First FB WFO in India

[guns]

Hi
I've been wanting to start a pizzeria in Bangalore, India. There are very few pizzerias that serve wood fired pizzas and they are all gourmet / expensive places. I want to start one that is affordable to all :-)

Been researching for a while and here are my conclusions

I cant afford to buy a Modena / napoli
I'd like to make a brick oven with the same principles (thanks to the free info FB guys share)
I'm guessing I'll need about 60 Pizzas an hour size (44x52)
I'd like to emulate the theme rustic italian restaurants in the US

Where do i start?
Thanks in advance
guns

[azpizzanut]

Re: First FB WFO in India

Hi guns,

Where to start? Location, location, location.

After you find a place to put the oven then find a source for all the necessary materials or reasonable substitutes for the recommended materials. If you want to do mostly pizzas and flat breads then a low dome oven is suitable. A size of 42 to 51 inches will cook 3-4 pizzas at one time.

Will your oven be outdoors? Will it be covered from the rain? Will it need a chimney? These issues should be considered in your overall design. Also, make the oven floor high enough so that you don't have to bend over to look inside. The hearth level should be considered when you build the base so it will be the right height when you are finished.

Another consideration for your business is a steady supply of dry wood to burn.

Cheers,

[guns]

Re: First FB WFO in India

Hi Bob

Thanks for your reply

here's where i am:

I've found the location - its an old dilipated house thats in a great location (nearly 100 restaurants in that street... (its where people go when they want to eat)

The restaurant is half indoor half outdoor. I haven't decided where the oven will be.. I like the inside option because i'll have more place outside for a open cafe styled pizzeria.

I will need a chimney either ways because its a legal requirement

Thanks for the oven height suggestion - i hadn't thought of it...

I've found suppliers for all the materials for the oven - i've a question there tho:

Can i substitute the FB board (base) with an FB blanket... cause i'm not sure the supplier can source me a ceramic FB board...

Also: welcome creative pizzeria names :-)

[lwood]

Re: First FB WFO in India

Go bigger. At 60 pizzas an hour, or 1/min, you will need to have 2 to 3 pizzas in there all the time. 60" is a good size. You will thank me later.

[dmun]

Re: First FB WFO in India

Can i substitute the FB board (base) with an FB blanket... cause i'm not sure the supplier can source me a ceramic FB board...

No. The refractory blanket will compress and not insulate, as well as having your oven sink. They do make a "rigidifier" for the blanket, but I don't think it's made as a board substitute. Keep looking: If you can't get refractory board, go with vermiculite/perlite concrete.

[azpizzanut]

Re: First FB WFO in India

Hi Guns,

If you have suppliers for the oven materials, including fire bricks, then you might consider using insulating kiln bricks under the hearth. Set them on edge. You want K23 or K29 insulating bricks. Insulating bricks are less dense than fire bricks and about half the weight. K29 bricks are even less weight but more fragile. You don't need to mortar them in place.

In your first post you mention a dimension of 44x52. Is that the size of the pizza you wish to make? I assume that measurement is in cm. If that is the size of pizza then you will need a large oven with an entrance large enough to accommodate the peel. The free FB Pompeii plans may provide useful information on dome and entry proportions.

Even though you propose to make 60 pizzas per hour you might consider that 60 large pizzas per hour is quite a feat. A favorite pizza restaurant in my city can handle 60 pizzas per hour but he only makes one size. It is easy to fit three or four 30cm pizzas at a time in his oven and they cook in less than two minutes. Another consideration for a business with a large oven is fuel consumption, you will need a steady supply of quality wood since you will want the traditional live flames and some smoke. Do you have a plan for maintaining the oven during off-peak hours?

Note: "Rigidifier" is applied with a stick or brush and makes a crust over the ceramic blanket. It doesn't penetrate to make the blanket solid except at the surface.

Creative pizzeria names:


"Bangalore's Best Italian Pizza"

"Bangalore Pizza Company"

"India Pizza Palace"

"All Nations Pizza" You could feature pizza styles from India, Italy, U.S., England, Thailand and others. I like this name and can visualize great menu pages with descriptions of pizza ingredients. I think you could even develop an interesting variety of veggie pizzas based on country names.

"Guns for Pizza"

Cheers,

[lwood]

Re: First FB WFO in India

You might want to consider gas or gas/wood combo as an alternative to just wood. Your going to be using a lot of wood.

[azpizzanut]

Re: First FB WFO in India

Hi lwood, All,

Hmmmm, interesting thought, home-built gas pizza oven. Did you have a design in mind, published plans? Don't they take some special venting or safety features? How would you know what size and type of burner to choose? Are parts available to build a self designed gas oven? Guns said he wants to build an oven but I'm wondering if there is enough expertise on the forum to help him with a gas oven.

Cheers,

[lwood]

Re: First FB WFO in India

Can't really help you with that on the forum. That subject has been taboo here on the forum.

[azpizzanut]

Re: First FB WFO in India

Hey, look at what I found about home made gas fired pizza ovens:

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f2/p...oven-3297.html

Cheers,

[guns]

Re: First FB WFO in India

Hi all

lwood: early thanks - i'll plan for a bigger one
dmun: Thanks for the blanket answer

bob: thanks yet again >

i'll check on the insulating kiln bricks... ur suggesting i lay them beneath the firebrick hearth and above the ceramic insulating board, right?

44x52 " is the size of one of the modena ovens, inside - so my plan was to make one similar to that (now, i think i might go bigger)

60 regular pizzas (i think about 12") per hour is my optimistic projection [i dont want to regret not planning for it - we are, after all, over 1 billion people ;-) ]

Also, I dont have a plan for the oven maintenance during off peak hours - i thought the temp wont go down too much between lunch and dinner and it was relatively easy to get it started and achieve 900F (i seem quite under-prepared)
how long does it take, really?

I love "all nations pizza" !!! great theme...

I dont want to complicate the whole thing with gas. Firewood is easily available in india. there are many villages here that use firewood for cooking even today

[azpizzanut]

Re: First FB WFO in India

Hi Guns,

Thank you for clarifying some of the details for me.

I wasn't sure if you could actually obtain the FB type insulation board so suggested you substitute insulating kiln bricks instead. You would place the fire bricks on top of the kiln bricks. Lay the kiln bricks on their narrow side. You can decide to lay the fire bricks narrow side down for a thicker hearth or lay them flat. Place the fire bricks at an angle, herring bone style, so as to avoid joints lining up with the kiln bricks.

Making a thick hearth will provide good heat retention, during the off peak hours, if it is well insulated.

Have you thought of baking bread in your oven? That would allow you to make good use of the heat retaining abilities of a brick oven as it cools down from pizza baking temperatures to bread baking temperatures.

Cheers,

[lwood]

Re: First FB WFO in India

Hi Guns,
Your oven will stay hot (500F) for hours, if you keep the door on during the slow times. It is easy to get it back to pizza temp within minutes by tossing a few pieces of wood in and get a nice flame going. Don't worry about that, your oven should be still warm the next morning. You can use the remaining coals to start your fire the next morning.

[azpizzanut]

Re: First FB WFO in India

Hi Guns,

I sent you a private message.

Cheers,

[DrakeRemoray]

Re: First FB WFO in India

Pizzerias in Italy often bake bread in the morning with the retained heat from the night before...just another possible way to make some money off that heat...