When firing is completed and heat is embedded deep into the masonry, cooking can begin immediately, despite the oven interior being 300 ⁰C, or even 350 – 400C. Flatbreads enjoy going into these temperatures, and a sustained cooking session of flatbreads can be undertaken by utilising the massive heat still put out by a heap of red coals. Thin (2 cm.) cuts of steak or a whole fish can be seared directly on the hot floor tiles, with the steak being superbly cooked with only a minute or two on each side.
If you don’t have flatbreads or thin cuts of meat to cook, the long process of retaining the massive heat in the oven for later baking can be drawn out cleverly by scattering the red coals across the floor and leaving the doorway open by just a chink to let some oxygen inside to keep the coals glowing. You have begun the process of ‘settling down’ the oven and you can have a long window if nothing is ready to bake. Settling down involves not only a gradual reduction of temperature so that the oven is ready for a couple of rounds of bread baking, but it is also the phase when the crown of the oven is absorbing and radiating heat in a manner that evens out the interior temperature, removing any hot spots.
Learn more about my range of Wood fired ovens from Le Panyol here.
