outdoor brick oven

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Has anybody ever build something like this? Would that be interesting for bread or just work for pizza? https://www.homehardware.ca/en/quarry-stone-pizza-oven/p/2727041

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Bread vs pizza: with bread, the oven is cooler. So if it can handle pizza temps, it can handle bread temps.

I have not used a brick oven, but my understanding is that you want it built so that when you seal/close the front opening, you also want to close off the flue/chimney, so the baking chamber keeps in the steam from the dough.  At least that is what I see in the famous Alan Scott design of brick ovens, in The  Bread Builders book.

Pizza is baked with burning coals/flame, so you need both the door and the flue open.

Maybe check youtube to see if anyone has documented their build and use of it, and given a review.

Here's a forum for outdoor brick ovens: https://community.fornobravo.com/

It is sponsored by a manufacturer, but all brands and DIY are welcome.

Good luck. and if you build an oven, from a kit or from scratch, please share the journey with lots of photos.

The Bread Builders book also goes into how the internal flue opening needs to be X% lower than the highest internal height of the baking chamber for proper air circulation for bread.  This is less important for pizza. 

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In reply to by idaveindy

I guess a bunch more research is in order. I am just worried about collecting all the bits and pieces myself. A kit would be great but I haven't seen one for bread baking specifically.

Why don't they just offer what we need? lol

according to that web page, it is a kit with all the pieces. But no reviews so far.  There is a place on the page to ask questions.

I tried to find the price. but you have to select a store first. But the 3 stores I selected, apparently don't stock it, because as soon as i selected a store, it would no longer let me return to the product page!  how silly.

Here is another web page with many links to outdoor and indoor brick ovens.

http://heatkit.com/html/bakeoven.htm

I'll ask in store or call them to see how pricey this is. I was just curious in general if this is even a good idea before I start counting my pennies.

Wood burning ovens for bread baking is a whole other level of skill.  And a lot more work. usually takes a few hours if not more to preheat the oven (which is not easy to get the right dome temp you want. then you have to clean it down a bit before you bake. and constantly monitoring temp and moving the loaves around.  I looked into this some years ago and decided that it wasn't for me.  For pizza though, that's a different story.  i would love to do wood burning pizza oven.  bake a neapolitan in under 2 minutes. 

We are on a farm and I would be around when I do this. Also thinking for later, retirement. Heat, make pizza, let it cool and cook/bake bread while it's cooling. I am just not sure what to really look for yet. But I have time. Retirement is quite a few years away.

I have baked in wood ovens. Mostly Pizza but also bread and bagels.. 

The point I would add is that with wood fired bread baking you have to consider volume of dough and steam. What I mean by that is if you have a large hearth and bake a single loaf you'll likely be unhappy, rather you need to load a full deck of dough to bake a great deck of bread. If you think of those great videos online where the bead maker is putting in a dozen or more loaves to bake at a time, that's not only efficient given all the wood you had to burn to bring the oven to temp but to create enough steam within the chamber to get a good rise. If you put in a single loaf into a large oven the steam will be lost in all that space from just one loaf. You won't ever get the oven spring you hoped for regardless of how good a dough you developed. So plan to either i) use it for pizza, ii) make it much smaller for just a few loaves, or iii) plan on large bakes.

Good luck..

I am thinking along the lines of micro bakery as a retirement plan. So yes, definitely multiple loaves. If I only bake one I can use the home oven. My problem is more the limit of the space in a home oven. Rofco would be great but wood fired bread is another level.

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She:  I have a copy of The Bread Builders by Wing and Scott.  I think it would be good for your research.

https://www.amazon.com/Bread-Builders-Hearth-Loaves-Masonry/dp/1890132055?tag=froglallabout-20

Available new, used, and Kindle format.

Lots of "things to know" sprinkled throughout the case studies.   My take-away is that shortcuts and mistakes  can sabotage the oven, mainly in its ability to survive the thermal expansion/contraction.  The secondary critical factors are in sizing and thicknesses, which relate to efficiency. 

Be sure to read the case-studies, because while they seem mainly "story telling" at first glance, they include some really good strategies on things like firings, temp management, and operation/scheduling.

If you have a cheap/free source of firewood, and can obtain materials at reasonable cost, and provide the labor yourselves, a WFO sounds like a deal.

I'll check it out. I have looked at Richard Miscovich's book briefly but I think it's time to take a closer look at books like these.