How to Make an Earthen Oven

Ever dreamed of making your very own brick oven pizzas? How about in your backyard?

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• large stones to provide the base
• cob (see my cob article)
• sawdust
• water
• firing bricks
• glass bottles (optional)

1. 
    

   Start by laying your foundation. We chose to leave an area to place firewood. Between each layer of rocks needs to be a layer of cob about an inch thick.

2. 
    

   Smooth out the layers of cob and make sure they are even. Place the next stone.

3. 
    

   Once you have your base to your desired height, it's time to add the bottles.

4. 
    

   When you have finished with the bottle layer, fill in flush with sawdust, add another layer of cob and place your firebricks on top. You may now build the archway door. Fill in the gaps in the archway with cob.

5. 
    

   Once the bricks are in place, use WET sawdust to create the mold for your oven.

6. 
    

   With your wet sawdust mold in place, start building up the side with cob. Maintain 2" to 3" in thickness. It is a good idea to completely cover the mold in one sitting. (We did ours over two days and ended up redoing it) Be sure to make a chimney!

7. After about a week of baking in the sun you should be ready to dig out the sawdust mold. Let the interior dry out for another day or two. (remember the WET sawdust?)

8. 
    

   At this point you should be ready to use your new homemade oven!

Tips & Warnings

• Try to do this in a week full of sun.
• Check out my articles How to Make Cob and How to Cook in an Earthen Oven.
• Whenever it rains, preserve your oven by covering it with a tarp. The oven is very susceptible to erosion even when complete!
• When lifting and moving large stone blocks, remember to lift with your legs and not your back! Wear a back brace and grab a friend.

Resources

• ehow Going Green Guide

[Quickstar]

on 6/27/2009 This really would be a great project, thanks for the pictures as well.

[rob654]

on 5/1/2009 great info

[Toelken]

on 4/29/2009 I love your article on making an earthen oven. great job

[sherbert]

on 4/27/2009 Very cool article on making an earthen oven!

[reniarad]

on 4/26/2009 Great tips for How to Make an Earthen Oven. I was thinking of doing something like a kilm. 5*