488-2941
taurococina.com
[Read more]
Twisted Fire
515 E. Wisconsin Ave., Oconomowoc
(262) 354-3150
twistedfirewi.com
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
