Steven
You are making great progress! I noticed the late night photos, it can be an addicting process! If the 5/15 is going to haunt you, give the arch several days to cure (keep it moist - you don't want it to "dry") then shave off the bottom. Of course the risk is that some joint will fail and then you are patching things together. You could "simply" increase the height of your dome by 37% of 5/16 to maintain the 63% ratio of arch to dome

Personally the 5/16 would not bother me and I guarantee it will not affect the performance of your oven - those pies will taste just as good. Also, these ovens are not exact, the little "flaws" (some bigger than others - point the camera away) give them character and make them your own, and you will quickly forget them as time goes by.
I don't have any comment on home brew - I used FB mix.
Keep up the good work!
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