Brick oven

[czechsonofagun]

I was told to start on the end to get everybody's attention. Following that advice, this is the output of a project. We are baking:

Pizza:

Czech rye bread:

 

[czechsonofagun]

This is not how it started, but it is the oldest picture I could find.

Building the base, using leftover blocks and parts of a chimney:

 

[czechsonofagun]

Going fancy with the arch and brick rim:

 

[Egon]

Very nice work.

Now for some "Rox" Olive oil to go with the bread!

Secrete skills learned in the Old Country, yes???

 

[Podunkadunk]

I really love the concrete dome! Looks great, functional and I can taste that bread from here

Podunk

 

[lhfarm]

I have a copy of "The Bread Builders: Hearth Loaves and Masonary Ovens" by Daniel Wing and Alan Scott at the top of my reading list. Did you use a set of plans or go with your own design?

Don't suppose you would like to take a little trip to southern Indiana and build one for me...

Great job!

 

[czechsonofagun]

Thank you guys for kind words. I have more pictures from the construction to post. It just yesterday my wife dragged me to some b-day celebration including ball room dancing

lhfarm:

I followed this plan:

French Bake Oven Workshop with Norbert Senf - 2003 MHA Meeting

but I drifted of little bit in the shape and size.

 

[czechsonofagun]

Ready for rebar and bottom insulation:

I was not sure if the insulation is going to work, but I done it anyway. The logic was the dome will be standing on the sides and middle supports only a layer of firebricks and the concrete is about 2.5" thick above the fiberglass.


Base is finished:

 

[czechsonofagun]

Here is a gap in photos; already going up:

 

[czechsonofagun]

I used regular firebricks and mixture of fireclay (from Indiana) cement and sand. That stuff smells like a pond mud and it is very sticky. If you keep bricks dry, they hold in place without support almost all the way to the top. The wooden shapes are needed to follow the arch.

The top looked like a hedgehog with bricks sticking up in the air:

 

[czechsonofagun]

I filled the back cracks with more fireclay mixture:

Tried different tools, but hands worked best for this part.

When it all dried - took 2 weeks or so , I stuccoed it with mortar from Home Depot.

I would like to paint it too, but I leave the artsy job to my wife

 

[Mighty Dodge]

Very nice!

M.D.

 

[czechsonofagun]

Overall it was fun to build and it is great fun to use. It takes a while to heat up, but when it gets going, it goes We used it for bread and pizza and some sausages and such.

Costco pizza was done in 2 minutes or so, bread takes 3/4 of an hour - and we love to sit in front of it at night, just watching the flames.

And here is my bread receipt:

5 cups of bread flour
3 cups of rye or whole wheat flour
2 spoons of salt
4 spoons of dry yeast
2 spoons of carraway seeds (in my country we call them kmin/cumin)
4-5 cups of warm water

Mix it in a mixer for 15 minutes or so (Kitchen Aid for me), let it grow for an hour, dump it on cooking stone and bake it.

 

[dillo99]

That is awesome. great project - thank you for sharing!

 

[GaryM]

That's great! If the economy tanks, you've already got a business going.

Either baking bread, or building ovens.

You need to build a Tandoor next. Although if Wiki is correct the oven you built is an improvement over the Tandoor.

 

[czechsonofagun]

Thank you, gentlemen. I am getting ready to dry deer jerky in the oven this week.

As far as next project, headquarters requested outdoor fireplace with a chimney and a spit

 

[scott_vt]

Very nice work.

Now for some "Rox" Olive oil to go with the bread!

Secrete skills learned in the Old Country, yes???

Good Evenin Egon,
Old country is good !


Prokop,
Wow what a Beautiful Job !!! Thanks , that is gorgeous !

 

[hunterridgefarm]

Prokop,

Thanks for adding to my project list, I was outside last night thinking of where I could build one of these.

Very nice job and I will be adding one to my future outdoor kitchen!!

 

[charlz]

Hmmm that rye bread looks good. My in-laws are Czech and introduced me to Tartar (Tatar疚 ?) where you rub garlic cloves on the rye bread and then spread on the meat... good stuff if considered a little risky these days.

 

[rox]

REAL NICE job on your oven!!!!! Over here everybody has one of these in thier back yard, everybody. They sell the build it yourself kits over here. One thing missing, or perhaps not shown in the pic is the half circle metal that you put in front of the opening. It has a handle on it. Over here no Costco Pizzas! Everybody maks thier own dough for their pizzas. The big pizza around here is tomatoe and anchovy pizza. They make those up first as appetizers then make others with meats and cheese etc. Free standing Grills like a Webber Grill has jsut recently started being sold. Everyody has a pizza oven and sometime an additional brick grill.

You did do a fantastic job!!! It would fit right in in any home in Provence!!!!