The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Wood-fired versus kitchen oven

Janet Yang's picture
Janet Yang

Wood-fired versus kitchen oven

Some home-built ovens are domed rather than boxy. Is that just a design choice, are there practical reason for this shape?—Strength, ease of construction, conservation of building materials, or efficiency?

Suppose the ceiling of the baking chamber is parabolic, so the heat is focused. Is that a good thing (saves fuel), or is it better to diffuse the heat for more even cooking (to avoid burning a hole through the middle of the loaf)?

Janet

tchism's picture
tchism

For bread the main thing seems to be a lower ceiling be it domed or arched. Lower ceiling holds the steam closer to the bread. As far as round vs square to rectangular goes, It comes down to preference or in my case, what I thought I could build cheaply. The cob oven was much cheaper than a brick oven would have been.