Building a Bread Oven

First, lay a foundation, then build the mold that will shape the vault. Just like the mold that will shape the vault. Since the mold is curved, the inner faces of the bricks inside the oven will almost touch, while those on the outer side will leave a wider joint. This joint will be filled with mortar into which small brick wedges will be embedded. You can also use commercially available arched bricks designed for this purpose. Firebrick is the most suitable material: Once the bricks are laid, the oven is covered with 100 to 125 mm of mortar. When removing the mold, it is necessary to do so evenly to allow the vault time to settle properly…

These ovens are usually closed with a blacksmith’s door or a door cut from steel plates or even wood covered with tin and hung on a metal frame securely anchored to the masonry.

Nowadays, you can find the frames and doors needed to build such ovens in certain stores.

Steps for Building a Bread Oven

Materials needed:

• Concrete for the slab
• Firebrick 5 x 10.5 x 22
• Firebrick for the oven floor (5 x 30 x 30)
• Crushed clay for joints (50-kg bag)
• Slightly damp river sand
• Find a metal door at a store

Construction:

• Pour a concrete slab or prepare another base.
• Build a dome using slightly damp sand.
• Arrange 5 x 10.5 x 22 bricks all around the dome; some will be chamfered to fit the shape.
• Grout the bricks with refractory cement.
• You can build a sort of box around the entire structure using cinder blocks or bricks.
• Fill the top of the dome with sand or soil.
• Once construction is complete, remove the sand from the inside (the mold).
• Let it dry for about fifteen days.
• Light a small fire for about ten hours, after which the structure will have hardened (the clay in the joints will be fired) and the oven will be dry.
• Clean the inside of the oven, and it will be ready for use.

How to Bake Bread

The process is fairly simple. After selecting the specific types of wood suitable for this task (birch or softwood bark), fill the oven and light the fire.

An hour of stoking is usually enough to heat the bricks; then, remove the embers using a rake without tines. You can then check the oven’s temperature with a thermometer. The baking temperature for bread ranges from 160 to 190°C.

The dough is then placed on the oven floor using a wooden peel.

The heat stored in the masonry bakes the bread in 1½ to 2 hours; the bread turns golden brown with a crisp crust, filling the air with its aroma for several hours.