Clay oven build

[Mickey-t]

I thought I would add photos of my build. This is the 3rd oven of this type that I have built. Unfortunately, I couldnt take photos during construction as I was on my own, and my hands were covered in the clay mixture.

There is 6" of Perlite/cement insulation under the floor. The floor and skirts are fire bricks. After a week or so of drying I will build the front arch/flue, then add 6" of perlite/cement over the dome as insulation.

The dome is equal parts of ball clay, stone dust, bricklayers sand along with 20(ish) % portland cement and rope fibres. This was applied in 4 layers.

Hope this may help someone considering the same project :-)

[Mickey-t]

I couldn't resist trying the oven last weekend before insulating. It cooked great pizza. The dome did crack but I was expecting it to, as both of the other ovens I built cracked too. It is not really an issue.

I'm glad I spent the extra money on the fire bricks for the floor rather than clay pavers. The pizza dough came out perfect. Nice and crisp. I used Colivta Tipo 00 flour blended with 20% wholemeal, and a quick rise ( it was spur of the moment to try it out). I forgot to take pictures, but I will do next time.

I applied a good 5" of perlite/cement 5 days ago, so I will fire it tonight to drive out the remaining moisture, then have pizza in 2 days. I got some Caputo flour, so have just made up some dough, and it's in the fridge for a 48 hour rise 😊😊.

I just need to decide how I am going to finish it off. I am leaning towards mosaic tiles.

Here's a couple of photo's of the progress. The outdoor kitchen is coming along. We now have running water 😊

[Mickey-t]

[Mickey-t]

Maiden voyage 👍

[crisp]

Congratulations, those pizzas look pretty good
I really like this clay dome build. I'm sure it wasn't a simple build, but it seems simpler than firebricks. How is the clay holding up and how long does this type of oven retain the heat for?

Chris

[Mickey-t]

Thanks Chris

Yes, I am happy with it (once again)

The first oven I built was in 2008, and it is still going well. I don't know how long it will last, but should last for many, many years.

Here is a link with all the info you will need to build this oven. Just insulate under the floor rather than using crushed granite. I also built it so I could fit a door without all the heat escaping up the flue, so I can use it for bread making.

I don't yet know how long it retains heat for. My next project is to build an insulated oven door, so I will report back once I have given it a go.

http://www.bhgshop.com.au/blogs/how-...ood-fired-oven