Wire-based laser metal deposition (LMD) offers distinct advantages over other additive manufacturing processes, such as lower material costs. However, challenges remain in terms of the sensitivity to disturbances and the controllability of the process. The melt pool temperature has a significant influence on the susceptibility to defects and the resulting part properties. For this reason, a novel closed-loop control approach was implemented, where the melt pool temperature was measured using a coaxial pyrometer. To keep the melt pool temperature at a stable reference value, the laser power was adjusted at the start of each layer. The underlying control algorithm was based on a two-degrees-of-freedom control. Using the proposed approach, the feasibility of a layer-to-layer temperature control for the wire-based LMD process was demonstrated. The stabilizing effect on the melt pool temperature enabled the reproducible buildup of a multi-layer test geometry without the common defect mechanisms of stubbing and dripping.