The Art of Baking Bread in Traditional
Ovens
While it is very common
to bake even hand-made artisan breads
in conventional modern ovens, some prefer
the unique flavor (and unique challenges)
provided by a traditional oven. These
large ovens are made of clay, stone, brick
or, refractory concrete. The lower section
is made to hold a large fire, usually
fueled by wood, which is stoked to such
an intense heat that the walls of the
oven turn white hot. The embers are then
swept out, the floor is mopped with a
damp mop and the oven allowed to cool.
When the temperature falls to 475 degrees
F, the bread goes in the top section with
a long handled bread Peel, or bread shovel.
Traditional ovens can stay above 325 F
degrees for hours of days, depending on
the design of the oven.
Truly massive ovens, which take many hours
to fire, or heat-up, are primarily used
in commercial bakeries. Private bakers
can buy or build smaller traditional ovens
that can be flash fired in 1 to 2 hours.
|
