# Outdoor Wood Fired Oven



## Chickensittin (Jul 25, 2012)

Has anyone here built a wood fired oven? I am interested in building one for bread baking. I have read a couple of books and I know that there are plans, kits, workshops available. Any design suggestions (size, materials, etc.) or for location of the oven? What have you done? Thanks!


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Cob works good and it's free. A lot of people built the type where you build the fire to heat the oven and then cook in the same place, these work great if you know what you are doing (they have perfectly even heat) but imo they are less versatile. With a separate firebox you can keep the temperature up for longer. It is not difficult to incorporate water heating into the mix either. 

I have found putting a roof over the oven helps to keep it in great shape and makes it more likely to be used regularly. Then if you are really crazy you can close in one side for a sauna/outdoor shower with water heated from the oven


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## HardCider (Dec 13, 2013)

cowboyhermit said:


> Cob works good and it's free. A lot of people built the type where you build the fire to heat the oven and then cook in the same place, these work great if you know what you are doing (they have perfectly even heat) but imo they are less versatile. With a separate firebox you can keep the temperature up for longer. It is not difficult to incorporate water heating into the mix either.
> 
> I have found putting a roof over the oven helps to keep it in great shape and makes it more likely to be used regularly. Then if you are really crazy you can close in one side for a sauna/outdoor shower with water heated from the oven


Would love to see a picture of what you built


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

HardCider said:


> Would love to see a picture of what you built


Hey, I didn't exactly say I built it

Seriously, I should post pictures of some of this stuff but our place is pretty unique so it makes the hermit part of me cringe, we already stick out a bit. With the amount of people that have been staying and visiting out here recently I should probably be over it but it seems to have the opposite effect


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## nightwing (Jul 26, 2014)

You don't really have to build one any cast iron dutch oven and find deep 
fry pan that will fit inverted on top of the dutch lid 
this allows you to cook in the dutch oven and the rising heat to heat the lid 
of the dutch oven the fry pan traps the heat and biscuits or corn pone
cooked on top while the dutch oven cooks a stew.

any dutch oven (notice the term oven) can be set higher hung on a pole or 
a iron hanger looks like a shepherds hook plant hanger
A chain with a hook adjust the height from heat source.

another way is to have a trivet to keep the items off the bottom with the lid on top. 

I have cooked cake in a frying pan by using coals pulled from a fire and balanced the fry pan on a few equal size rocks with the coals surrounding.
as direct heat will scorch the bottom of the cake.
I will tap the lid with my fingers and in that way I can feel how hot but 
it is not accurate although you get a feel for it (pun intended)

Tortillas are or can be cooked on an inverted lid laid in the coals of a fire

the only problem is you need a pack horse to haul your collection.
I have seen a deep aluminum cake cover lid used as a top to hold in the heat 
but aluminum gets bent easy hauled with cast iron.

I remember seeing a folding steel box as an oven / is an oven and 
and was put over a eye on a wood stove or a gas burner or a direct fire
a twist vent adjusted the heat as I recall some had a spring thermometer.

modern cooking has only made the oven more accurate and use more pans 
but it is better or more convenient than a wood fire in a old stove or in the 
woods on an open fire ( gasping on all that smoke) and burning fingers.

years ago they had a coal oil burning stove unpressurized ( a Coleman camp
stove uses a pump to pressure up the fuel) 
it had a tank it kept the fuel gravity fed or vapor was burned a option was a box that was stood on top and that was a stove top oven had a door like the 
folding steel box and it had wire racks and did not fold and the door opened 
to the side.
Another the door was one side and the top looked like a old car hood 
front and half the top panel was lifted and laid on top.

All in all a oven is a box that holds heat original wood stoves had the 
side box or 2 one on each side of the firebox you had to open the oven 
and rotate the cake or corn bread to get an even heat or cooking
the closer to the wall of the firebox the hotter but only experience 
told you which rack / shelf and how close and then how much wood 
all experience based.

the old fire places had a swing out hook to move the dutch oven out / over 
closer or above the fire. 
people cooked pies and more times a cobbler or cake turning the pot 
was like turning the pan in the oven so one side would not be under cooked.

I would not attempt to cook a pie but I have done fried bread canned 
biscuits in a tittle oil in a fry pan you can use the lid or flip and toast 
both sides.
most anyone can learn to use alter and combine these techniques 
it takes practice and patients 2 qualities I need a lot more of.


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## preppingsu (Aug 7, 2010)

We built a clay oven or a pizza oven. I have cooked bread, a joint of meat and cakes in it. We don't use it as often as I would like mainly due to the great British weather ! But it's there should the power go down.

Have a look here

http://www.uk-preppers.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=3832&hilit=Clay+oven


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## Chickensittin (Jul 25, 2012)

Thanks everyone for your responses! I just find this interesting and want to know what others have done/are doing. Nightwing, I have used a Dutch oven to bake bread, with coals and with the caste iron combo cooker in the home oven. The bread turns out amazing. This method is described in Chad Robertson's book _Tartine Bread_. I am ready to explore other options and recently purchased a book by Richard Miscovich called _From the Wood Fired Oven_. It has great information about building an oven as well as recipes. Preppingsu, thanks for the link.


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