How to make a Clay Oven – Step by step
The clay oven is a perfect cooking method for various types of food. There are countless recipes, which we can make without problem, such as bread, pizza, etc.
The interesting thing is that we can have it both in the field and in our patio, although it takes some time.
In addition, it is easy to make, you only need a few materials that are easy to obtain. But, it is important that it is protected from rain and humidity. Being firewood, it should be a little away from the house so that the smoke does not enter.
Materials: (oven of 1, 40m2)
120 bricks (for the base)
160 medium sized bricks (for the vault)
c/n of water
Wood (will serve as support)
c/n black soil
c/n horse manure
Chopped or ground glass (you can use glass wool)
Metal mesh
Door (preferably iron 30 cm high by 40 cm wide)
Procedure:
1 – To begin with, we cut the wall where our clay oven is going to go. Then, we placed some concrete beams to make it firm on the sides.
2 – Next, a base is built with bricks. On the base we add ground glass, and above more bricks, the idea is that it serves as a refractory.
3 – For the base you need approximately 120 bricks, and for the vault you can easily spend 160 (it can be more). This gives us a medium clay oven of approximately 1.40 m2 as a result.
4 – These measures are important to achieve strong heat. The base should have a width of approximately 5 cm thick. Likewise, a standard measure that can be used for a small family is that the clay oven has at least 1.10 m2 in diameter.
5 – Do not forget that at the third row of bricks you must start to curve the oven. When you get to the 2 / 3 parts built you have to leave a space for the chimney.
6 – Now only the part that covers the entire oven is missing. To do this, we will form a paste with horse manure, black earth and a little water. It has to be enough to cover the entire oven.
7 – Once the oven is covered and has dried, we proceed to put glass wool on it, we add a metal mesh that will help us to hold its structure firmly .
Final details:
8 – Finally, it only remains to place the iron door. With the measures that we gave you, it has to be just in the hole of the door. We let everything dry for 1 week.
9 – After time we must check that there are no cracks. If so, we have to put a layer of paste on top and let another week pass.
10 – Finally, we simply make a fire with a lot of firewood and let the embers burn completely, obtaining a total dryness. In this way, the oven will be ready for use.
Main benefits:
In addition to having an exquisite meal, you save gas and/or electricity.
Thanks to its manufacture, the gas mixture does not alter the product.
If you have to cook at night, you can do it quietly in this oven and without adding more firewood. The way it is built means that the temperature does not drop for hours.
The meals in this oven are healthier than in a common kitchen, since due to the heat the fat melts almost completely and the meat is very juicy.
