Keystone CRA|CK Ugh!!!!

[mfiore]

Re: Keystone CRA|CK Ugh!!!!

I think you should squeeze an "O" in your limestone sign, right after the "I"

[Lars]

Re: Keystone CRA|CK Ugh!!!!

Mike,
Thanks for the compliment. "Fiore" ... your last name?

I wasn't too sure what to put in that stone, but I knew I wanted to carve some letters in there because I just like the way it looks! Such a timeless technique.

My wife figured I would just carve 'W O R D', or something equally inane. She keeps me humble.

I like latin words carved in stone, but 'flamma' was just not as blunt and meaningful as "FIRE".

L.

[geisen]

Re: Keystone CRA|CK Ugh!!!!

Lars
Great job on the mantel and carving.

25min drive? yowsers.
You need a marble slab next to the oven and assemble the pizzas on site. Maybe turn the back of a pickup truck or van into a mobile kitchen for all the transport.

I feel your pain on the cracks. Still crying in my wine over mine. replacing an outer arch brick this weekend and hoping for the best.

My second attempt at cooking pizza sounds as bad as yours. had some friends over and it was a disaster; maybe 2 of 7 made a clean slide into the oven. cheese and sauce everytwhere.....burning.....sticking......oh the humanity.

In Brotherhood,
Greg

[Rodneyf]

Re: Keystone CRA|CK Ugh!!!!

The parchment paper is what we call baking paper in Australia and I thought it was called parchment paper in the US. It is a paper that we use under cakes when we bake them to stop them sticking to the pan. You should be able to assemble them before your drive and they shloud be right to slide off after a few seconds on the oven floor.

[Lars]

Re: Keystone CRA|CK Ugh!!!!

Rodney,
Thanks. I think I just got a little ahead of myself -- and I had no way to fix the problems as they compounded ( sticky, burning ingredients on floor, getting flustered, etc.)

Wouldn't the pizza stick to the paper? Would the paper burn if I left it in too long? Would the paper hold the pizza well enough for transfer to the peel ( probably I could slide the peel easily under the paper.) How, then, after placing it on paper in oven, would I then get it OFF the paper without... hmm... maybe it would slide after a few seconds like you say.

Another person suggested corn husks...

I think next time I will bring cornmeal, and some spray cooking oil ( don't everybody cringe at once!) I have been starting the bake in the aluminum pans, THEN transferring to peel. I just got so excited when my oven burned 'white' all the way down the sides, I had coals and fire on both sides of the main 'cooking alley'.... I guess it just got a little CRAZY!!!

I will definitely try the parchment idea next time on half the pizzas. Actually, as you probably all might guess, this evening worked out fine. I still have some leftovers, and , personally, I think wood fired pizza is BETTER the next day than right out of the oven.

When we were done cooking, I just spread the coals over the spills and --voila-- no more mess! ( just SEASONED oven floor!)

I really want to take another moment to thank all of you who will eventually read this -- for helping make this worldwide bread oven community so friendly, supportive, and USEFUL!

Lars.

[Gromit]

Re: Keystone CRA|CK Ugh!!!!

Lars,

I used to have a huge problem with pizzas sticking to the peel that I have since been able to correct. This works most every time for me:

1) Use a flour-dusted wooden peel.
2) Dust your dough generously before and during stretching of the base. Flip the dough over a couple of times during stretching.
3) Build the pizza on the peel.
4) THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP: Shake the pizza on the peel on the way to the oven. If the pizza slides freely back and forth, you will have a 100% success rate unloading it into the oven.
5) If step #4 fails, pick up a corner of the dough and blow underneath it; repeat step #4. (This tip from Chris Bianco with Jimmy Kimmel U-Tube vid.)
6) If step #5 fails, just fold it in to a calzone or x-fer it to another freshly dusted peel or else; else be sure it will stick as it comes off.

[dmun]

Re: Keystone CRA|CK Ugh!!!!

If step #5 fails, just fold it in to a calzone

I thought it folded it's self into a calzone when it hit the back wall of the oven

I'm sure all these suggestions of parchment paper, and spray oil (?) are well meant, but I really think you just need some practice. It may be worth buying some rice flour (or grinding up some rice in a blender) to try as a parting agent on your peel. And by all means, shaking it a couple of times during the topping process is a big help. That, and working fast. Good luck.

[Lars]

Re: Keystone CRA|CK Ugh!!!!

Hello again all,
I thought I would add to this, which is my oven story, I guess, thread.

The latest has been a couple of storage areas to the left and the right of the oven base. Honestly, this plan just kind of evolves, but one thing that I find very annoyingly wasteful is the long deep space under the oven. I am thinking ... long term firewood drying area... just fill it with VERY green hardwood... wait a year or two, and keep dryer split up stuff on the right and in front of the center ( below the oven)

The two areas are different depth, and I made the front edge of the concrete work surface a arc overhang. ( about 15' radius) similar to the grand scheme of the area.

The area to the right has a storage depth of only 16", so I think I will use that for current dry wood. The one on the right has 24" depth, so I will make doors for that and try to keep the bugs, or at least the mice out.

What use has anyone else come up with for the deep under oven space?

Lemme' know what you all think!
Lars.

[cynon767]

Re: Keystone CRA|CK Ugh!!!!

Because of the corner installation I did, I realized I would have an even deeper area with a difficult angle to access... especially since I had made my stand only 3 blocks high. I ended up putting an internal box to square off the storage area and shrink it to a useful and accessible size. It cuts down on the volume of storage greatly, but if I can't reach back there, what's the point? Besides, this way I knew I didn't have to worry about whether the hearth slab would hold the weight of the oven.

[bbell]

Re: Keystone CRA|CK Ugh!!!!

Lars, very impressive build and layout. Well done!

I too wondered about the empty space beneath. I ended up making some shelves to hold the various tools and works well. I'll attach a picture.

Cheers,
Bill

[dmun]

Re: Keystone CRA|CK Ugh!!!!

What use has anyone else come up with for the deep under oven space?

The best idea was to make a wheeled wood trolley that you could pull out to access the firewood in the back.

[jmhepworth]

Re: Keystone CRA|CK Ugh!!!!

I divided mine in half and have wood storage on both sides.

[Lars]

Re: Keystone CRA|CK Ugh!!!!

Dmun ( Dave, right?)

I have thought about that idea, and I like it. the cart idea could work. I even thought about something I could take down to the woods behind the mower and load up.

Joe: Had a look at your thread. Good idea, too. I can't get at the back of mine though ( solid earth back there)

So far I have a family of mice that always seem to take up residence at the back of the wood pile, then chew up any newspaper I try to store there to have on hand.

A tight fitting door would be quite worthwhile.

Hmm..
Lars.

[jmhepworth]

Re: Keystone CRA|CK Ugh!!!!

It's pretty tough to make a door fit tight enough to keep mice out. All but impossible.

[tony715]

Re: Keystone CRA|CK Ugh!!!!

have you given your oven time to cure prior to the small fires? i let my oven sit about 2 weeks before i started the curing fires. i have the dome made of 4 1/2" fire brick, 1" of firecaly and 3" of concrete. then i enclosed the entire vault with vermiculite and a concrete cap. if i could do it again i would let the dome cure much longer before the first fire and fuly cure it before i enclose the vault.

i am having a hard time understanding the cracking flu liner. they should with stand around 2000 degrees. no way you are reaching that temp. you flu liner size is the same that i used and mine draws reall well. i would really like to see the inside of the oven thru then mouth of the opening and up through the flu to see what is happening.

maybe your firecaly recipe is off. i used 10:6:2 (sand, fireclay,PCL) and seemed to work well with the firebrick. i aslo did a fire pit with the same recipe with good results.

don't ge me wrong i have some cracks also. guys here said don't sweat it so don't worry too much. i have had my oven well over 1000 degrees and the pizza is fantastic.

if you send me a friend request on face book (anthony leone) i have an entire photo album showing what we did. your more than welcome to take a look.

tony