YAY! A place for us "Woodies"!
Thanks, Floyd! Not many good resources out there on how to use the WFO vis-a-vis baking bread.
I'd like to christen this corner of TFL with a discussion of oven management -- specifically, how do you go about firing your oven?
The traditional method is to pack the box with pretty thin, dry wood and burn it from the top down/front to back without adding additional fuel, spread out the coals and let them burn for 30-45 minutes, then rake them out and let the oven "soak". I haven't had much success with that method, as it results in a too-hot hearth -- as in the bottoms of the loaves burn by the time the loaves are done (20 - 25 minutes).
I now build a smaller, slower fire, out of a bit larger-sized coked wood, and feed it for about 90 minutes, and rake the coals out about 20 minutes after the fire dies. I let the oven soak until the wall temps are around 600° (30 minutes or so for my oven) and then load the bread. I steam a couple of times in the first few minutes after loading with a fine-mist garden sprayer.
Anyone care to comment?
ClimbHi
Pittsburgh, PA