Scuffing the oven floor Hearth Bread and Flatbread Discuss Scuffing the oven floor in the Brick Oven Cooking forums; Just wondering if anyone has seen this video in regards to cleaning the oven floor before baking? Seems an interesting ...

[waitingtocook]

Just wondering if anyone has seen this video in regards to cleaning the oven floor before baking? Seems an interesting technique...
YouTube - Scuffling a Wood Fired Oven Melbourne

[Ken524]

Hi Waiting,

I know some folks mop the floor; I do not. When my fire is hot, I push the coals to the side and sweep the floor with a Forno Bravo copper brush. That gets the big stuff out of the way. To finish it off, I give a few good blows with my mouth to churn up the fine ash (I need to get some bellows); most of the fine stuff goes right up the flue.

After that, I bake pizza. When you pull the pizza out, there is no discernible ash on the bottom, just residual flour from the peel. I'm not positive, but I don't think the ash sticks to the crust. Similar to cooking a "dirty steak" (putting a steak right on hot coals).

I've never had any complaints.

[Jed]

The scuffling in the video is preparing the oven for a long bake, bread... Along with cleaning up the last of the ash from the fire, the wet mop will also increase the humidity in the oven, adding desirable qualities to the bread baking...

I might mop the oven floor if I am baking bread, but will only brush and blow the floor for a pizza event, or if baking in with a pot...

JED

[PizzaPolice]

I'm a mopper. Can't help it. I attach an old, moist towel to my brush and clean it out.
A lot of stuff sticks to the towel. I guess it's just personal preference.

As for the "dirty steak", you have to blow the ash off the coals first.

[Ken524]

Real men eat ash!

[thebadger]

I've never mopped.

I just just the FB copper brush and it works fine - no ash on the pies... Trust me - my kids would notice.

Dick

[egalecki]

I mop for bread but not for pizza. For pizza I use a pipe and blow the ash away- just be careful not to inhale thru the pipe! A bellows would be even better.

[texassourdough]

For those of you who do only pizzas, brushing and blowing are fine. However, mopping is highly recommended for bread - because it helps increase the humidity in the oven and facilitates gelatinatinization of the crust. As a result, it should be done immediately before loading. It is not so much about ash IMO as it is humidity. As Ken suggests, ash should not be an issue (if you sweep/brush/blow reasonaly).
Jay