42" build in McPherson KS

[slschoming]

I love that this is a problem! Great work sls. My progress has slowed down, but I'm still right behind ya. I love that you did cookies too! Get some more pizza pictures up, and yes as Russel said, patience. If you've never worked with dough before, it's 90% technique and timing and only 10% ingredients. Practice and patience is the key.

We lived in Italy for a year right after we were married and helped a friend open a restaurant. I got pretty decent with the oven by the time we left, but it's been 11 years and 3 kids ago so it's all a little foggy in my memory, haha...

A big part of our problem here is that it was raining on us both times we tried pizza so we were rushing around with everything and just trying to keep ourselves and our flour dry.. Next spring I am hoping to build a roof over the oven and extend my chimney so it's 3 feet above the roof.

We're going to do some more pizza on Saturday evening and so far the forecast says "Sunny" so we'll see how it goes.

[mintee]

...but the crust would actually ignite before my cheese would melt..

I love that this is a problem! Great work sls. My progress has slowed down, but I'm still right behind ya. I love that you did cookies too! Get some more pizza pictures up, and yes as Russel said, patience. If you've never worked with dough before, it's 90% technique and timing and only 10% ingredients. Practice and patience is the key.

[Gulf]

It's a long story but, I'm getting away from using aluminum in or around my oven. But, going back to the Dave's post about the aluminum baking tray (they are thicker than foil.) Place a few layers of wrinkled foil between the baking tray layer and the wood. The random air spaces will buy a lot of time before the wood reaches a combustable temperature.

[cobblerdave]

I've been using a piece of ply without foil, but have been waiting for the oven to cool to around 400 F before putting the door in place. Can you use the foiled door immediately after a pizza bake without burning up the plywood?

G’day
well one definite way to find out I recon, try it with the foil. If it burns... Mer... build anothery

[slschoming]

Hey! Glad to see that you are in the cooking phase now...How big of a live fire do you have when making the pizzas? You want some but not a raging inferno...I've only had one catch fire so far but even with that it wasn't ruined...Quick question, have you been monitoring your oven temps during cooking? What's been your ideal cooking temp? Floor? Dome? etc....

I haven't been very good at monitoring temps, I basically wait for the whole dome to clear and that's when I push all the fire and coals to the side. We have only done pizza twice, (we've done a lot of other cooking / baking in the residual heat).. I had a small fire left on the side of the oven, but it didn't look like the flame was wicking across the top of the dome...it must have been, or I must've gotten a little too close because before I knew it my crust was on fire.. It went out immediately when I lowered it to the floor and the pizza was fine...

[slschoming]

G’day

Disposable Oven Doors.

Yep like the infamous disposable baking tray it’s posible to have a disposable oven door.
1.You need a small 6mm sheet of ply
2.a roll of aluminium cooking foil
3. 2 x bricks
Cut the ply to fit the revel of your oven.
Wrap in 3 layers of aluminium foil. ( no more you’ll need the extra when the first bit gets tacky)
Fit the door to the oven after the fires out. Use the bricks to keep in place.
Try it... you’ll be able to put you hand on the outside of the “door” no worries.
Ugly... you bet.
Works... amazing but it does.

regards Dave

I've been using a piece of ply without foil, but have been waiting for the oven to cool to around 400 F before putting the door in place. Can you use the foiled door immediately after a pizza bake without burning up the plywood?

[UtahBeehiver]

Like Pat Morita (Karate Kid) says..........patience grasshopper.

[slschoming]

Nice to see the dome clear. FYI, if you want to brown the top of the pizza more without cooking the bottoms more, do what we call doming, slide the turning peel under the pizza and raise it up towards the top of the dome where it is really hot, it will be like an oven broiler and carmelize all the top in quick fashion.

I still haven't perfected the doming technique apparently... I tried on multiple pies on Friday night but the crust would actually ignite before my cheese would melt.. Maybe I went too high in the dome? We have been using large chunks of mozzarella. Maybe we need to grate the cheese instead, or get it out of the fridge a little sooner so it's closer to room temp when we put it on the pizza?

[david s]

Italians used to use some left over bread dough to seal around the door when baking a batch of bread.

[cobblerdave]

G’day

Disposable Oven Doors.

Yep like the infamous disposable baking tray it’s posible to have a disposable oven door.
1.You need a small 6mm sheet of ply
2.a roll of aluminium cooking foil
3. 2 x bricks
Cut the ply to fit the revel of your oven.
Wrap in 3 layers of aluminium foil. ( no more you’ll need the extra when the first bit gets tacky)
Fit the door to the oven after the fires out. Use the bricks to keep in place.
Try it... you’ll be able to put you hand on the outside of the “door” no worries.
Ugly... you bet.
Works... amazing but it does.

regards Dave

[slschoming]

Thanks UtahBeehiver and Gulf .

[Gulf]

Imo, you can fill in the undercut with vcrete to get it out flush with the wire. Since it will not be acting as an insulation but, as a filler, mix it as strong as you like. 5 to 1 is my recommendation. It wont hurt if you get it a little stronger than that. Outside of that layer, as Russell said, the stucco layer needs to continue on down to the hearth. Before applying the stucco layer, you may want to apply an acrylic bonding agent to hearth where the stucco meets the hearth.

[UtahBeehiver]

You should be able to stucco all the to the hearth and over the foamglas assuming your final stucco layer(s) thickness will be 3/4" or so, scratch, brown, finish.

[slschoming]

Gulf My next oven work day (whenever that is) I plan to apply a layer of something around my insulation. I have the chicken wire in place and will do a brick veneer around the outside, so this next layer does not need to be pretty. I am going tor waterproof and strong. Is standard stucco the way to go? What was your final layer before the brick veneer?

Also, I have my 3 inches of insulation and it doesn't go all the way down to the hearth, so I will need to fill in the space with something. Should I do standard concrete? See attached photo of what I am talking about, do I just need to pour a ring of concrete around my foamglas and cf board? I have plenty of vermiculite left and was wondering if I ought to do vcrete there instead? If so, what is an appropriate ratio?

[slschoming]

Here's a link on doors

https://community.fornobravo.com/for...ur-door-thread

Thanks Russell, I will check this out.