CHAPTER SEVEN

PREPAruNC tc BIIILD

AMASONTgOVEN

ecause most people these da1,s have

iittle experience with masonry construction and have neither seen nor

:,*r: f, masonry oven, I think it wise to pro'r:i en introduction to the choices involved.

l:s

will review the features of dimasonry ovens) and the safety "::-j'u'-fued : :rsiderations inherent in their construction
chapter

li[:\J USe.

lrrt
.

Safety

department, and document your conversation. Failure to show reasonable diligence in fire safety could void your fire insurance. Of course) in no case can I (nor the publisher or any other party) be considered responsible for your actions, your oven, or any problems (such as a structural fire) that may result from building an oven-you have to assume the responsibility yourself, and acr according to that burden. I will get you started by describing some common code requirements later in this chapter.

:rs built to plans similar to the ones in this t':,, r have been approved by building inspecr,:r: h many states under the portions of the nuJng codes that deal with fireplaces, but nl ling codes do change and interpretation ,in,: .nfbrcement of these codes varies gready
n,

Design Lessons

foo* Historicol

Ovens

r..
t:

r: jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Therefore t- ttutst discuss your intentions with the "
\-ou build.

You know that traditional bake ovens are called internal combustion, retainedheat ovens (or direct-fired) because wood

is burned, the

tn'ui;ing code enforcement team in your area

;r:rr

un:;- shorv your plans

Ifyou live in an unregulated to the chief of the fire

ashes are removed, and the bread is put into the fire chamber to bake. Like traditional rowboats and hand

tools, internal combustion ovens possess

129

functional elegance honed by hundreds of ],ears of trial and error. Every element of the oven is necessarl, and errery necessary element is in place.

continue s to burn in the oven chamber r,r.hile the bread is baked, as in the Indian tandoor o:

Although ovens can be built (and used) that do r-rot lbllorv tl-re guidelines given in this chapter, they may have drarvbacks. For example, over-rs built with a rectangular or oval floor plan (like the one in this book) are more practical to load with loaves than round
ovens, even though lou'-roofbd round ovens are just as fuel efficient. Orrens with accessory flues and no way to reqrgls the heat carried

in Italian roasting alndpizza o\rens. Retained heat rleans that the fire is removed befbrc the food is cooked. This is the r,vay loar.es of
bread are baked.

Because retained-heat ovens can onl', deliver heat drat rvas stored in the masonr-, as the oven r.vas fired, these orrens must be healy and thick. Their mass must be sufficier::

olrtin the exhaust

are Lrsuallyless

fuel etncient

to store enough heat to bake the brea.r This requirement for oven mass is one ,-, the factors that affbcts retained-heat o\-e , useftilness and efficiencl', but oa1t.t fxgtt-,::

than ovens that vent out the door. Manv old books refer to the desirability of building an o\ien s,'ith an oval floor plan and a lor,v door, r,','ithout explaining rvir,v. Lise Boilv and Jean-Frangois Blanchette (in their 1979 book The Brenrl Oyens of Qrtbec) were the first to make a sumrharv of the design criteria fbr successful ovens. B-v making detailed measurerrrents of scores of existing
ovens

built of clay in eastern Canada,

1
An
oyen

7 z

the1,

distilled for the first time the principles that It is fortunate that Quebec ovens are built to a vernacular design brought from France three hundred years
make these things r,vork. ago arrd little changed over timc. since mosr similar ovens r,vere replaced long ago in urban

in which

the wolk and lmarth are to,,

be at

thin won't retain enough

breads.

for baking lon.1'

Europe, u'here larger hybrid ovens operated

by apprenticeship-trained bakers became the

norm.

Oven EssentialsIntewcally Fi,red. Ot ens

Internally fired ovens can be used in both direct-ireat and retained-heat methods of cooking. By direct heat I mean that a fire
An fficient
its d.ome.
d.irectly-Jired open

will

hape n du:

that is obout 63 percent the beight ofthe

hriii,

r30

THE BREAD BUILDERS

.re also important, such as insulation and -re d1'nx11ics of oven air flou'. Even more .rportant is the operation or management of :-r- oven (chapter l0), because firir:rg a cold en to baking heat requires heat that will -:-, er be recovered bv baking bread. (This -.:s been referred to as the preheat b,v oven.icienc,v researchers.) If at the tirne a fire is :i.lrtd an oven is still warm from a previous -.e. but not hot enough for baking, only a
,::rall firing is necessary to get it ready for use.
-

hard number to pin dou'n, as it is going to \rary with patterns of use el'en in lhe same oven. It is alu'ays greater when an oven is in daily use because no preheat is necessary A retained-heat oven designed for daily use ma-v therefore be especially massive, so the heat storage is great and the oven temperature is stable. For intermittent use, overall
a

efficienc.v w-ill

be higher in iighter

ovens

because the or.en must be preheated each

his marginal or incremental heat could be

Tl-re

-, lcrl the baking heat.

eficiency of
a masonrv oven can be

time it is used; the preheat cost is less for a less massive or.en. The drau.back of a light oven is that the oven temperature u'ill be less
stable if it is used in a retained-heat

mode-it

'. ,)i1e7x that is too flat will lose too wwch of its .;; out the door, and. the d.oor" will be too low for
...,)in!.

will cool off more quicklv as it is used. The oven r,r'ill need to be fired more often if a great quantitv ofbread is to be baked, even though a light oven may be perfectly suitable for prolonged use in a direct-heat mode (for pizza, for example ) . * Each penetration into an oven's baking chamber represents a potential site for losing oven heat and steam, so an internal combustion oven should draw in air and exhaust out smoke through the same door. Ifthe oven has a chimney, it should be in front of and above the oven door. Ifan ash-drop slot is provided, it should be outside the door as well. Presening the sealed integrit,v of the baking chamber permits retention of heat r,vhen the fire is removed and retention of steam during the
early phase of baking.

*Eric Shirey and fohn Selker measured the bahing heat efliciencies

ofseveral uninsulated r.ernacular

retained-heat ovens in undeveloped countries (ovens in use e\rery day) and found that these average about 0.45 kg offlour baked per kg ofwood
br-rrned. Efliciencies

in large externallv
fired or.ens (white ovens, in u.hich the fire and smoke clid not go through the baking chamber) were much greater, but rvhite o\rens are much more complex and expensive to construct.

trtn that

is too

tall will

haye cold spots in the

..i the rLonoe thtLt nerer get

fwlly

heated..

This lack of air vents and intemal chimin an internal combustion oven places restraints on its geometry', since air must flow in the open doorlvalr, lan the fire, heat the oven structure, and flow out without restriction. A too-low oven roof or a too-high oven door will allou. the fire and its heat to spill out the oven doorway and up the flue. l{eat
neys

PREPARING TO BUILD A MASONRY OVEN

131

wiil

be r'vasted. On the other hand, an exces-

they are wide tend to drar,vwell and are pror-

p
l[

sivell, high roof-like the roof of a typical hemispherical oven of the Southr'vest-will cause the smoke to stall unless air vents are provided. Firing will be dilficult and the roof of the dome r,r'ill be underheated. (You can
sometimes see a coating of soot in the dome

abll' p6..

elficient than round or square

o." -

ofthe are; just inside the door ofa round oven can oti:e:
this problem someu'hat. Boily and Blanchette determined br- &rect measurements that there is a critical be:r ratio between the height ofan oven door ani the height of the oven dome. That ratio i: 63: 100, or 63 percent. (Folk tradition sometimes holds 4:7 to be the ratio, which is 5percent-quite closel) This represents d:e
average ratio

ens, although careful construction

liii

ffi
.J

that shorvs that part of it rvas inadequately

heated.) Ovens that are deeper (longer) than

for Quebec ovens that do nc,:

har.e supplemental airvents, lvhichw.as one c,r

the r'r'ays that Boily and Blanchette were able

to determine which Quebec designs lr,orkei best. The further from these proporrions
an oven is, the more likel,v

it

is to have-<':

need-a supplemental vent.

The Quebec oven floors are egg-shaped (longer than they are u,'ide, slightly u4der ia back than in front). This shape allou's a large baking area at the rear, vet allorvs a smooth flow of air and smoke. It encourages the fue to sweep into the flr reaches of the oven and turn smoothly back and then out ofthe oven. This is especiallr, important since most Quebec ovens are built outside, u'ithout chimne1.s, and therefore u'ithout the extra dralr chimneys provide. This florv of the fire leads to even heating ofthe rrasonry) and the vaselike shape makes it easy to see into the rvhole oven and to use long-handled ash scrapers and dough peels.
CLAY O\TNS
Stat,t
the

f.re in

the

front of the

oven.

Add wood

From the outside, a good Quebec-style clar'

oven has a graceful shape, like half a pear l1'-

when the

ft

e is

bwrning well, and. let it burn all

the way to the boch of the ot,en.

ing on its cut side. The shape is strange, bur

r32

THE BREAD BUILDERS

pleasing. This is possible because the basic material of the oven-ciar'-is a plastic ard

forgiving medium that is eas\r to form into smooth cuffes and shapes. Unfortunately,,
even if reinforced

out of more durable and easily available building materials. The oven construction details I describe later are suitable for an oven built out of red brick, firebrick, refracrory
cements) stone, concrete, steel angle, and so

clay has some drawbacks for oven building, with stone or brick:

r .

Good native clay can be diflicult to find and is hard to dig out and prepare in the quantities needed for an oven.
Clay is warer soluble, and the outside of the oven will never get hot er-rough to

forth, each used in such a \l/av as to provide a balance between aesthetics, cost, and ef_
ficiency. PROPORIIONS AND MATERIALS

FORBzuCI(O\GNS
Practical experience has shown that a ceiling height offifteen to eighteen inches is optimal for baking loafbreads, because a lower ceiling

. r

fire the clay into terra-cotta or brick, so it r,vill soften and slump if it gets wet. Clav is not a good insulator, so the oven will not hold heat well from one dav to
the next. Some clay ovens wear away from the

will necessitate
a

an impractically low door, and higher one will reduce the moisture content around the loaves and reduce crust fbrma_

inside (drop pieces of clay) and eventually need to be repaired.

tion. (This rule does not have to be follorved so exactly for an oven built primarily for pizza or for mixed baking and roasting. The door
and dome may be somervhat higher, but still at the 63 percent ratio.) Experience also shows that the thickness of uninsulated masonry in the hearth or floor

Some of these problems can be over_ come when a clay oven is made of tempered

high-temperarure clay and fired in a kiln, l-hen it is built up of individual hunks of

clay soil that have been dried and are then

bonded u'ith wet clay (adobe), or when the clay oven is roofed over. In Mennonite cominunities on the Canadian prairies the outdoor ovens were built by farm women, using native cla1. xs mortar and cladding tbr an arch of used bricks. The ovens r,vere then col'ered with burlap, pasted to the outer laver of clay with a mixture of flour
and lvater. When this rvas dry the oven was ',r-hitewashed, giving sufficient rain protec-

of the oven should be slightly greater than of the oven walls and dome, so that a little extra heat fiom the hearth can flow up into the oven during the baking cycle. Heat from the hearth is very important ro good baking ofloaf breads.
tl"rat

A masonrv thickness of eight inches in the

hearth and about seven inches in the dome rvorks well for an oven that is used intermit_
tentl),', or is used

for both bread and pizza

(the fire is pushed ro the back of the oven

but continues to burn rvhile the pizza bakes). An oven used only for pizza can make do

lion lbr a dry rsgien.

Although these techniques wili extend the lsable life of a clav oven, for most intents and purposes it is more practical to build ovens

u,ith

tr,vo and one-half to three inches of masonry in its walls, and five inches in the hearth. (This may nor pass rhe building code

PREPARING TO BUILD A MASONRY OVEN

IJJ

Richard. Fteetnnn has hpo brick oyens in ome: nn innet'at'ch of brichs, n layer of insulotion, and. an
enclosut'e of brichs.

in some areas) and may require the use of

much thicker outer oven, or enclosure. a thin oven

) Such

to reduce I'reat loss and to prevent cracking of the fbundation when the oven
dation
is heated.

will be

easy

heat. An oven used

to bring to proper to bake loaf bread on a

dnilybasis should have at least ten and one-

half inches of masonry in the dome) and a little more in the hearth. A good brick oven is insulated below the
hearth mass, all around the walls, and above the dome mass. This allows the use of the graduall,v decreasing heat in the oven over a period ofdays (for cooking casseroles, dryint herbs, and similar uses). The heated mass of the oven should be isolated from the foun-

Modern internal combustion ovens will retain the advantages of their predecessors while avoiding the drawbacks mentioned
above by employing these critical features:

. . . . .

one door and no vents; external chimneys and ash drops;

the 63 percent ratio of door and dome; baking chamber is deeper than it is

wide;
oven mounted on a slab that can expand

134

THF, BREAD BUILDERS

and contract without crackinq the

or-er.r

. . . r
o

foundation; a smooth neck to permit unhindered air

Plnnning Tour Ouen

A little thought ahead of time will save you a lot of head-scratching later. Let's look at the major areas you must consider.
SIZE AND STT'I-E

flow and

easy ash and bread removal;

r'vell insulated;
mass and wall thickness appropriare ro their intended use; thermocouple (heat sensor) svstems to

baking conditions; firebrick hearths that transfer heat to the bread at the correct rate $.hen the oven is properly heated.
assess ar-rd

firing

The size and style of your oven must be appropriate for its intended use. A brick oven should not be depended Lrpon to heat a room

or

a house, unless

it is built

as

part of

a ma-

Externnlly F'ire d. an.d Ovens-White Oyens

Exh auste

d.

to recover some it is not in use, but this is a secondarv effect. Ifthe primary goal is house heating, several designs of
sonry heater.
is possible heat from any indoor oven when

It

commercially available masonry heating ap-

The principles for the construction and use

of

pliar-rces incorporate a small oven, and there

white ovens are different than those fbr the internally fired black ovens, and a detailed
discussior-r is bevond rhe scope

of this book.

are masons in the United States u'ith experience custom-building masonry heating appliances on-site that have o\rens, or in which

Such ovens rvere once common, and some are still being made (see the visit to HomeFires

Bakerv). In good designs the thickness of the masonry ofthe oven serves to temper the heat delivered,
as

the firebox can be used as an oven when the fire is removed. Another possibility is to build a small oven (as described in this book) and
have

it

share a foundation but use a separate

urell as to store

it-several inches

of masoilr\r (at least tw.o inches) separates the

fire and its exhaust from the cavity of the

oven. The added cost and complexity of this

flue in the chimney ofa neu'fireplace orr.vood stot'e. All of these are better $ra).s to heat a house than to try to build an or.en according to the plans in this book, and then try to heat

flpe of oven construction (tvhich

re

quires

firebox, a double n all, and nrultiple flues and ciean-outs, all of lvhich mlrsr be built by or
under the guidance of an expert mason) onlrr make sense lbr a commercial oven, or if a ma-

u'ith it.* Thal said, a masonry oven is the bestw,ay to bake bread and cook other foods you need, and it can be a pou.erful architectural statement in or outside a
your
hor-rse

house or restaurant/bakerlr.

sonry heater is being built at the same time, incorporating the oven. Masonry heaters are
usually expensive, but including an o\ren may
create

little additional expense.

Sizing the oven to y6llf intendecl r-rse is important. A 4 x 6 foot or 6 x 8 foot oven may bake ten large pizzas or ninety loaves of pan bread at a time, and will ahvays re quire more r,vood than a small oven. A more modest oven makes better sense for domestic use, indoors or ollt. Masonrl, ot ens work

*Members of the Masonry l{eater Association are sorted bv geo graphic area on their Internet nebsite xt: \\,\r.\... mha-net.org. See
the Sources list-

PREPARING TO BUILD A MASONRY OVEN

135

.nches. Sor

O\EN SIZING

BY INTENDED USE

',r'icler, ancl

\\4tat do lrou intend to bakef In general, those wl-ro wish to make predominantly pizza u'ili
\vant the widest possible oven and the lvidest

irere; theras

tbr btea

possible door (and thinner masonry in the dome), r.vhile those u.ho concentrate on loaf bread will \\rant a deeper, longer oven u,'ith a smaller door. Some oven builder/ou.ners have chosen to build very small or.ens (20 x 30 inch) because thev u.ere sure thelr would not \\'ant to cook more than a feu' loaves at
;; i -ih -st\tle

DECIDI\
A,L{fERI.I

FORAN The next

ansu.er is

\-ollr o\-er
slabs
ar-rd

';lreas: the

;
'.'.

lJtnter,

a time) onl1, 1e discover that the bread 1r'as so good, thev u.ished they had a larger oven.

Dou11 Wootl,

iuhe otem
itt Jtreplace . DotLg
,

it's not easv to leave a fire going u'hile cooking a series of pizzas in such a
Besides, small oven.
The smallest oven AIan Scott recommends is a24 x 30-inch size, u4rile most household

.lome. Tl 204 and .

temperatl betn'een t
concrete
increases use.
a

ovens are the size of the one presented in this book: 32 x 36 inches, with a door that is 16 inches wide and 10 inches high. Larger better lbr cooldng loaf bread u'hen they are fully loaded, or nearly so, since full loading keeps the moisture level up in earlv baking. A smaller oven will bake just as \\,ell as a larger one, bur it u4ll bake a smaller load. As Selker
and Shirey point out, the geometr_v ofa dome

If th,
\\'ill

feu'tim,

crete

familv ovens are 36 x 48 inches; interestingll', this is the size of most old flrmstead ovens

grees Fah

standard l that just

in this country and Europe, lr.'here all the

bread for a famil,v was baked once a \\reek. By using modern thermocouples, you can estimate hou'much firing you need to bake ser-

it

retains

ever, \'oLll

heat in)

shape means that the radiant heat reaching

eral batches once the oven has been heated. Changes in the r,vay you manage your oven

rant or b: mav be c

from a small oven is the same as for a large o\ren, if tlle masonrv is equally hot (see bibliography). Of course, the conducted heat liom the hearth is dependent on its temperature and the specific heat ofits brick, not on the size ofthe oven. You should avoid
a loaf
an excessively large oven; if necessar,v, a small

u'ill let you bake two or three times as much bread as the nominal capaciq'of your oven, u'hen you need it (see "Otren Management,"
chapter 10).

thermal
concrete

is advisab ding (see Constant

easier wii

Commercial ovens for small bakeries are typicallv 4 x 6 feet up to a practical limit of 6 x 8 feet (iarger ovens are possible, but are
usuall1, fired r'vith gas, or are either hvbrid

temperar
ner oven
-YoLr

oven mav be refired (reheated)

casionail,v need

if you

oc-

to bake a larger quantity of

bread.

or u.'hite ovens). The maximum practical widrh lbr the mouth of such an o\ren is about 24

plail

time t ort

r36

THE BREAD BUILDERS

inches. Some restaurant ovens are higher, wider, and shorter than the ones described here; they are designed for roasting as r.vell
as

This same kind of reasoning applies for

using red brick on the oven u'alls and dome: red brick r.r'ill last your lifbtime if you heat

l'or bread and pizzas.

THE r\{-ATERIALS FORAN OVEN

DECIDING ON Thc rrcxt questiolr you mtlst a.swcr is about materials ficr

A t

\rour o\ren graduall.v and bake a feu'times a week, but it will probably last onl1, a few years if the oven is in constant use or is exposed fWASOnf y 7ten iS

, - ^ ^r^ Orner ^-,- ^-bread nnd c00k sivewaterspravsormopping. A'nd' In the latter cases, it is betvour o\ren, especiall,v in tr,vo fOOdS yOW rueed: areas: the concrete for the it Cnn be n pOWeff^l ter to use firebrick. In some lictions that follorv the slabs and the bricks lbr the 1|, a.rcnne ctural Llt':' Building Code, Uniform c1ome. The charts on pages
204 and 205 shos, that

thebeSt WAy tO bOke

torapidtemperaturefluctuatiorls, especiallv from exces-

sta'teywent 0n 07/ oven domes may need to be the l0 inches thick (including interface Oy temperature at the OUtSi,d,e A hOUSe betr'veen the bricks and the resta,Lrrnnt/bakery. bricks) when lined s'ith red brick, and only 8 inches thick concrete cladding graduaily r,vhen lined with firebrick. lncreases rvhen the oven is in ':/ ,,rse. If the oven is only fired That could be a deciding fbctor fbr -vou, if you want r tbrv times a week, the conAlso, some code enforcers dome. an 8-inch dethan 450 ;rete rnn'ill never get much hotter *rees Fahrenheit (230 degrees Celsius), and may require that the outer walls of the oven
(the enclosure) be 8 inches thick if the oven ':andardPortland-basedconcreteu,'illhandle :rat just fine; even at700 degrees Fahrenheit chamber is lined with red brick, and only 4 :: retains 50 percent of its strength. If, how- inches thick if it is lined with firebrick.
-\.er, your oven is both insulated (keeping the

in a restau::nr or bakerv oven), concrete temperatures :.ilv be excessive, especially in vieu' of the -:ermal q/cling that occurs. In that case, it . edr,isable to use alumina-based refractory : increte for the hearth slab and dome clad:ig(seethefollowingchapteronmaterials). L. .rnstant use (for bread, notpizza) becomes -.sier with a thicker ol'en because the oven :::lperatureismorestable. Ofcourse,athin-.:: oven will be more e conomical with fuel if l plan to bahe onl,v one or trvo loads each -:re vou heat the oven.
:eat in) and in use every
da1' (as

SPACE PLANNING

Ask yourself r,vhat will be taking place in the

area surrounding the ol'en. Consider that ovens draw peopie together and become a focus of activity, indoors or out. It is a good idea to plan not only the extra space necessary for manipulating the long oven tools,

but to allow plentv of room, somervhere near, fbr the peanut gallery (people love to rvatch!). It is essential to have a flat surface onto rvhich you can place dough, pans,

boards, cornmeal, your fire gloves, and er' erything else you need. Ofcourse, you need

PRF,PARING TO BUILD A MASONRY OVEN

137

af
facade steel mesh

us(

joir
chi

mc

(on

mu
51/z"

foundation

bui. this

slab
2

min

" clearance

ora
resi<

2. CInt
actir
foam insulation
sla
l-r

foam

reinl the t
eyen

32tt x 36" oyen with a

l}tt x 16" d.oot.

Since it is new construction it won,t cost much more to do it right the first time, and it $'ill be very expensive ifyou have to tear it out. Go to CiW Hall or the torvn clerk's of
fice and find out how fireplace construction is regulated in your area. If detailed drawings

foun

or baskets for the bread you have baked. For outdoor ovens) it is good to have a covered area in front ofthe oven, with a counter at hearth height running out lrom the side of the oven facade. Also consider the locations of the hose connections, neighbors, and the prevailing wind. Cross drafts should be avoided, but can be managed with a draft door if necessary. If possible, position the oven downu'ind from the house. Try to keep the oven close to the kitchen door, or if indoors, close to or in the kitchen, and not in the basement. plan now to store vour pans, baskets, flour, etc. in shelves, racks, and bins that w-ill be close to the oven.
INDOOR O\TN SAFETY-AGAINI

a table, a rack,

in nc carr!
housr apprc

3. Spark
requir
oYen

in this book may be copied for submission, although they may need to be modified for your situation. Let,s look at the areas the code officers may want to address.
1. Type of chimney: Officials may say that you need either a Residential Appliancetype Chimney (good for 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit) or a Low-heat Industrialtype Chimney (good for 1,400 degrees
Fahrenheit). Usually the Residentialtype is suftrcient. Either of these requirements may be satisfied r,vith a prefabricated metal chimney or with

are necessary) the plans

brush langu;
a

4. Founc
foor

inches

tion ol nhich than rr 5.

adequ,:

Cleara_r

bustibl, chimne

to build a safe oven, and that you need to get it approved. This is especially important for an indoor oven.
have cautioned you

This di: tional I

ilheat

l38

THE BREAD BUII,DERS

a masonry chimnel'.

In masonrS both

use a s/r-inch fireclay or refractory liner

joined u'ith medium-dut.v refractory mortar. The wall of the Residential chimney need onl1, be 4 inches thick (one brick), u'hile an Industriai chimney mlrst at least 8 inches thick. The building code uses a graph to determine minimum cross-sectional flue area, but this rvill be met by an 8 x S-inch square or a 7-inch diameter round flue for all
residential ovens. 2. Chimney reinforcement: In seismically active areas, masonry chimneys must be reinforced n4th steel and strapped to the frame of the building at each floor, even (in some cases) tied to the oven foundation. Regardless of reinfbrcement, in no areas are chimneys aliowed to carry any of the load of the frame of a
house unless specificallv so designed and approved.

that these distances are not the same as those that apply to "range appliances" such as r,vood-burning stoves made of metal, which have much higher surface temperatlrres than the outside of oven
enclosures, and must be much further

fiom combustible surfaces.

6. Hearths: This section may require that the hearth extend at least l6 inches from
the inner oven door, tvhich is longer than is practical. This is one area r'vhere fireplaces and ovens really are different,
and so you should argue if questioned. The fire in an oven is much farther from

Consi.d.er
o"pens

thot

d,raw

people

together a.nd.
beconoe
n

focus of

the front of the hearth than the fire in

fireplace.

octivity, so nllow plenty

of roono to

7. Centering: All combustible lbrmwork and centering (wooden work used to support arches during construction)
must be remol'ed before the oven is
used.

work, ond,
enobgh

for

the

pea,nxot

gnllery.
Use the charts in chapter

3. Spark arrestor: In dry regions code may require a metal mesh spark arrestor if the oven is withiria certain distance of trees, brush, or flammable roofing. 4. Foundation: The stock building code language requires a foundation that is
a

l0 if you

have

to convince the authorities that the outside of the oven insulation will not be hot enough to be a danger. These are records of tests on installed ovens. Plan to vent the area betrveen the insr-rlation and the surround, regardless ofthe adequacy ofyour

fbot thick and that extends at least 6

inches outside the oven u'all. That portion of the code allorvs for exceptions,

which you should seek-a foot is thicker

need, if 1,our foundation slab is adequately reinforced. 5. Clearances: There should be no combustible material within 2 inches of a than
1rs11

chimney, or 9 inches of an oven rvall. This distance can be reduced (under National Fire Protection Association rules)

if heat deflectors are installed. Note

insulation. If any part of the surround is not masonry) Llse metal studs and framing and insulate with a granular material like vermiculite or perlite (preferably with a thin layer of diatomaceous earth right next to the r.valls and dome of the oven), u,hich can sift into and seal any potential cracks. Line 1rs111 enclosure u'ith a noncombustible material before you apply rvooden siding. Consider building an insulated masonry enclosure, then strapping

PREPARING TO BUILD A MASONRY OVEN

r39

the outside of it with metal studs, and putting wood siding over that. Be safe.

the oven to dry rvet firewood. This allowed volatile wood gases to escape from the oven

:,*-

-:

OUTDOORO\TN SAFETY In most districts an outdoor oven is considered a barbecue (Section 3102.2 of the UBC), and in most districts these are fuily regulated. You should ask, to be sure vour insurance is not jeopardized. You may need to follow the same structural guidelines, and you may need a screen over the top of the flue in areas prone to brush fires. In addition, there may be a zoning issue-you must observe properqr-line setbacks. In an.v case you u'ill still be responsible for any fire you cause
due to poor construction or unsafb handling ofthe fire, the coals, or the ashes. Ifthere is no
hose faucet nearby, mount a fire extinguisher

through the structural defects, then condense as soot. Fortunatelv. the smoldering soot in the fibrous insulation made enough
smoke that the bakers were alerted and there was little additional damage. The oven has
since been rebuiit and improved, and they no

.;-'
i!::i!
ii" '.

-_

longer bake (the technical word is "coke" their firen'ood in this fashion.

-:*! li-',

The basic cause of the other fire was over-

f-i--::j

firing an oven that was too small and too thinly clad for the production asked ofit. This small oven w.as often overheated to attempt to get extra bakes from each firing, and the
result was cracked bricks and cladding. This second oven had an unventilated rvooden

:r:: - :

:_.:- : :i-r.::
i"
iii

-:-l-

to the oven base some*,here) to back up your bucket of water. Watch the oven during the early part of the burn, r,vhen it might throrv
sparks.

sn6le5lrls-more no-nos. Although the enciosure u'as damaged in the fire, the bakenbuilding was not damaged. Again the oven, the enclosure, and the management of the
oven were changed.

,lt

ri ii

*'' : :- :.
;t::.:

Balert,

FiresttYan't Happen

Here !

It cowld. happen here. I know of tlvo fires in small commercial bakeries, caused in each case by both structural deficiencies and improper oven management. Neither of these
fires caused major structural damage, but that
r,vas

To revielv: Drying rvood excessively in a masonry oven is not recommended (see chapter 10). Wood enclosures are not recommended unlcss applied or er fireproof materials. Build an oven wall that is at leasr 8 inches thick. Do not insulare a brick oven with loose fiber insulation such as rock wool or fiberglass. Use vermiculite and/or diatomaceous earth that will sift into and seal
fill insulation like these r'von't pass enough air to support comcracks that develop. Loose

;.4-:

.:::il,;
: ,jj

-*-,

-*::
li::.
!

-.

mostly luck.

In the first case the structural problems included both an inadequately thick cladding (that allowed cracks to form) and the use of a
fibrous insulation that did not seal the cracks,

i',u -).

bustion, either.
:i:
,

that allowed soot to build up, and was po

rous enough to allow combustion air to reach the hot soot. The management problem was

The Heabh Depa.rtvnent You need to get in touch with your loca1 health department if you are going to sell some of yor.rr bread. Rules and their inter-

,-:

the routine use (over a period of years) of

r40

THE BRT,AD BUILDERS

pretations vary too much for yoll to make assulnptions. For instance) some states are \rery

lenient with small-time producers, and vou may firr4 you can sell quite a few loaves a day or a week without any interference. In other areas you are not supposed to sell anvthing

Constrwction Prel)tew
Let's revier'v the basic elements of
sonrY oven.
1'e1tt

-"-

rvithout some kind of permit. Regulations usualll. cover the storage of ingredients, air gaps on the sinks, drains in the floor, sewers or septic tank connections, and trash and

FOUNDATION SLAB The most practical foundation for an oven is a slab of reinforced concrete, resting on welldrained soil or sand without other lbotings or frost wails. In a cold climate, the slab should rest on rigid fbam insulation or a rubble footing. This will prevent freezing and heaving under the slab, and will allolv you to omit the customary fiost walls. Commercial concrete is purchased transit-mixed out of a truck, but most comPanies lvon't deliver less than a cubic yard without an extra charge. This charge may be reasonable ifyou are not far from the batch plant, or

garbage receptacles. Find out w'hat you need

before you set up your baker,v, otherwise you run the risk of facing expenses iater.* I(eep

*See rvhether there is a categorv

for

rodents and insects out of the grain and the

bakery area itself.

small kitchens like those in schools and camps-that

Some artisan bakers have had trouble u'ith their local health authorities because of urooden lvork surf-aces, or because linen cowche cloths or baskets are not normally rvashed between uses. You must realize that the person from the health department r'r'ill
probably never have seen a bakery like yours before, so )rou must know the codes yourself and establish aworking relationship with the inspector by pro*ding information about artisan baking. (The Bread Baker's Guild of America can provide copies of articles on this subject.) Having the inspector trv a little of your bread is a great wav to break

categorr,could applv to vou and

is usuallr. less

if ,vou need to make

foot-thick foundation

restrictive than the general com mercial categor)r Also check on

packaging rules in

under local code. The alternative is to mix it itt an urban area where yourself unless yo11
"ta smali transit-mix trailers are available.

vour area-some jurisdictions require

closed bags.

ASH SLOT AND CFL{MBE,R

It

is best

to provide an ash chamber under the

oven, lvith masonry r,valls and/or a fireproof metal container for the ashes that are scraped

the ice. If the inspector is going to $'rite vou up for things you believe are safe practices, remember that brick ovens and linen couches are probably ruot covered in the code book, and I knorv of no documentation that they constitute a health risk. Don't roll over and play dead. Get an attornelr, if necessary, and go through the appeal process. You rvill probably win.

off the floor of the oven after firing. A metal door that closes off this chamber will keep children, pets, and rain out of the ashes. The bricks on the floor ofthe oven rest on a bed ofclay and sand above a reinlbrced concrete siab, which is supported by the walls on the
sides and back of the ash cl.r.amber. The oven

floor slab is made smaller (shorter and narrower) than the oudine of the supporting 'rvalls and the slab's grid of steel reinforcing bars is left to extend out above those u'alls

PREPAzuNG TO BUILD A MASONRY OVEN

14I

the

chu fbur half

poui
Tht tlernents of the :hilutet,base: the

of th

trch in

morl

the oyen

rttnde, the owter

i.;inrtlt, the ash slot,

long

of

al;

,titd the doojamb

i.ricks.

dom, ro rh

reinti
so rh

tbil

enoUl insula

or
and rest on them. That wav. the slab is free to move slightly with changes in tempera-

st(

ture. It also means that outdoor ovens may be fairly easy to jack up and move to a new location, to be set on a ne\\. foundation if
need bc.

or other liquids that have dripped onto the hearth, and firebrick is more resistant to thermal shock than pottery.
WATLS AND DOA,TE

o\-en.

The inner walls and dome of a home oven mav be built of hard red brick or firebrick.
Red brick is cheaper, attractive, easily avaii-

HE4RIH
'The original red
rncks in the back

oithe fireplace of :nl house are just

nos s'earing out.

I haven't repiaced thcnr, thor,rgh,

since

The floor of the oven, the hearth, is built of firebricks, turned on edge; no mortar is used to hold them in place. Firebricks last much longer than red bricks when in direct contact r,vith coals. Although soapstone slabs make an attractive and durable hearth,
they are more expensive than firebricks, and they store and transfer so much heat that

ablc, and long-lasting in this applicarion.

if it is not sprayed excessively wirh warer.* Most people use firebrick for the hearth.
rvalls, and dome, though, and some masons are shocked by the idea of using anything

thet'aren't

;.earlv s-orse than -iev ll ere ten vears rso. and mv house ls ;nore rhan 200 l'e rrs olcl l

else. Firebrick is much more resistant ro the type oferosion that occurs on the floor of an oven u'hen r,vood embers are fanned

the bottoms of loaves of bread tend to get burned by the time the tops of the loaves are baked. Soapstone is fine for flatbread, but rvhy limit vor-rrself to flatbreadl Some people sav that firebrick is too porous for a hearth, and recommend some form of pottery. In practice, though, the heat of the next fire rvill burn up any traces of fat

by combustion air, but this only happens to a limited extent at the n.alls and dome of an oven. Firebrick is more resistant to being splashed rvith water when it is hot. but even firebrick will not last lbrever if it is abused that wav.
The u'all bricks are set vertically, mortared together with a thin iine of mortar so rhar

L42

THE BREAD BUILDERS

the long edges of the bricks face the oven

chamber. This gives
a

ofthe oven itself,

because they are

not nec-

brichthickness of about

essary. Hinged lightweight metal doors are

fbur inches. and an additional trvo and onehalf to six inches of reinforced concrele is
poured outside them (depending on the size of the oven and its use). The dome bricks are mortared into an arched vault, again with the long edges facing the oven chamber. A la1'er of aluminum foil laid over the bricks of the dome prevents the brick la1'er from sticking to the surrounding reinforced concrete. The reinfbrced concrete hoids the walls together
so the brick arch cannot collapse, r.vhile the

often fitted to ciose offthe outer opening

of

the chimney recess ofindoor ovens to ensure

no smoke enters the house, to screen the occupants fi'om the heat of the oven, and (in some counties) to meet fireplace codes. If this kind of door is closed when the oven is fired, draft air must be available through the ash slot or through draft slats or controls in the doors themselves.
Instead ofhinged doors, most ovens have simple metai or metal and r,vood doors u'ith a

foil allorvs the bricks in the dome to heave enough so that no big cracks can form. An
insulation layer and an enclosure u4th
a

D-handle on the outer side. These are easily

placed and removed
as necessary)

and they sit

brick

on the lip between the ash slot and the oven

facing complete the body of the

::.rrr"".
THERMOCOUPLES

Thermocouples are metallic thermometer probes that can be buried in the rvall and tloor of the oven. Wires then lead to a gauge :hat will tell you the masonry temperature at .r giance. The det*fls of these devices will be covered in the chapter on oven management chapter l0), but u'hat you need ro knorv :ere is that it is helpful to have a series of
-hem at various levels of the thickness of the

fl ue

sheet metal

top of arch

angle

lintel

lasonrv. That makes it

'-,'hen the stored heat

easv

to

see

when the

-##a

iron \ M
A

*" plywood

-T
=1'
I

tl

13-1 6',

10'
arr space

,r'en has been heated enough and easy to see

aluminum foil

in the masonry is too .)\\-to continue baking. The main drawback :r thermocouples is cost-both the probes .':J thc gauges are expensive.
I\T,N DOOR

ash dump

llost
,,

ovens with a flue above and outside the

hearth slab

en doorway do not have a hinged metal .r )or or pair of doors to close off the mouth

Longitud.inal section throwgh tLn olev, door and. the outer

oyen doorttay.

PREPARING TO BUILD A MASONRY OVEN

143

door. This kind of door is used whenever the

oven is used to bake loaves, and

it

is left out

Soapstone
is

f,ne

for

flntbreod., but
why linoit yowrself to

when pizza is baked with the fire pushed to the back or side ofthe oven. The exception to this discussion about removable doors is for small commercial bakeries, where it is more convenient to use counterweighted doors that either fall away in front of the peel or lift up out of t1le way (into the chimney recess) when activated by the baker.
ENCLOSURE

the dome more accessible. Because most forms of heat-resistant insulation will stay wet if exposed to water, and because stucco
will crack ifparts of the outside of a stuccoed structure are heated to different temperatures, covering an entire oven with stucco requires perfect detailing. I don't really favor depending on stucco for waterproofing, because I live in a wet climate with large temperature extremes. I favor a masonry cap (a thin, reinforced slab) that is completelv watertight and can be removed if you need to modifi'your oven in the future. A stucco enclosure and roof combined. however, is something that lots of others
have done in drier and more temperate plac-

flatbread.?

A vented enclosure, preferably of masonry or metal, protects the outside of the oven
and its insulation. The minimum thickness of the enclosure may be dictated by building codes. The enclosure includes the facade of the oven, its outer sides, and its back and cap.
Make an access and inspection door in the top

of the rear of the enclosure

CAP

Many ovens have

masonry cap that rests on

tfe .n.lor.r.e

walls and closes off the space around the oven dome. The cap is essentially the top of the oven structure. It is typically made ofreinforced concrete. Many other ovens are capped with sheet metal. Some are capped with wood, but experience (and, in most locations, the building code) indicates that is not a good idea.
ROOF

If you want to try it, be sure to space the stucco mesh or plaster lath out a few inches from the oven and the chimney, then cap around the chimney with metal or stone) creating a thermal and structural break. That wan the stucco will heat more evenly. If an entirely masonry oven enclosure is what you have in mind, consider a brick, slate, concrete, or stone roof, and you will.make it watertight.
es.

:. /4 z<
I

CHIMNEY MATERIALS

The chimney recess is built of brick that is tied to the brick or stone ofthe facade. Above the recess the chimney (for an indoor oven) must be lined with formed clay flus tiles or approved metal flue pipe. Indoor ovens need a damper so that warm air from the room is

Outdoor oven enclosures are either roofed over with a separate roof, or the cap of the
enclosure itself can be of some non-combus-

not drawn up the chimney when the oven is not being fired or used for baking. Outdoor
ovens should have a chimney cap in rainy cli-

tible material, pitched to shed rain. I favor separate roofs, as they make the outside of

mates, and a spark screen in dry ones.

t44

THE BRI,AD BUILDERS

l\u(zi7r1r

tll/

tl,il

I45

for the walls and dome you need 10

Design choices
You will be more familiar u'ith masonry ma-

percent feu'er bricks than the standard plans call for, because firebrick are
larger than red brick.

terials after ltou have read the chapter on materials (chapter 8). If ,vou are going to build your own oven, you need to buy a basic book on masonrv construction or get
one from the library. It rn'ould be wasteful to duplicate all of that information here. After

6. Will you use Portland cement or alumina-based concrete for the hearth
slab and cladding of the oven, and horv

educating yourself you must still make several decisions:

thick will the cladding bef Use alumina and a thicker cladding if you are going to be baking every dng or if you lvant to bake more than three loads Per

1. Do you want a slab and block walls as your foundation (as is presented in this book), or some other arrangement'
such as a hear,y-duq'welded metal standf

firing. 7. Do you want thermocouples, and hou' manyl I recommend at least one in the wall or dome, and one in the hearth, but having a series of three of them in line somewhere in the dome is even
better.

2. Are you in a cold climate,

where the

foundation should be insulated or placed over a rubble footing to prevent

frost heavingf 3. Do you want an ash slot in the hearthf They are convenient for bread ovens but optional for pizza ovens, where the 6..fire is pushed into the back or side, not
raked out.

8.

\A4eat

will the facade of the oven look

likel

9. \44rat type of arch do you want at the

opening of the chimne), recess, and what type of brick, stone) or tile is to be seen on the facadef 10. Do vou want a stone slab or bricks for vour outer hearthf f 1 . Will you insulate dre bottom of the hearth slab to save heatl This will be worthrvhile if you plan to use the oven more than once a week, and it adds litde expense or labor. 12. How will you insulate the dome and walls of the oven) 13. Ifoutdoors, what kind ofroofand enclosure do you wantf If indoors, what kind of outer oven finish do you want: Brick, stucco, stonef
14. Will your flue run straight up, or does it need to snake around somewhere to get out of the buildingf
F+--_"

4. \44rat is your comfortable working heightf For most people it is a little

below elbow level. Remember that this is the height of the finished hearth, not the height of the ash-dump walls or the height of the top of the hearth slab. The traditional height of a European hearth is 90 centimeters-about 35r/z inches; however, manv bakers like a higher hearth. A lower one will nzt do, unless children will be actively involved with the oven, as at a school. 5. Will you use firebrick or red brick for the u-alls and domef If you use firebrick

-1-r

t46

THE BREAD BUILDERS

Brickworh tet'ms.

As you can see) there are many questions

that must be answered-and this list is by no means complete. Building a masonry oven requires a certain amount of forethought, but remember, the more consideration you devote in the planning stages the more smoothly the construction processes will proceed and the more satisfied you will be with
the final outcome.

Bwying nn O1)en
As this book is written I know of only one company making modular masonry ovens designed primarily for baking loaf breads-Dietmeyer, Ward, and Stroud of Vashon Island, Washington, makes both retained-heat and white modular ovens in small, household sizes-but beginning in
the early I980s, several companies began to

PREPARING TO BUILD A MASONRY OVEN

147

import or manufacture multipurpose ovens designed primariil, for baking flatbreads and for roasting, but usable for loaf breads. Some have domes of refractory concrete, some of high-fired refractory clay. Some have hearths of dense, nonporous highfired cla-v. and some use less dense ceramics formulated specifically for hearths. Please see the Sources list for contact information for these suppliers. If you are considering purchasing a manufactured, modular masonry oven, and plan

per cubic foot, and B .5 btu x in/hr x ft squared x degree Fahrenheit or, in metric units 2.06 g/cm squared and 1.23 W/mx degree C.) 3. Get one that has been approved by a national testing agency. Otheru.ise you ma,v have problems u,.ith the local code officers, since the wall of the oven is going to be less than 8 inches thick.
Some suppliers furnish ovens in parts that require assembll', but that are easily carried to the site. Some supply prefabricated ovens that don't require assembly but may need a

to bake loaves, keep these important characteristics in mind:

1. The masonry of a retained-heat oven should be at least four inches thick to guarantee that enough heat can be stored for trvo bakes without refiring. 2. The hearth material should have a density and conductivity not greater than medium density firebrick (130 pounds

forklift or a lot of ingenuity to unload

bases

and

install. Some ovens can be orderedwith metal

that are lighter than concrete block;

these may, be installed on an existing floor. Some suppliers don't have much to offer in

household sizes. Some supply oven tools as part of the kit. Make your selections carefully to be sure you get what will work for you.

&

r48

THE BREAD BUILDERS

VISiT

MUGNAINI
IMPORTS
Wotsontille, Colifurnin

l)orrtnr ovE\ Il.\r'RS were built in Devon, England, for hundreds of I yents. erported. and rvidelv used in colonial houses in this counrr).
ln other parts of Europe there is a similar rradirion of prefhbricared,
several firms.
I<it,
b1

and modular ovens-such ovens are nou being imporred ro the U.S.

Andrea Smith's company, Mugnaini Imports. began by imporring wir-rc and oil, then architectural ceramics. In the late 1980s, she began to bring in small ceramic ovens handmade in Italy by the Vlloriani family and nou' she handles their full line of overrs for houses al)d resraurants. iucluding machine-made hear'y-drrty models for strstained trse.

Andrea is partialiv of Tuscan descent-her morher is rhe Mugnaini irr the family. The Tuscan hills south of Florence are rhe source not only of Chianti, but also of c0ff0, a high-alumina clay soil rhar can be formed aud fired into a relatively nonporous and highlv conductive ceramic. For fifty
yeers the Valoriani family firm has bcen mal<ing home and commercial rvood-buming ovens of this marerial. According to Andrea many Tuscan
houses have a small oven in the courtyard that is in const-ant use for roastilrg. cooking flatbreads, and bakrng loaves. The ovcrrs she sells are designed

for that kind of use, in which a small fire is left in the oven all day after the oven has been brought ro heat with a larger fire. A draft dooris left in place rvhen the heat is to be controlled, and aiso used to seal the oven if'the fire is remo'ed altogether and loaf bread is loaded. The relractorv potter\: floors olthese ovens cannot stand sudden temperaturc srvings, so the hearths are swepr wirh a brass brush after the fire is pushed back and to one side. They are never damp-mopped. These modular ovens are not ready to.use when thev arrive, though the kits do include the pieces thar rvill form rhe hearth. the dome, rhc base of the flue, rhe outer overr doorwav. and the firsr layer of iusularion, in additiorr to the oven door and a kit ol'basic oven rools. Prices are S1,200 or $ I .800 for the nvo sizes of home oven, lr'ith a shipping weight of 7SO pounds. Although the company can supply orher parts of an oveu enclosure, a rypical installation rvill require on-site r,r,ork by a masoll or handy owner, since the oven base and oven enclosure are similar to those of site-built ovens. The smallesr oven (the "Piccolo") is often enclosed in a

t49

VISIT

MUGNAINI
IMPORTS

rounded dome formed ofrebar, metal lath, and stucco, while the larger home ovens (the "Medio") usually get a roof and u'alls. The domes of the Valoriani ovens are insulated with blankets of kaolinbased ceramic fiber insulation, then 6 inches of loose vermiculite. No attempt is made to insulate the hearth. n'hich sits on a site-br.rilt concrete and sard sandrvich that is fourreen itrches t-hick overall. The olerr dome is much thinner than thar of a site-built bread oletr, and so stores less heat. The modular ovens are thus better and more efficient for cooking flatbreads, for roasting rvith a fire in place. or for cooldng one load of bread loar es. but they will not cook multiple loads of loaves without refiring' I visited Andrea at her California-Mediterranean hillside house, wth its hillside stone and terra-cotta terrace and su'eeping vicws of the central California coast. Talk about ltaly-I catne a\\-avwith a powerful impression ofthe potential for elegance that an outdoor oven offers in such a setting. It becomes a Iit-esq'le statement that Americatts can interpret. Andrea says, rhrough their long experience with barbecues and fireplaces. I also realized thal there are plenw of people who don't wa.nt to build their own oven. and there is no reason they should. Thel' 6an have someone else do it, and using a modular oren kit rvill probably lower the overall cost of professional installation. On the other hand, it was clear to me from my I'isit to Mugnaini and m1, revie$' of the catalogucs of the other companies in this business that a site-built ove lt rvill be better l'or loaf bread rhan anvthing thar is currcntly comme rciallv available, because the masonry of site-built ovens is thicker.

*,

TECHNICAI POINTS

Although Andrea supplies thermometers that may be used in the ovens, she advises he r customers to learn to iudge the hcat in the oven bv direct observation-for example, pizza edge s and toppings should bubble in thirty seconds and a plate-sized pizza should cook completely in three minutes. This means that the oven temperature is betlveen 650 and 750 degrees Fahrenheit (345 to 400 degrees Celsius). The desired 450 to 500 degrecs Fahrenheit t230 to 290 degrees Celsius) oven lor roasting
is maintaine d by obsen ing the cooking food, feeling the heat

with

hand in the oveu, then adjusting the draft door. fire, and the exposure of the food to the fire. She recommends a cooler oven for loaf bread,

.. i:;:.n:: f.'t'.r'rl.::::;*

Tbis

Mwgnaini wodwlar
is

own

pat"t of a nearl,t,

co?npleted house

in

Caffirnia

(photo:

Mugnoini Iwports).

achie'n'ed by closing the oven

for several hours (usuallv or.'ernight) after it

has been used

lbr other cooking.

-{ndrea likes the nonporous hearth tiles, in preference to more porous firebrick, because she does a lot of roasting, and liquid spatters ancl food odors don,r ger into the tiles. Also, the large size of the tiles combines

ri'ith their high conductivigv to evenll' distribute heat in the hearth-hot

spots are
cac.v

not a problem. of course, the dor,vnside is the relative deli-

(to thermal and mechanical shock) and rapid heat transfer rate of

rhe tiles, u,hich theoretically could be a problem r.vhen she bakes loaves instead of flatbreads. Since she usually rvaits until the next day to bake bread and the ovens have tro lrearth irlsulation. it mr1'be that she aloids burning the bottorn of her loaves because the hearth becomes slighdv

cooler than the dome.

\.TSTT

MUCNAINI
IMPORTS

Andrea was arranging a regional distribution sysrem for the ovens when lye met) and may in the future be able to make referrals to local

distributors and/or installers. Up to norn. she has shippcd everything from warehouses in Watsonville and Los Angeles, though she has a
new office

Nerv York.

Although it is environmentally appropriate and economically sound to use locally available materials and labor when possible (which is certainlv possible when ovens are built of uarive.lry. o. of bricks made from native clay, or of a refractorv mixrure of alumina cement and heat-rcsistant nrtivc rock). nor e\er)'part of the U.S. has good clal', a local brick kiln, or a source of heat-resistant rock. The scratch materials you bu,v ma,v have been trucked two thousand miles, while a prelbbricated European oven r,vill have been shipped ro rhis counrr\r
by water, a relatively efficient method, and trucked a feu' hundred milcs.

n-

J+,

VISIT

SAN JUAN

or

ALL BRICIi ovENS r,vere made

ovens are still common in

to be fired rvith rvood-coal-fired Neu York Cin, and large oil or gas orerrs

BAKERY
San Juow Bautistn,

rvere built in many areas into the 1950s and some gas-fired masonry ovens

are being built today. Let's look at two such ovens, one directly-fired (a burner pointed into the mouth o1'thc ovcn ) and onc externallv-fired rwirh
a burner

LalUorntlz

HOMEFIRES

BAIRY
Le

nt e nw or th, Wash ingt o n

in a separate fire box r,r'ith its own fuses). There is an carll gas overl in the srnall missioll to\\'n ol'San Juan Bautista, California, r,vhere in l93B Reno Cornaggio got tired of the recurrent flooding in his oven room and bought the building across the street. He hired Paul Metz, a u'ell-knou'n oven builder from Oaldand, to build a large gas fired brick or.en-its inside dimensions are about 12 x 12 feet. It has been in continuous usc sincc it u,as built, b), Cornaggio (rvho often sang opera in the street), b), Bill and Gladts Paradis (u'ho baked everl'bod\t's turkey, al1 of them at once) at Thanksgiving), and fbr
tl-re past sixteen years, b1, John House,

no\l'in his mid-sixties. The sourygn15,

dough starter and sourdough bread recipe are unchanged in fift1,

The soard,ouglt
sta,Trter

end

soard.ough brend

recipry.re wnchonged'in

f,fty yenrs

the recipe for Portuguese orange nut bread r'vas acquired by Bill Paradis before he bought the bakery, and the horizontal paddle mixer, the slicer, and tl-re oven are unchanged. The orren's heat storage is immense, as the hearth bricks rest on 13 inches of sand and the dome bricks are covered with the same amount. The oven is fued for two and one-quarter hours at the end of the afternoon each da,v so the heat can equalize b)'morning. On Sundal. (his biggest baking day), ]ohn bakes trvo hundred and fortt,)'easted French loave s, trvo hundred sourdough loaves, and any number ofloaves ofherb and onion, garlic Romano, pesto tomato, cheese and jalapeio) potato) and Portuguese orange nut breads, in addition to pastries and cookies. Hundreds and hundreds of loaves on one firing of tl-re oven-the massive heat srorage of this oven does the trick.

There is a verlr different gas-fired oven I teu' miles outside the B avarian/Tyrolean-theme tor.vn of Leaven\rorth, Washin gton : a "lvhite" or externally-fired and vented masonrv oven, built in 1985 bv Dietmeyer,
Ward, and Stroud, of Vashon Island, Washington, under the guidance of Ernst Heuft, a fifth-generation German sto\re mason r.vho lives in British Columbia. The style and the rvorkings of this oven are q,pical of small

VIS iT

SAN JUAN BAKERY

and"

HOMEFIRES

BAIRY

commercial masonrv ovens in Germanl', Austria, and Switzerland, and many of the oven parts lvere imported from Europe. Although built for lvoodfiring. it was converted to propane seven )'ears agoi ir can be converred back to q'ood-firing in a matter of minutes, should that ever be necessarr,. The eificienc.v of external-firing commercial or.ens mav justifi' their complexiry since the puryose of any firing schedule for a masonry oven is to heat the outer part of the mass to a temperatltre abol'e that required b)r the baking bread. That wa1, heat r.rill florv into rhe oven as breacl is baked, uithout ol'er-heating the bread early fu the baking cycle. With a directly-fued oven, this is achieved by carefully timing the firing, clean-out, resting, and baking operations. There is little recourse if the oven is rlor hot enough when you want to use ir, or ifyou want to bake extra loads. with externally fired ovens, however, the hear is alv.a)rs coming into the oven from outside (u'here it is generated), and continuous or intermittent firing can provide heat at the rate it is used, while retaining the hearth conducrion, radiant hear. and high moisture advantages intrinsic to masonr)' o\ ells. What is the dou,nsid.ef Cost and complexit\.. The HomeFires oven cosr about $15,000 in 1985, and that rvas abour $5,000 ior,r'er than it otherwise u,'ould have heen because the constructors wanted to gain experience with

$.

with inflation and currency changes (for the same imported castings), the same oven r,vould cost about $50,000 in \997 dollars, which is a lot to pa1, for an oven that has half or a third the hearth
the techniques used to make it.

6rt
atl

bui on
star

ofan equalll expensive deck oven. \44rat is the oven likei It is a large rectangular masonry structure q'ith a brick front and stuccoed sides. In its face there is an iron oven door that slides
space

ofrwo

uprvard on iron tracks, its u'eight counterbalanced by iron r,veights on the end chains that run from the upper corners ofthe door over two toothed

Th,
llltd

and

idler sprockets, then down to tlvo iron tveights. There is no outer hearth, but there is an inner transitio' hearth of smooth stone that slopes sharplv Lrp to a gradually sloping oven floor of refractorv blocks. At rhe far corners of the oven there are smail cooling venrs. controlled b)' big chrome-plated damper handles on the ftronr face of the oven, while on the right inner oven wall there is a small opening in the bricl< oren lining to let irr sream. Sreanr is gcnerated by allowing \\-arer to run into a copper funnel mounted on the stucco wall. From there it runs to a thick-r,ralled metal box on the side of the

t,ilit
the
bacl

cal i

cotl1

the

John Howsa nt tbe Snn Jwan Baker.v. Tfu pipes brhintl hiw serve thc gas burner

antl

the ttea.nz

injectal The

rigid gas pipe is joinred, and can swing into the rnouth
&s the

u)en

is

f'red.

See

how

high this hearth is? The door is cou ntrr-weighted (phon,:

Dina Dabois).

firebox, wheie it instantly boils, releasing steam into the oven. Because this is an open sysrem gr both ends there is no risk of steam explosion, and if scale huilds up it is easTly removed. The fire box is under the rear of the oven, with an iron door that opens on thc righr side of the oven base. Dampers direct rhe flame into vertical (for irarting the fire, or to reduce heating of the hearth)or horizontal channels. The firstpair of horizontal channels run the full length of the ov1n, undel and on each side of the center line of the hearth; they then double back, still under the hearth but under its ourer aspect. They end in vertical tubes that
take the smoke above the oven and empt.v it into horizontal channels over -,Jre outer aspect of the oven roof; these take it forward, so that ir can be sent back again in rwo ( more centralh' located ) channels rhat finally join at I l..tri cai tube that dumps into a last horizontal channel. At its forward end this is

;ontrolled by the main draft damper. A{ter the smoke

passes this damper

it

rcaches rhe chimneyl a flap-rype barometric drafr there automadcally adjusts lhe force of the draft as the oven is fired. In all, the smoke makes five passes

\/ISIT
SAN JUAN BAIGRY
across dre oven brickwork, transferring heat to the masonry. Trvo internal

dampers control the firebox, nvo control the cooling vents, and rhere is one main smoke damper and one barometric damper. There is a cleanour

enn
HOMEFIRES

door at each 1SO-dcgree bend of the

smol<e channels.

BAIRY

Srructurallv, the rnasonrv arch is retained b1 mctal ries that run through
sand lal ers abor e and belorr the oven. Since the sides of the oven are insu-

lated, the retaining plates at the ends of these ties are not visible. However, thcre are additional, smaller plates that stabilize the outer u all and attach it

to the inner brickrnork-these stand proud of the stucco. Tlrc roof blocks
ol'the inrernal smol<e trrbes urrder the Iou er sand iayer are cast as trapezoids that l<elstone uith adjrcent blocl<s that are supportcd bv the brick walls of t]rc smokc channels. There are rwo penetratirrg uiches in the ovcn lace besidc the loading door, one for an oven light, the other fbr a rnetal-stemmed dial thermometer t}rat reads the ovcn air temperaturc. There are no thermocouple probes in the brickwork, but there is a prohre in the oven air next to the thermometer; its u'ire lead connected to a high temperature limit control for the propane burner. Since the oven is in daily use, it never falls belor,v 300 degrees Fahrenheit overnight. Irr the morning the burner is fi red t main damper open) until the oven temperature is 385 degrees Fahrenheit; the

s.

oven will then coast to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. More heat u'ill come in as loads are baked, but the oven temperature is usually quite stable. If necessary the burner may be fired, or the firebox dampers may be opened, or

the cooling dampers may be opened. The reasons the D-Litzenbergers changed ro propurei There r.vere several: one \vas the uneconomical expenditure of time, space) and effort required to deal with 25 cords of sofrwood (that is u,har is available in Leavenworth) u )r.ur. Another was the persistent fine soot and flv-ash that burning that amourrt ol'sofrwood produced, which filtered orrro everything near the bakery. Lasdl', there is the greater degree of control that
gas

firing pror ides.

r56