Rustic Ovens

I have two things to say. First, I have a lot to learn about cooking in a wood fired oven. Second, Help, Eric, were are you?

Between Eric's instructions and my reading, I have learned a great deal about baking bread. I had never tried it until I ate some of the artisan bread that Eric made. After that, I went to his house early one morning to watch and see what I could learn. I have learned a lot. In fact, I have learned enough to know that I do not know much. My French bread comes out pretty well. The family and friends love it. I made one good ciabatta, but another came out bad. Yesterday, I made a boule and it was very good. I made a large batch of dough and put it in the refrigerator. I will put some out for my first bread in the brick oven. You know, it is pretty much fun to be trying something like this at my age. I am having a blast. Thanks, Eric and Jake, and Betti Helen for her patience.

As Betti Helen says, the oven was built by a teacher, a fireman and a chef. My grandson, Jake is the fireman and my fired Eric is the chef, and, of course, I am the teacher, although I haven't done that in quite a while. We will use this mobile oven to bake bread and make pizzas at places like the Red Stick Farmers' market and other group functions. We are also available to build an oven for you!

This is the first fire in our new brick oven. There is a very detailed procedure for curing the oven before it can be heated enough to use for cooking. In fact, it takes six days, with one log the first day, two the second, etc. However, we are not going to rest on the seventh day. We are going to cook for the first time!