Wood Fired Brick Oven - Bread

[Shawn T. W.]

Here is what I've done, as requested by over on the diesel diehards . . .

Well I grew up with a Mom baking bread . . . Once I was married in 97 I baked bread, because I liked it fresh, and it was cheaper, but to me bread was just something to make sandwiches out of . . .then I went to Europe in 98 . . .Germany, Austria, Switzerland . . . my whole perspective on bread changed . . . They sure know how to do it right!

In 06 I found a guy in VT where I was delivering in the area that I was contracted to deliver for FedEx Home Delivery, and he was baking "Naturally Leavened Bread in a Wood Fired Brick Oven" It was AWESOME!

So, I sold my Sprinter, and built me a wood fired oven, and started playing with what most Americans call "Sourdough" . . . I had a small operation, I mixed everything by hand, my oven could take 30 loaves at a time, and I never did more than 90 in a day! I baked 3 times a week . . . I sold that the end of 07 to move to AZ where it is warmer I now just bake for myself, and church functions . . .in a regular oven, and straight yeast, or using a sponge . . .

Something wacko happened inside of my body, and I no longer could handle the cold temps, anything below 75 I was freezing I dreaded going outside to get wood (I burned 20 cords a years . . . the Dr's could not find anything wrong with me, and said to either turn up the thremostat, or move south . . . I like 80-85 degrees, mush easier to do here in Arizona, winters are still cold, but much better than VT!

Here are a few pictures: (cause I know you all like pictures!)
The 1st 2 loaves out of the oven that I ever baked in it . . . I still did not have all of my tools, so I could not reach the 9' to the back of the oven to clean it out . . .


For those who don't know, these are called "Roman Black Ovens" they retain the heat from the fire, and then you clean out the coals, and ashes, and bake directly on the hearth . . . at least when baking bread . . . Here it is getting warmed up . . .the flue or chimney is where the bricks are tan (fire bricks!) I'd start the fire around 6pm (it would be cooled down to around 325, and burn it all night, by 8-9 am most of the fire would be out, and by 11-12 it would be ready for bread!

and nice and hot . . . this is about 800 degrees, I'd let it even out and put the loaves in at about 550 . . .


This was my "Signature bread" as most people could not find this stuff, unless it was imported from Germany, and was a couple of months old . . . This was a Naturaly Leavened 100% Rye, with flax & Sunflower seeds (Everything aI baked was Organic!) It was about 6 pounds per loaf:






My wife always looked forward to baking days, as I always saved off some mostly white flour dough, and made Pizza! NOTHING can compare to fresh pizza out of a wood fired brick oven! (When baking pizza I left the fire burning in the oven, and 700 degrees was awesome, done in about 4 min!)


So yeah I'm a bread-head!

I'm thinking of building a smaller one sometime in my back yard here . . .

Today 05:34 AMChad300tdt
Cool story and pics Shawn. Thanks for posting.

If you end up building another oven in your backyard, take plenty of pics and make a DIY. I'd be interested in seeing how you do it.

You should start a bread head forum site and sell supplies and "Private Reserve" loaves with it.

So here is some info:

Well . . . here you go, I do have pictures of the one I built in VT! I basiclly built the oven in the book "The Bread Builders" by Daniel Wing & Alan Scott with some of my own modifications . . .

Here are some pics: (I have hundreds!)
Before:




My father helping me . . .


There is a 2nd inside wall that will be where the ashes will drop into, directly below the flue . . .


The top row has rebar all the way around which is welded together . . . then filled with concrete . . .


This is a layer of vermculite (insulation mixed with mortar)


The 3/4" rebar lays on top of the edges to be suspended, as concrete will expand some as it is heated . . .


This brick will go in the floor, and has a prob to sense temps . . . I have 12 of these thermocouple leads both on top of and under the fire chamber


The side walls are done, starting the arch! Hey it gonna work!




The top of the oven must drop as it gets to the front . . .


The arch that is part of the flue (I did not have any instructions for this, I just winged it!)


All buttoned up, notice the wire . . . it goes to a standard oven light, I once got carried away with the fire and it got up to 1300 degrees . . . lights never worked after that!

[Shawn T. W.]

I cut a hole through the wall, and look Honey, I found a oven!


Building up the hearth inside of the house . . . I was using a small propane burner to slowly dry it out . . . building up the chimney too!


I then covered it with 2 layers of alum foil, to keep the bricks form joining the concrete I was going to pour of it . . . for mass heat retention.


My Father had come over on Dec 1, to help me pour the concrete, it was a cold rainy day, he slipped on some wet grass on the side of the hill, and broke his leg in three places! After the ER visit, my WONDERFUL Wife helped me mix the concrete and pour the top . . .






Doors on, hearth finished, thermocouple juction box in, damper/flue in . . .


Just needs a match, and then start getting dough ready!


The plans I drew up, my own design, feel free to use if you want to








A hot oven . . . this is 4.5" in to the brick!


It was alot of work . . . took longer than I planned!

[Mike D]

Good looking oven. You had me worried for a bit until I realized you built the oven back at your place in Vermont.

I've never seen that much green in all of Cochise County, let alone Sunsites!

[Shawn T. W.]

Some of things I cooked . . .

Oatmeal:


Happy luncher's with Pizza(My Wife & Father)


Some challah:


Cake:


Hungry?

[SwampYankee]

Dude, that is awesome! There is NOTHING like wood fired brick oven bread or pizza! I'm not a "bread head" yet (in consumption yes, but production no), but I can see it happening in the future. There's an old Italian guy up the street who sells residential coal and wood brick ovens so everytime I see him drive by it feeds the fire, pun intended.

We have so much work to do in our backyard that it will be awhile before I get around to one but it is on my list of must have's!

Great job! I look forward to more pics of the construction process. I'm not sure I'm competent enough to tackle something like that myself but who knows.

Edit: oops, I jumped the gun. Great finished product!

[Shawn T. W.]

Yeah the oven was up and running the beggining of Jan 07 . . . I wish I could have brought it with me!

[Shawn T. W.]

Originally Posted by Mike D

Good looking oven. You had me worried for a bit until I realized you built the oven back at your place in Vermont.

I've never seen that much green in all of Cochise County, let alone Sunsites!

Well once the monsoons come the golf course will green up somemore, but your right, it will never look like that!

[Chad300tdt]

Wow, that was an involved project. Your finished oven looked great. I like the doors and hearth you made.

I'd like to build a freestanding oven outside with a wood fired barbeque. I have a stone barbeque but it's falling apart.

[Mike D]

Originally Posted by Shawn T. W.

Yeah the oven was up and running the beggining of Jan 07 . . . I wish I could have brought it with me!

Cmon, now! Don't be such a wuss! If McCulloch could bring the London Bridge to Lake Havasu then surely you could move the oven. Hmm, let's see, McC' bought and transported the bridge for just a little over 100 million, your oven can't be but 100th of it's size, minus the fact it doesn't have to shipped overseas, yup, I figure you should be able to get it into place for just under $736K. Such a bargain!

[PaulC]

My God, man! You should have built the oven first and then the house around it!

[Mr.Kenny]

WOW!I MEAN;...WOW!

[SwampYankee]

Originally Posted by Chad300tdt

Wow, that was an involved project. Your finished oven looked great. I like the doors and hearth you made.

I'd like to build a freestanding oven outside with a wood fired barbeque. I have a stone barbeque but it's falling apart.

I can hear the gears squeaking in Chad's head now...

[Shawn T. W.]

Originally Posted by Chad300tdt

Wow, that was an involved project. Your finished oven looked great. I like the doors and hearth you made.

I'd like to build a freestanding oven outside with a wood fired barbeque. I have a stone barbeque but it's falling apart.

Here's some ideas! http://www.traditionaloven.com/

The reason yours is falling apart is concrete doesn't like too much heat, about 450 is tops . . . then it starts to loose it's strength . . . then crumbles apart . . . I used some stuff called "Fire clay" I mixed it about 1:5 with morter mix, then added my sand & water to that! It is used inside of furnaces . . .

[Shawn T. W.]

Originally Posted by Mike D

Cmon, now! Don't be such a wuss! If McCulloch could bring the London Bridge to Lake Havasu then surely you could move the oven. Hmm, let's see, McC' bought and transported the bridge for just a little over 100 million, your oven can't be but 100th of it's size, minus the fact it doesn't have to shipped overseas, yup, I figure you should be able to get it into place for just under $736K. Such a bargain!

I'm just a poor, lazy man . . . once all of that was done I wasn't gonna move it anywhere!

Actually If I pulled the roof & walls . . . & I could get a big forklift type thing (not sure how to get that into the property close enough) to slide in under the rebar I welded up for the base (that sat on top of the walls . . . It could be moved, and only about 7'X9' and about 10,000 lbs, besides the guy who bought my house loves it! sold the house to the 1st person the realtor brought, closed in 4 weeks! See . . . the rebar sticking out the sides? It is not hooked down, well other than gravity!


Hard to get a lift up here unless it is a helocopter Cement truck with all wheel drive couldn't come up






Another link to the book mentioned above . . . http://www.ovencrafters.net/

[E150GT]

thats pretty awesome, but sure is a lot of dough to spend on some bread!