The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Wood fired Oven

ehanner's picture
ehanner

Wood fired Oven

I just saw a PBS show on the tube and now that I think about it I think it may of been a Gourmet Magazine show on PBS, about Tuscan cooking. A fellow was making a point of explaining why he used small brush twigs and small diameter wood for firing his oven. He filled the oven with this small wood. He explained that if you start the fire with what we would call kindling and then add larger wood, you end up with a very hot floor and not so hot roof in the oven. This makes perfect sense and reminds me of another show where a baker in England was saying how he fills the oven with what they call "Faggotts" which are again, small diameter brush like wood. It flashes quickly and burns down to ash in a short time leaving the roof hot and the floor appropriately evenly heated.

I thought I would mention this since quite a few Fresh Loafians are escaping to the outdoor oven recently. Using small hardwood brush would make it easier to find burnable materials I would think also.

Eric

SylviaH's picture
SylviaH

Hi Eric, Each oven  holds and levels it's heat out differently...Im in the middle of making cake and rolls right now :D  but for a great example you might like to go to the http://fornobravo.com site and type in heat circulation on search and see some very interesting charts.  The convection type circulation created in the ovens is really neat and how it is retained in the walls and how you can make it stay there for different lengths of baking times.  The fire goes to the side of the oven once lit.  Sorry I missed that show sounds like it was very interesting!

Sylvia