Earth Oven Notes

EARTH OVENS: 

Retained Heat Ovens have been used by communities around the world for thousands of years. They come in different sizes, shapes, are made with varying techniques and are called by different names including “horno”, Quebec oven and earth oven, but the principals remain the same: 

A fire is burned inside the oven for several hours, the walls and hearth of the oven absorb heat from the fire. Once the fire is removed and the floor cleaned, the oven will bake food for hours with the heat retained from the fire. 

Heat Properties: 

Earth ovens use three types of heat transfer: 

conduction: heat transfer from hot bricks of oven floor

convection: slow air currents moving inside the oven 

radiation: heat radiation from oven walls 

Stages of cooking: get the most out of your fuel, plan a baking schedule

Pizza

Bread

Cookies 

Casserole

Dry fruit 

Dry wood for future firings (your fire will burn more efficiently and your oven will heat hotter faster with dry wood. Leave door off to avoid coking.) 

Yoghurt

Oven Size: 

18”-24” - family scale 

24”-27” - small community

27” < party oven 

48” < restaurant/bakery  

Important Measurements: 

For proper air circulation the ratio of the door to the ceiling height is critical: 

• Door 63% of Dome
• Ceiling height: 15”-18”

• A typical firebrick: 9” x 4.5”

Where to get Materials: 

Sand: American Soil & Stone, Sugar City Building Materials, and many other local businesses 

Fire Bricks: Clay People, Sugar City Building Materials (much cheaper)

Urbanite, Soil: your backyard, or someone else’s: craigslist.org

Straw: Race Track, feed stores

Sawdust: Wood workers (make sure it is from clean wood--no plywood, paint etc.

Pigment, Bagged Clay: Douglas & Sturgess, Leslie Ceramics, Clay People

Books: 

Build your own Earth Oven: Kiko Denzer 

The Bread Builders Hearth Loaves & Masonry Ovens: Daniel Wing & Alan Scott