How to make a clay oven step by step

The clay oven is, without a doubt, a perfect cooking method for various types of foods. For many, all the meals we make in this oven come out with an exquisite and special taste.

There are countless recipes that we can make here without problems, such as breads, pizzas, etc. The interesting thing about this project is that we can have it both in the field and in our backyard, although it takes some time.

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It is also easy to make, you only need a few materials that are easy to obtain. It’s just a matter of choosing a comfortable place that has enough space.

But, it is important that this place is protected from rain and humidity. Since it is wood-burning, it has to be a little far from the house, because the smoke can aromatize the entire house.

The measurements, the bricks and the mud.

Materials: (For a 1.40 m2 oven)

• 120 bricks (for the base)
• 160 medium-sized bricks (for the vault)
• c/n of Water
• Wood (will serve as support)
• c/n of black earth
• horse fertilizer c/n
• Chopped or ground glass (you can use glass wool)
• Metal mesh
• Door (preferably iron, 30 cm high by 40 cm wide)

Procedure:

1- To begin, we cut the wall where our clay oven will go. Then we place some concrete beams to give us firm strength on the sides.

2- Next, a base is built with bricks. On this base, we add ground glass and more bricks on top, the idea is that it serves as a refractory

3- For the base you need approximately 120 bricks and for the vault you can easily spend 160 (it can be more). This gives us a medium clay oven of  approximately 1.40 m2 .

4- This measurement configuration is important to achieve strong heat. The base must have a width of approximately 5 cm. of thickness. Likewise, a standard measurement that can be used for a small family is that the clay oven is at least 1.10 m. diameter.

6- We must not forget that at the 3rd row of bricks, we have to start curving the oven. When we reach 2/3 parts built, we have to leave a space for the chimney.

7- Now only the part that covers the entire oven is missing. To do this, we will form a paste with horse manure, black earth and some water. It has to be enough to cover the entire oven.

8- Once you have covered the oven and it has dried, we proceed to put glass wool on it, we add a metal mesh that will help us hold its structure firmly.

Final details

9- Finally, all that remains is to place the iron door. With the measurements we gave you, it has to go right towards the hole in the door.

Now we just let everything dry well for 1 week.

10- After time, we have to check that there are no cracks. If so, we have to put a layer of pasta on top and let another week pass.

11- Finally, we simply make a campfire with a lot of firewood and let the embers burn completely, obtaining complete drying.

In this way, the oven would be ready for use. The tradition is to cook delicious homemade bread in these types of ovens.

Tips and Advice

Chopped or ground glass is used during the manufacture of the oven, to serve as a refractory. This keeps the heat evenly and there is no heat in just one point.

Something important that we should not overlook is to add horse manure to the mud paste. This ingredient with black earth makes the mixture unmatched.

Its main benefits

If you haven’t tried a meal made in a clay oven yet, you’re missing out on a lot. In addition to having an exquisite meal, you save a lot on gas or electricity

And don’t worry about the flavor since, thanks to its construction, the gas mixture does not alter the product.

Also, if you have something left to cook at night, you can do it quietly in this oven and without adding more firewood! The way it is constructed means that the temperature does not drop for hours.

Clearly the clay oven is not only for enjoying meals, but it can also be used to burn disposable materials such as cardboard, newspaper and others, leaves and branches, wood that we are no longer going to use.

In a way, all the meals we make in this oven are healthier than if you cooked them in a regular kitchen. The reason is simple: Due to the heat, the fat melts almost completely and the meat remains very juicy.

The good thing is that, for certain types of foods (like bread or pizza), we don’t need a tray. All the dough can go directly to the floor, this will give it an incredible taste.

Unquestionably, the clay oven is a cooking method that has always been useful for years until today.