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