How to Make Adobe Horno

Adobe is easy to make by hand using clay, water and straw.

"Adobe horno" is the Spanish term for an outdoor bread-baking oven. Adobe is a building material that is made of clay, water and straw formed into bricks. "Horno" is the Spanish word for a rounded oven used for baking. Adobe hornos are found mainly in areas with Spanish influence, from Mexico to certain areas of the western United States, including New Mexico and Arizona. In these areas the best clay for making adobe bricks is found. You can, however, make your own adobe bricks and build your own horno.

Things You'll Need

• Wooden boxes (or cardboard boxes) measuring about 7 inches long by 4 inches wide by 3 inches tall
• Clay (about 70 percent sand to 30 percent dirt)
• Straw
• Water
• Commercial red bricks
• Mud
• Hoe or shovel

Instructions

Making the Adobe Bricks

1. Mix the clay, straw and water using a shovel or hoe or your hands and feet if the clay is malleable enough. This can be done on an empty patch of ground outdoors. The resulting mud should be a thick consistency, not runny or watery.

2. Put the mud mixture into the wooden or cardboard forms and smooth the top to form level rectangular blocks of mud.

3. Turn the blocks upside-down and slap them onto a sunny spot on the ground. If you find that your bricks are sticking to the insides of the box, sprinkle the walls of the box with either water or dry sand to help the bricks to slide out.

4. Let the bricks dry in the sun for a minimum of 3 days and up to a week to ensure solidity.

Building the Horno

1. Make a foundation for the horno out of the commercial red brick. Place a single layer of bricks on the ground where you want your horno. Leave no gaps between the red bricks and create a square about 32 inches on each side.

2. Arrange your first layer of adobe bricks in a circle on top of the red brick platform. Leave an opening about 10 inches across for the door. Use your mud mortar to fill in gaps between the adobe bricks, creating a smooth circle.

3. Repeat step 2 until you have about three layers of brick forming a cylinder. Let these layers dry thoroughly, for about 2 days, before continuing.

4. Add another layer of brick, but this time form a smaller circle. Seal with mud. Repeat this twice, creating smaller circles until all you have left is an opening about the size of a soda can. Let the entire structure dry.

5. Plaster the entire outside of the horno with mud, throwing on a handful of mud and smoothing it with your hands to create a smooth domed structure. Adding a small amount of water to your hands will ensure a smooth surface. Let the structure dry for a couple of days. Now the horno is ready to be used.

References

• Hispanic Folk Arts and the Environment: Adobe
• Natural Building Colloquium: Building an Horno
• Primitive Ways: Adobe Horno

Resources

• Backwoods Home Magazine: Build Yourself an Outdoor Horno