Earth oven

[okra]

Really want to make an outdoor oven as I have just prepared an area of my garden ready for dining al fresco complete with fire pit. However, having read extensively on this topic I am doubtful of my chances for success. I have a cast iron (I think that's what it is made of) chimnea. If I get a solid door made for it, do you think it would be suitable for baking breads?

Love the blog Tim

You would probably have to check, sing an oven thermometer, that the oven temperature is high
enough for baking

[Stickweaver]

Thanks Okra, I didn't think of that. The chimnea always seems so hot but I guess it can also cool down quickly too.

[grahamhobbs]

I have had some experience with wood fired ovens and maybe able to answer some of the problems people may be having with cracking clay and not reaching the required temperature.

Clay ovens are going to crack unless you have a large proportion of sharp sand in the mix, 30-40%, and you need to give it a long time to dry out and fire it slowly at first. Better to make your oven with old broken roof tiles on edge. You should not have a chimney, at least not within the oven, a chimney if fitted is outside the oven door simply to keep the smoke out of your eyes. A chimney within the oven will simply suck the heat out unless you constantly maintain the fire inside or as in some designs a fire under the oven, but this is all an unnecessary complication unless you building a commercial bakery.

When you start firing the roof will be black with soot from the previous burn, this as it gets hot will glow red but then it needs to go white before it is hot enough for baking to start. If it doesn't get this hot you need more wood, or if it never reaches that temperature your oven is too thin or needs insulating. With small ovens, you will probably need to re-fire the oven between batches, so you might prefer not to sweep out all cinders before baking, but leave some pushed to the back to help start the fire again next time.

You need to use small timbers, a faggot of twigs is ideal to start with, but otherwise small well seasoned timber.

[trinder]

You need to use small timbers, a faggot of twigs is ideal to start with, but otherwise small well seasoned timber.

I have never heard that term before, when I googled it it was specific "2 ft girth × 3 ft long bundle of short wood sticks" is that all that you would need ? or is that just to start the oven. It seems quite a small quantity to complete the cooking.

[grahamhobbs]

I've baked with 2 bundles, perhaps not as big as that, in an old french oven. In fact initially it was too hot for bread.