First FB WFO in India

[guns]

Hi all

lwood: early thanks - i'll plan for a bigger one
dmun: Thanks for the blanket answer

bob: thanks yet again >

i'll check on the insulating kiln bricks... ur suggesting i lay them beneath the firebrick hearth and above the ceramic insulating board, right?

44x52 " is the size of one of the modena ovens, inside - so my plan was to make one similar to that (now, i think i might go bigger)

60 regular pizzas (i think about 12") per hour is my optimistic projection [i dont want to regret not planning for it - we are, after all, over 1 billion people ;-) ]

Also, I dont have a plan for the oven maintenance during off peak hours - i thought the temp wont go down too much between lunch and dinner and it was relatively easy to get it started and achieve 900F (i seem quite under-prepared)
how long does it take, really?

I love "all nations pizza" !!! great theme...

I dont want to complicate the whole thing with gas. Firewood is easily available in india. there are many villages here that use firewood for cooking even today

[azpizzanut]

Hi Guns,

Thank you for clarifying some of the details for me.

I wasn't sure if you could actually obtain the FB type insulation board so suggested you substitute insulating kiln bricks instead. You would place the fire bricks on top of the kiln bricks. Lay the kiln bricks on their narrow side. You can decide to lay the fire bricks narrow side down for a thicker hearth or lay them flat. Place the fire bricks at an angle, herring bone style, so as to avoid joints lining up with the kiln bricks.

Making a thick hearth will provide good heat retention, during the off peak hours, if it is well insulated.

Have you thought of baking bread in your oven? That would allow you to make good use of the heat retaining abilities of a brick oven as it cools down from pizza baking temperatures to bread baking temperatures.

Cheers,

[lwood]

Hi Guns,
Your oven will stay hot (500F) for hours, if you keep the door on during the slow times. It is easy to get it back to pizza temp within minutes by tossing a few pieces of wood in and get a nice flame going. Don't worry about that, your oven should be still warm the next morning. You can use the remaining coals to start your fire the next morning.

[azpizzanut]

Hi Guns,

I sent you a private message.

Cheers,

[DrakeRemoray]

Pizzerias in Italy often bake bread in the morning with the retained heat from the night before...just another possible way to make some money off that heat...

[guns]

Thanks Drake...

I'm planning to do just that... make bread and retail it if i can. Do i need to wait until the morning tho?

About the door: Do i need to fashion a door that leaves some space for air to flow inside the oven, or do i make one that i can close shut completely? If i need to leave it slightly ajar all the time, i might as well make a door with holes in it right?

guns

[lwood]

You don't need to wait until morning, just until the oven is 500F. That is a good temp to bake bread. Your door is only used when baking bread, and should be designed to seal the oven to retain heat (ie no holes). In fact, you should plan for a reveal or door jam in the entry-way so the door fits well against the reveal.

[azpizzanut]

Hi Guns,

A door fits against the inner entrance to keep heat in, over night, for example, or when baking bread. Do not place a door if there is live fire in the oven. Imagine the burst of flames as fresh air enters when the door is removed.

You can make a door to fit the outside of the oven too. It should allow heat to go up the chimney. A draft door is a good example. It has a hole or sliding hatch at the bottom for air flow adjustment.

Cheers,

[Shankarnow]

Hi, I am planning to start a pizzeria in Erode, Tamilnadu,India. Could you please guide me how to buy a wood fired pizza oven in India?

[azpizzanut]

Hello Shankarnow,

Search Google, or another search engine, for "wood fired pizza oven India". There were many suppliers in India. Also search for "pizza kitchen equipment".

Best of luck,