The curing process...I may be confused

[Breven]

Can someone explain the curing process to me a little better?

As I build the progressively larger fires, do I try to maintain the heat for a period of time, long enough for all of the bricks to warm up?

I built fire #2 last night, added a few small peices of wood to the newspaper. It didn't last very long. I started to think that perhaps I should have continued to add some small peices of wood to heat the oven all the way through- controlling how hot it gets by only adding small slivers of wood to maintain the small fire size.
I put my hand on the floor near the opening after the fire went out (took maybe 7 min) and the bricks we're hardly even warm.

What's the secret to a proper cure?

[james]

Re: The curing process...I may be confused

The way I think about it is that you are drying to "bake out" the water from your bricks, concrete, vermiculite concrete, and mortar without getting that water so hot that it makes steam -- which causes cracks and stress.

Too low and slow and you don't actually bake the water out.
Too hot and fast and you make steam.

The FB curing instructions call for long low fires starting at 300?F, and going up in 50?F increments each day.

Helpful?
James

[Breven]

Re: The curing process...I may be confused

I guess what I'm wondering is, do I build a fire to 300 degrees and try to maintain 300 degrees for a period of time so all of the bricks are 300 degrees or should the fire peak at 300 degrees and then burn itself out.

I don't have a thermometer yet...so I'm sort of guessing at the temp. I'm going to buy one of your sweet laser thermo's- but one expense at a time.

[james]

Re: The curing process...I may be confused

Get it to 300?F and keep adding small bits of wood to hold it there -- as long as you can; all day.

Try this. Turn your regular oven to 300?F and stick your hand in it. Count seconds (or Mississippi's) to see how long it takes for your hand to get hot. Then, use your hand as a temperature gauge.

And it's free. :-)

Just don't to that at 800?F when you are baking pizzas.
James

[Breven]

Re: The curing process...I may be confused

Gotcha. I have a day job, so I can't do it all day! But I can certainly do it for a few hours tonight. Thanks for the clarification.

Good idea with the sticking your hand in the oven method, hopefully my reflexes are still good...can't wait to explain to the kids how sticking your hand in the oven can actually be a good thing.

[james]

Re: The curing process...I may be confused

..can't wait to explain to the kids how sticking your hand in the oven can actually be a good thing.

Aren't wood ovens fun.

Just start it after you get home from work and try to keep it going all evening -- if you can.

James

[Breven]

Re: The curing process...I may be confused

Thanks James...I'll do that.

[Breven]

Re: The curing process...I may be confused

I burned curing fire #7 yesterday, burned for about 4 hours and got up to a little over 900F before I decided to let it burn down. Snapped an ugly photo of the ceiling begining to turn white which was right around 750-800 F. (according to my newly purchased infared thermometer). THis morning, before heading to work- the oven floor was 265F and the ceiling was 322F, no door.
Need to tidy up a few things tonight, which will finish off the enclosure- then I plan to cook my first pizza on Saturday...yahhooo!

[toddj]

Re: The curing process...I may be confused

cool seeing the dome go white!

[Breven]

Re: The curing process...I may be confused

It's totally cool. Everyone here on the forum gets it...but my wife thinks I have completley lost my mind. Everytime I've hit a milestone, I get all excited...yell at the wife to come check it out. "Honey, check it out...the ceilings turning white!" She looks at me, like I just mubled something in a foreign language..."that's nice". I bet she'll be excited when I'm cooking a sweet homemade pizza dinner on Saturday night...
I have an idea. When she tells me what she wants on her pizza, I'll tell her "that's nice".

[asudavew]

Re: The curing process...I may be confused

- then I plan to cook my first pizza on Saturday...yahhooo!

That will be a great feeling!

It was fun watching your build, thanks for posting.

As for the wife.... Mine thought I was crazy too.
But now, when I tell her, "No pizza this weekend."
She pouts.

So just wait till your wife eats her first pie!

She will "get it" then.

Congrats Man!

Don't forget to take pictures of your first pies.!

And read up on pizza making, and getting pizzas off your peel!
You do have a peel don't ya?

Dave

[Breven]

Re: The curing process...I may be confused

Oh yeah Dave...I think I'm ready. I've been reading, I even watched your videos- twice.

I'll definitly take pics. I have a couple of peels...I have my Tipo 00 flour and San Marzano's from FB...I'm ready!

OH...I know youa re the dough expert, so I do have one question for you. I don;t have a mixer yet, so I'm planning to do it by hand. I don't think I've seen any insruction on mixing and kneeding by hand. Any tips?

[asudavew]

Re: The curing process...I may be confused

OH...I know youa re the dough expert, so I do have one question for you. I don;t have a mixer yet, so I'm planning to do it by hand. I don't think I've seen any insruction on mixing and kneeding by hand. Any tips?

Not an expert by any means, but I can handle my dough!
Do you have a scale yet? I found a nice electronic one at Ross for 10 bucks.
( Ross is a closeout dept store chain)

Anyways.. tips..
Since dough for the WFO is so wet, it really isn't hard to mix by hand.
Start it in a bowl, add half your flour, the salt, the yeast, and the water.
Mix with a fork, until well blended. Then flour your counter top or large cutting board. Flour it well. Then pour the dough out (it will be really wet, and you might add more flour while it is still in the bowl) and add the rest of your flour. Then knead for a 5 or 6 minutes.

That should work just fine.

You might try making a batch or two tonight. With maybe one gram of yeast and ice cold water. Then place four 220? gram dough balls into a covered container, and place them into your fridge for over night dough retardation.

And then tomorrow, do the same thing, only increase the yeast to 5 grams and use room temp water.
Start making your dough at about the same time that you begin to heat up your WFO.
After mixing, just leave the dough balls covered on the counter.

Then decide which one that you like better.!

Let me know if you need anything else! And definitely let me know how it all turns out.

Oh!!! take the cold dough balls out... maybe an hour before you start to fire up the WFO.

Dave

[Breven]

Re: The curing process...I may be confused

Yes...I do have a nice digital scale. Used it in my office for weighing letters and such (I stole to serve a more nobel purpose).

Thanks for the tips Dave. I'll follow your instructions to a T and let you know how it turns out.

Pictures of the burned up pies or smiling faces should tell the story!

[Frances]

Re: The curing process...I may be confused

Oh yeah Dave...I think I'm ready. I've been reading, I even watched your videos- twice.

Oh well, you can't go wrong then, can you?

There's a video of hand kneading dough somewhere on the forum... um... here, maybe that'll help:

Hearth Bread Instruction Video | Bread Techniques

Have a great time tomorrow, let us know how it goes! My husband thought I was mad, too