Sunset's classic adobe oven: how to build it. How to cook with it

Sunset, August, 1998 by Peter O. Whiteley

In response to reader requests, we decided to bring hack one of our most popular projects: the adobe oven, featured in our August 1971 issue. It's modeled after mud-brick ovens used around the world, from the Southwest to Mexico, Italy, and France. With the rising interest in wood-fired cooking, it was time to revisit the article and build a new version in our editorial test garden.

The project takes about two days of grubby work; it speeds up building to have two or three people making the thick-walled adobe shell, the mass of which stores the heat of the fire. It's great for pizza, roasts, vegetables, and crusty loaves of bread. (We give recipes to try on page 116.)

Building

Step-by-step directions

Find a safe, level location in your garden for the oven. Building code requires oven to be a minimum of 10 horizontal feet from any combustible surface, such as fences or walls. Also, check with local officials on property line setback requirements.

We built our oven on a 6- by 8-foot base of red concrete steppingstones - an optional layer. The rest of the base is stacked but mortarless, which allows for easy disassembly at some point in the future.

1. Arrange the 8 by 8 by 16 blocks on the ground to make a 32- by 54-inch base.

2. Cover with an identical layout of cap blocks.

3. Add layer of firebricks.

4. Cut the barrel in half lengthwise with a hacksaw. Center empty quart can on closed end of a half-barrel; trace and cut out circular shape. This hole will be the vent.

5. Score and cut two firebricks in half with a circular saw (halves measure 4 1/2 inches square).

6. Starting at back end of base, make three U-shaped layers of firebricks to support the half-barrel. Each layer is three bricks long and 2 1/2 bricks wide at back end. Position barrel on bricks.

7. Cut a 3- by 4-foot piece of the 6-inch wire mesh and shape it so it arcs over the barrel by about 1 inch. Bend and tuck excess under bricks at side. Repeat with at least one layer of chicken wire, bending and folding edges over the rear and open end of barrel.

8. Make door (shown on page 110): Cut three 14-inch-long pieces from redwood 2-by-4. Join them together with screws running through two parallel lengths of redwood 1-by-3 across the front. Cut top into an arch that measures 14 inches tall at the peak and conforms to the basic shape of the open end of the barrel. Shape handle from excess 2-by-4, and screw to 1-by-3s. Center and tack flashing around door perimeter. Insert the can in the hole cut in rear of barrel.

9. Mix 3 parts adobe soil to 1 part Portland cement, add water, and mix with a hoe and shovel to the consistency, of thick oatmeal. Be warned: it's tiring and muddy work. Test that the mix holds together by squeezing it.

10. Working from the base up, pack the adobe-cement mixture firmly over and through the layers of mesh, leaving no air pockets. Pack mixture around the can, wiggling and rotating it to keep it from being trapped in place. Form arch for door by squeezing mixture into the chicken wire, and periodically inserting the door (with flashing attached) to check fit. Continue adding mixture until the coat is 4 to 5 inches thick overall. Let it dry slightly, then smooth the surface with a damp sponge and a wood "float" made with scrap lumber.

11. Wiggle the door and can, then cover the oven with damp towels and plastic tarp. Keep towels damp and oven covered for at least a week while adobe hardens and cures (check daily). Remove flashing from door.

12. Paint adobe shell after building first fire (see sidebar, at right).

Cooking

The first three hours, heat oven

1 0 to 10 minutes: Screen vent and open door. In center of oven, mound 6 to 8 sheets of crumpled newspaper. Lean 2 or 3 handfuls of kindling wood, including some 1-inch-thick pieces, tepee-style against the paper. Ignite paper, and when kindling is burning well, lay 2 or 3 more handfuls of kindling on the fire and top with 3 or 4 logs (3 to 4 in. thick and about 1 1/2 ft.).

2 20 to 40 minutes: When logs begin to burn, add 6 more logs (4 to 5 in. thick), but be careful of heat from oven door - it can singe hair. Toss about half a 10-pound bag of charcoal briquets between logs. Let fire burn about 1 hour, then add remaining briquets. Burn until most wood is gone, about 3 hours total. Occasionally poke fire to keep air circulating.

At about 2 hours and 50 minutes: With a shovel, scoop hot ashes into a fireproof metal container partially filled with water. Quickly clean oven floor with a wet mop or wet towel tied to a pole.

3 2 hours and 50 minutes to 3 hours: Set oven thermometer on floor just inside door. Close door; block vent. Check after 10 minutes. Temperature should be between 700 [degrees] and 650 [degrees]; then it drops quickly to 600 [degrees].

The next four hours, bake

During the brief period of high heat, bake pizzas. In the next phase, put meats and vegetables in to roast. Bake bread when oven heat is most constant.

Recipes

Second-Generation Adobe Oven Bread

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 3 1/4 hours, including about 1 1/2 hours for rising