Comments for Panary

Comment on What’s special about wood-fired ovens? by Alex

Alex — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 22:17:05 +0000

Hi Paul, I enjoyed reading your article concerning Masonry ovens. I started in the bakery trade in 1977 (worked in bakery in North London as Saturday Boy in 1971), we used the traditional (gas styled) deep ovens, many a time i would loose my eyebrows starting them up of Sumday morning! I have recently built a brick oven on my patio (when I say I, I mean I watched the brickie) so far I have baked two lots of Pizza, but feel I am not getting the full heat!!!! I was interested in your courses, but as I am registered partially sighted (I did amaze the bakery owner when I was able to slip 98 large bloomewrs in the oven, some got 105, never me though), I do not drive but would be interested in coming down for a days course, but might need a hotel to stay in, could you tell me where you are based? I want to experiment with the oven with bread, I dod make sough dough bread, but having not fired up the oven sufficently to bake it in the iven!!!!!! Alex

Comment on What’s special about wood-fired ovens? by Paul Merry

Paul Merry — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 12:14:59 +0000

Hello Peter Robinson – indeed you have made an exciting discovery.
The first thing you have to investigate thoroughly is damp. To fire those Victorian red bricks would be potentially disastrous if they are holding moisture. Many would fracture and blow. Get a torch or lamp inside the oven and look closely at the masonry and feel around with your hand. Look also for a white salty crystalline mold-like scum on the bricks – thrown if they have been allowed to get damp.
If you do feel any damp, slowly dry it out before you start fires. If the damp is pronounced, you will have to go outside the oven walls to find out about subsidence or bank collapse, etc., that has led to the transference of damp into the oven.

Is there cast iron along the facade wall – a door, a furnace, cast iron chimney base and damper, etc. If not , then it means it was fired in the most basic fashion – on its floor. If yes, we have to ascertain the condition of furnace, damper, etc.
The chimney too must be closely inspected to check it will clear the smoke properly when you begin firing.

Paul Merry Nov 14

Comment on What’s special about wood-fired ovens? by Peter Robinson

Peter Robinson — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 23:21:49 +0000

I found this article accidentally when I was googling information on english Victorian brick ovens.
The reason I was looking was that during the renovation of an old house, and former shop premesis I hacked the plaster off an old wall of an outhouse, built into a bank and with earth up the outside of it to a depth of about 8 feet and found in the wall a very large brick oven with a vaulted fire brick top measuring about 5 of 6 feet square.
The wall is made of natural stone but the oven has obviously been added later in brick, and built flush in the old stone wall
Excavating behind the wall exposed the side walls and rear wall built in hand made red brick to a height of about 18 inches above the top of the dome of the oven. The fire brick dome is built up to a flat square and finished with red 8 inch quarry tiles, all in nice condition. This top is about 18 inches below the top of the walls and forms a well, when looked at from above.
I am hoping to fire the oven and am searching for help and advise.

Comment on Read Paul’s views on “craft”, as they appeared recently in two published articles by Douglas Pollock

Douglas Pollock — Mon, 24 May 2010 08:48:35 +0000

I’m ok with the Macquarie’s definitions-Artisan..one skilled in an industrial or applied art. Art-the production or expression of what is beautiful(esp.visually),appealing or of more than ordinary significance.And yes Paul..I feel your pain..I can’t identify myself as artisan any more..craftsman or tradesman is more definitive now that artisan has been misappropriated by the modern industry.What a pleasure your website is..I suppose I’ll have to copy that now too..cheers(only joking..that would be too unconscionable even for me!)