I finished my bake oven!

[intheberkshires]

Hi all! I finally finished my bake oven and I thank many of you here on the forum for great advice and encouragement early on - before I launched into this wonderful, insane journey!

I will attempt to post photos under Maria Nation's bake oven - that is, if I can figure out how to do it.

I also created a web page for a complete photo journal w/ photos. It's here:

http://www.montereymasonry.com/html/bakeoven.html

You will see many of the classic construction ideas put to use in the oven. But the mason who built it brough really great ideas of his own, that I had never seen before. Hope you like it. best wishes and thanks again! Maria

[CanuckJim]

Re: I finished my bake oven!

Maria,

Thanks for sharing what you've done with all of us. It's beautiful work, very distinctive. Traditional methods or not, the result is a triumph.

Jim

[Xabia Jim]

Re: I finished my bake oven!

Congrats on a lovely bake oven. The story and documentation is great.

Many happy bakes!

[Chris]

Re: I finished my bake oven!

That is one great looking oven! Happy cooking.

[Marcel]

Maria finished her bake oven AND garden!

(M) Maria, not just your oven, and baked goods, but your garden(s), from what I can see, are wonderful! I've always pushed to include innovative designs on this site and yours is the quintessential "original"!

(M) In addition to sending you kudos for your construction and artistic layout, I also want to compliment you on your well written, and visually effective presentation on the web site. I had some trouble accessing it initially but kept trying and finally viewed it leisurely for the past 15 minutes.

(M) I send you all good wishes for on-going success in all your endeavors.

With respect and admiration,

Marcel

[james]

Re: I finished my bake oven!

Maria,

What an absolute thrill to see your photos and your oven. The process must have been scary at times, but I'm sure the journey itself was wonderful (as well as wild), and the outcome is great.

Using sand is a traditional method for creating the shape of the oven dome, and I think your builder did an excellent job. If you notice that your first course of bricks is upright and a full high brick, then the rest of the dome curves in pretty steeply (almost a disk set on the first course of bricks) -- this is a style of oven you see more in the south. I think your builder knew exactly what he wanted to do.

Now, you get to share photos of all the great stuff you are going to make. I think you will be happy with your choice of the round, dome design.
Enjoy!
James

[intheberkshires]

Re: Maria finished her bake oven AND garden!

Thanks Marcel! You may not remember but you were one of the first, really helpful people to talk to me about bake ovens. Way back, early on in my obsession when I studied every photo and every post I could find on the subject. So thank you again. And thanks for your compliments on my gardens. They're buried in snow right now and I'm counting down the winter days until I can get out there again. They are a huge passion (along with baking).

best wishes, and thanks again, Maria

[intheberkshires]

Re: I finished my bake oven!

Thanks James, and thanks to everyone on the forum. You all really set an obsession into play (mine!) and, even if lots of my friends think I'm out of my mind, I know how fun this oven is going to be. I've been cooking lots of things besides bread in it and I realize it is sort of like the world's biggest crock pot/slow cooker. I can't wait for the snow to stop so I can get back out there and practice - and enjoy it. Many thanks for all your warm wishes and compliments. maria

[DrakeRemoray]

Re: I finished my bake oven!

...lots of my friends think I'm out of my mind...sort of like the world's biggest crock pot/slow cooker. I can't wait for the snow to stop so I can get back out there and practice...

Have you been reading my mind? Some of my friends think I am nuts (I have a much smaller suburban back yard), but they are coming around.

As to the slow cooker think, my wife was giving me a hard time becuase some of the best things that come out of my oven are the day after I made (or burnt) bread. Pot roasts, short ribs, etc.

I finished my oven in the fall and have not had a summer party with it yet. Can't wait for it to warm up...

Drake

[dezi]

Re: I finished my bake oven!

Wow!! what an oven, congrats to you! I am just in the beginning stages, poured the slab, wish that I was already there and enjoying my first loaf of bread or pizza, but looking at your pictures it gives me hope that not too long from now I will be posting similar pics.
Dezi

[intheberkshires]

Re: I finished my bake oven!

Thanks Dezi! And thanks for taking a look at the bake oven journal. It has now been a couple of years and I am still amazed and agog that this oven sits there in my back yard.

I use it as often as possible and just pulled out 11 loaves of bread.

My biggest worry these days (as far as bake ovens go - leaving out for the moment the collapse of the economy, homes being lost, etc etc) My biggest worry is being organized enough after the bake to utilize the oven's warmth. But when I am organized I can do roasts, braises, and, always, the best pot of slow cooked beans you will ever have.

I started out like most everyone else: looking at pictures and dreaming, dreaming!

So good luck to you Dezi! It's such a cool project and there are so many wonderful people on this forum to help you.

best wishes! Maria