Pompeii Oven Floor Size

[ultrasport]

I just finished my base (72" X 80") and ready to start building my Pompeii domed oven. I have enough room to build anything from a 36" to a 42" inside floor and in between.. My question is what's the ideal size? I will be using the oven primarily for pizza and bread. I am looking for the the most efficient size as far as heating up time- cost efficency--amount of wood-etc while accomodating a family of 3 with the occasional party of about 10.

[Kvanbael]

I have 39” and we had a 15 ppl pizza party yesterday. The bottleneck was preparing, not at all floorspace. We also do a lot of breadbaking. I usually fit 6 loafs of 500g flour each, but could probably fit 8. The oven consumes quite a lot of wood (I preheat for almost 4h, gradually building up). (I manage my carbon-footprint-guilt by combining multiple preparations). If I had to rebuild it. I would not go bigger.

[w650gb500]

We had 10 people last evening and as Kvanbael mentioned above, I couldn’t prep as fast as they cooked. My oven is 32” inside and just fine for my home use. It is quite efficient compared to a 48” I just rebuilt for a family members business. I feel that the limiting factor in my oven is the size of the opening. I don’t know that I could do 2 pizzas at the same time, be able to constantly turn and get them out without destroying them. I’m good with one at a time, it may take a bit longer to finish all of them, but I can enjoy a few more adult beverages in the extra time it takes. It’s all good.

“IF” i ever did this again 36” would be the biggest I would want to go. Not that I plan to move anytime soon, but by the time it happens, I may get a bit better at the whole “pizzaioli” thing and be able to use a slightly bigger oven.

[Petter]

Larger ovens provide a more even heat and space to mess around in. Simpley, the larger the oven - the more room for error.

My oven is only 16" wide but deep enough to fit the fire. The amout of people you feed depends more on your skill than the oven size. I manage about 2.5 minutes pizza to pizza with the little oven. 1.5 min prep and 1 minute bake. It makes some 20-25 pizzas per h of 12-13" diameter continuously.

If fuel economy is of importance, I would recommend a 30-32" dome. Use the rest of the space for insulation for very long retained heat cooking.

[UtahBeehiver]

I agree with Petter, for a family of 3 and occasional party a 30-32" is a good size. I built a 42" and it is really a party oven only. It is not effective to heat and fuel up for just two of us. It is used when we have parties of 10 to 20. But more important is good insulation for extended cooking and heat retention. With good insulation you can easily get 3-4 days worth of cooking out of an well insulated oven with a good insulated door. Pizza, then bread, then roasting.