Bakers Pride electric counter top Hearth Series Oven

I've noticed an interest here in commercial ovens that could be used in the domestic home setting, so I thought I'd share my experience/knowledge with you all.

I too had a desire to have a commercial quality oven I could dedicate mainly to bread baking.  I have a Wolf gas range that I fitted with a large heavy steel "stone", and an Advanco half sheet convection oven that I've baked bread in.  As it turned out neither produced the bread results I wanted.  Yes, with manipulations, I could produce acceptable product, but it involved a lot of fuss, and I just wasn't that happy with either.  (when I bought the convection oven I didn't realize they were not good for baking bread)  I did a lot of research on the internet, and decided that a deck oven was probably the best type oven for bread baking.  Then I started looking for deck ovens.  Hard to find and expensive.  About the only reasonably priced  home sized deck ovens were pizza ovens, and their low deck heights presented real problems for baking loaves of bread.  I searched E-Bay and found a number of used pizza ovens, but most just didn't have the chamber height necessary for bread baking.  I did discover that some of these "pizza" ovens were actually intended to do a bit more than bake pizzas.  Notably the Bakers Pride Hearth Series, and the Blodgett model 1415.  Now new, these ovens are quite expensive ($4500-$6000), but used, you might be able to find a bargin.  I started looking, and found a Bakers Pride P24S oven I thought might fit the bill.

The price on the one I was considering was OK, but it was a 3 phase machine, and I don't have 3 phase power.  Looking at Bakers Pride's website I noted that their ovens were often offered in either single phase or 3 phase power and thought they might be field convertable.  This oven was, so I bought it.  I offered $900 and the seller agreed.  I had to pay a bit over $300 shipping so it cost me a little over $1200 (plus tax)  This model is 240v with 2150 w capacity and a max temp of 550F.  It has a 20.75 x 20.75 inch deck, and a chamber height of 7.5 in. and weighs about 130 lb.  These ovens come standard with stone decks, and there is an optional steel deck offered.  I expected a stone deck, but when it came I discovered it was actually steel.  The steel deck is heavy sheet steel, but wasn't what I wanted.  The OEM stone deck is synthetic and consists of two 1/2" pieces.  They sell for about $250 for the set.  This seemed pricey, and I really perfered natural granite over synthetic stone anyway, so I began looking.  In years past I've managed to buy at least one nice granite counter sink cut out, so I looked.  I couldn't find one so I went to a local granite counter top fabricator, and asked.  We searched his cutouts, and discovered they just weren't large enough.  He then offered to cut me one.  I told him what I intended to use it for, and he said he would look for stone that would work well as an oven deck, and that it would cost me $50.  I jumped at the offer, and a week later I had a 20.75 x 20.75 x 1.25 inch stone.  It weighs 55 lbs.

Back to the 3 phase power issue.  I contacted Bakers Pride about the conversion, and they gave me the instructions.  (the conversion was covered in the owners manual - which I did not have)  It consisted of simply switching around the cord wires, and disconecting one wire.  I had to change the cord plug as well.  I now had a functioning commercial "deck" oven of my own.  The new granite deck was thicker than the steel deck, so my chamber height is now 7 inches.

This is a counter top oven, but I didn't have a counter to put it on.  For space and power reasons, I'm using it in a separate room.  I needed a stand.  I looked at commercial stands, and they were several hundred dollars, and the domestic stands just didn't look to be robust enough, so I made my own.  I welded up a stand using 1" square tubing and angle iron.  I was almost ready to bake.  I've been using the hot water/cast iron pan method to steam in my Wolf range.  I've found it to be way more messy than I'd like - besides a skillet on the deck would take up too much room.  I read about the Rofco steaming pans, and thought a long narrow trough would be the foot print I wanted.  Rather than buy one or source a box to put rods or bolts in, I chose to make my own from heavy steel stock.  I happend to have a length of 3" channel left over from a fence I made 20 years ago, so I cut a piece 18 " long, welded ends on it and now had a 9 lb water tray (it's about 1.25" deep).

I began baking with my new oven.  I used a sprayer and sprayed water in the trough, and on the deck of the oven, and had pretty good results.  The granite deck is easy to clean, and I have no fear of thermal shock breaking it.  The oven does take time to heat.  Probably an hour and a half.  I've been experimenting with different temps and times trying to get my bake details just right.  I didn't like the uncertainity of the steam tray/sprayer steam method and decided to follow several others here, and build a steam injection system, built around a pressure cooker.  Without a heating system available like the range based oven set ups, I opted for a self contained electric pressure cooker.  I bought a used Presto 6 qt probably built in the 70's, off E-Bay.  It has a 1410w 120v power source.  I recently plumbed it up using a ball valve, quarter inch silicone pressure hose, and brass fittings.  I've used it now in a couple of bakes with encouraging results.  BTW, the oven chamber is the same as their 2 deck pizza model, and has holes in the back for the third element.  I used one of these holes to gain access for my steam injection.

I've written this not so much to tell you what I've done, but rather to tell you that commercial electric pizza type ovens can be set up and used as home deck ovens.  Mine is a Bakers Pride, P24S.  The smaller BK18 would also work.  Don't confuse it with the similar P18 which is a two deck pizza oven, unless you want to do a lot of modifying.  Look for a single deck oven.  I mentioned earlier that a Blodgett 1415 might work as well.  I don't know about the phase issues on those ovens.

I control the upper/lower element heating with the thermostat control.  The oven has a light on the front that indicates when the elements are on.  I simply turn down the thermostat enough to turn off the elements when I steam.  The thermal mass of the heavy granite deck keeps the oven temp up even when the elements are off.  I continue to experiment with my baking details.  As you all know, no two ovens act the same.  Unfortunately I don't have the tools necessary to provide photos.  I hope this help someone out there.  Jim