Bread

[mylesonic]

Hi out there. I'm new here and looking for some experiences with bread in a round oven. I love the design, but have read that bread ovens are usually barrel shaped? Is it the design, or are bread ovens just insulated to hold heat longer? Any thoughts? I do want to bake bread on a small scale commercially.
Thanks!

[mnlewis]

Hello, welcome, this is a great site, I too am new to this forum and to the brick oven, in fact I am so new that my oven is only half done. I haven't even had the opportunity to do the first firing. The wife and I are planning a big party for that. It will be July 9th, her birthday, I am starting the dome this weekend. I looked at all the ovens I can and never really figured out the difference between the round or the mail box type so my oven is not round but it also isn't quite a mail box either. I did a mail box type but rounded off the back and before I could change the plans for the 42ond time I put straight sides on it. Will dome the top so the heat radiates back to the center more efficiently. Well I hope it does....
I am leaving the recipes to the wife, I will cook what she prepares, I have a smoker and that is what we have been doing for many years.

Everyone here is invited to the first firing, I live in (get this, its not a lie) Bumpass, Virginia near Lake Anna Nuclear Power Plant, and no every thing does not glow in the dark, LOL..... Have some pretty big wild life though.. Couple of three eyed purple pokadot peopel eaters though! Ah no just kidding...

[james]

Welcome aboard,
I think you are at the right place. CanuckJim just launched a micro bakery from his Alan Scott brick oven, and I think you will find his input valuable. Check out his input by searching for his postings -- there are some great bread photos.

There are two wood-fired bakeries near me, and they both built Alan Scott ovens -- they are both about 7'-8' long and wide. They are baking hundreds of loaves a day. These are barrel vault oven with a rectangular footprint. I once thought about making commerical quantities from my little Scott oven (32"W x 36"D), but it is too small to be practical.

If you are looking for smaller quantities of bread, along with general purpose cooking, the Pompeii Oven would do that very nicely as well.

Good luck with your research and your project.
James