While I make and love pizza, I bake far more bread. Then, Christmas Eve, we bake bread for our friends and family, usually around 56 loaves. Currently, I bake them in a convection oven, 4 loaves at a time.... takes forever :-/ We've decided to build a WFO, and I've been studying the theory of different plans. I understand that the favorite plan here is directed at pizza baking and not bread, thus less thermal mass. If I understand the plans right, that equates to 2.5 inches of brick on the floor of the oven, and nothing under that. I've seen 4.5 inches of brick on the floor with the support slab directly below it as additional mass, followed by the insulating deck. I'm looking for a compromise.
When I bake bread, it's at least 6 hours after I start before I'm ready to bake, so a longer than an hour preheat time doesn't bother me. Usually close to the same with pizza, or longer, if I'm making the dough for same day use. If I can get 12 loaves of bread in one batch in the oven, I'd still need 5 batches for Christmas Eve. They would probably be staged about an hour apart (maybe just a little less), and I'm pretty tired come the end of the baking. I'd like to worry less about the fire/temperature at that point. So, what do you think about thermal mass in this situation. Put the bricks on end and get 4.5" and quit there? Stay with 2.5" brick and add a pad of refractory cement below? If so, how thick? 4" ?
What about the dome? I was thinking of using full bricks (9.5"). Is that way too much? I'd appreciate your thoughts and comments.
When I bake bread, it's at least 6 hours after I start before I'm ready to bake, so a longer than an hour preheat time doesn't bother me. Usually close to the same with pizza, or longer, if I'm making the dough for same day use. If I can get 12 loaves of bread in one batch in the oven, I'd still need 5 batches for Christmas Eve. They would probably be staged about an hour apart (maybe just a little less), and I'm pretty tired come the end of the baking. I'd like to worry less about the fire/temperature at that point. So, what do you think about thermal mass in this situation. Put the bricks on end and get 4.5" and quit there? Stay with 2.5" brick and add a pad of refractory cement below? If so, how thick? 4" ?
What about the dome? I was thinking of using full bricks (9.5"). Is that way too much? I'd appreciate your thoughts and comments.
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