Masonry ovens

Often I am asked – what is it that is so special about masonry ovens?

When my interest in baking grew to an itching urge to find out all I could within a few years so that I could set up my own bakery, these ovens were always called “brick ovens” by the old bakers.  They were often made with simple house bricks, perhaps with firebrick placed around the furnace area and where the flame path gushed out into the chamber across the front of the crown.  The big bakers’ ovens had a twentieth century improvement – a remote furnace, placed in a front wall, and when I began baking they were more likely fired with oil or gas.  At that time, the 1970’s, those I came across were already survivors, some would have called them relics of the past.  But quite a few bakers still used them, more in the country towns than the cities, particularly if they were still in good condition.Continue Reading

Educator Profile –  appearing in the monthly newsletter of Slow Food UK, September, 2009

Master artisan baker and Slow Food member Paul Merry met with Catherine and Henry on their trip to visit the Dorset convivium. Paul has been involved with craft baking and masonry ovens for over thirty years, and has been teaching courses for fifteen years. He kindly took the SFUK team on a tour around the watermill, Cann Mills near Shaftesbury in Dorset, where a range of flours are made using its traditional stones and sieves. Next door, Paul holds a wide range of bread making courses. Here, Paul took some time away from his classes to answer a few questions…Continue Reading