Our oven was
built in 1985. The first oven built in the Hudson Valley. Interior dimensions
are 5 by 5 feet. There is a layer of insulation separating the inner and outer
masses of bricks which is sand and glass. Every day we put a wheelbarrow-load
of wood in the oven and let it burn all night. We keep it lighted even on days we
are not open, to maintain a certain level of stored heat.
For the most part, we use dried hardwood from thinning out trees. There is no
separate firebox, as the oven is the firebox. Before we bake, we rake out the
ashes, and clean out the oven. We now have an oven that is pretty much the
temperature we want it to be, the perfect setting for a wonderful meal.
