Wood-Fired Bread Cookbook -- online Hearth Bread and Flatbread Discuss Wood-Fired Bread Cookbook -- online in the Brick Oven Cooking forums; Boccu, Did some quick net checking and came up with this link: Maltese Recipes that includes a recipe for Hobz, ...

[CanuckJim]

Boccu,

Did some quick net checking and came up with this link: Maltese Recipes that includes a recipe for Hobz, or Maltese bread. Anyhow, take a look to see it this is what you're after.

Jim

[DrakeRemoray]

Nice work guys. I have a question about this:

About ten minutes before the breads are loaded, we give the interior a ten second spray from a dedicated garden sprayer with a brass wand, reaching in with the wand to the back of the hearth, then moving forward toward the mouth of the oven.

Can you post a picture of said garden sprayer. Is this attached to a hose then? Does it produce a mist?

Thanks!

Drake

[redbricknick]

This is a HUDSON brand sprayer. Available at your local Deep Homo or other imbecile infested gigantic conglomerate building supply labrynth. This one look similar Jim?

[CanuckJim]

Red, Drake,

That's the guy, though the one you have is a bit on the grand side. Mine has a plastic jug but a brass wand, courtesy, you guessed it, that very same infested Home Cheapo. Don't forget, though, that the smaller the oven, the less spray time you'll need. Maybe just five seconds each time. Don't forget to let the steam escape about halfway through the bake to firm up the crust. You'll have to experiment for the correct amount and time, depending on your oven.

Jim

[DrakeRemoray]

Sounds great, I will pick one of those up! (to add to the 2 chemically infested ones I already own).

Thanks guys,
Drake

[james]

Drake,

Don't you think RoundUp and Weed B Gone would taste good on your bread?
James

[DrakeRemoray]

Mmmmmm round up!

I baked last Sunday and used my newly acquired garden sprayer with excellent results!

Drake

[james]

This should probably be in the Chat forum, but do you think we use too many pesticides? You can't even buy roundup here unless you have a commercial ag license, and it comes in tiny bottles behind a locked cabinet.
James

[beammeup]

I tried to upload the e-books but a message came up that my code has expired (something to that effect). This was only 18 hrs after I put in the order. It says that the code should be good for 24hrs. I shall try again when I am less busy.

[Unofornaio]

Regarding steam.. Although I haven't baked in a while I never remember having a problem with steam. Usually the oven was full though. On the times when I would just do test batches I would add steam by partially filling an old tuna can that I had poked holes in (very tiny) and placed it in the corner of the oven. This worked very well, the tiny holes allowed the water to drain very slow and produced quite a bit of steam. I had to play with it for a while to get just the right level which was just about covering the "ribs" on the bottom of the can..I don't know how it would work for the pizza ovens but I imagine it should be the same. I think I got the Idea from an oven I saw that had a cast Iron disk in the hearth floor about that size that was above a water source..it dripped onto the disk and made instant steam. I have also heard of people just putting in an ice cube right on the hearth bricks...
Now that I think about it I guess I really never had a problem with steam because most of my recipes are very high hydration and I really don't know "exactly" what hearth temps I was working with because I went all out and decided that if I'm gonna bake Old World Breads I'm not gonna use a temp gage I used a combination of the arm (mmm I can smell the hair burning now ) and the cornmeal method. Next oven will have thermal couples, it was a great experience learning to do it that way but..really whats the point... People can talk about burning cookies in the oven (conventional ) or a roast but you have never REALLY burnt something till you have burnt it in a brick oven..am I right guys???