Brick and mortar, wood fired, outdoor, Pizza/Bread ovens: Do you have one or have you used one? If so is it worth the build?

Maj John Bell — Thu, 09 Aug 2018 09:42:27 -0400

I built a brick and mortar cold smoker last year. I can smoke about 48 hams or the equivalent at a time. I love it. Now my wife wants a outdoor pizza/bread oven. 1st, I do all the cooking. 2nd I'm good at Pizza, but my loaves of bread will last longer than the pyramids. And would make great up armor for HumVees. Is it worth the effort? Can you cook other things in there too?

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 9 at 2018 10:00 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 09 Aug 2018 10:00:39 -0400

You can use it to cook anything you want, controlling the heat is key as I am sure you know. Bread, pizza, cakes, pies, desserts, all up to size built and heat.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Aug 9 at 2018 10:47 AM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Thu, 09 Aug 2018 10:47:13 -0400

Better than the loaves of bread my wife makes, she'd make a Jewish man happy, yeast dies the moment she touches the dough.

Response by Patricia Overmeyer made Aug 9 at 2018 12:15 PM

Patricia Overmeyer — Thu, 09 Aug 2018 12:15:05 -0400

Ok, my pie crusts are used for manhole covers. My mom made the best pie crusts and bread. The reason your bread is so hard is either you are using too much flour or you aren't using enough fat or you are not adding the fat at the right time. Check out the website below. Cook's Illustrated is a great magazine as it actually gets into the science of cooking.
As for the outdoor pizza/bread oven, the type you choose will need to fit your particular area of the country. What works for us in the desert will not work for those in the midwest. You have to look at issues such as humidity and altitude to determine what type to build. We live in the desert, so we had ours designed similar to what Native Americans used down here. We have an outdoor pizza/bread oven that is made from stones for the flooring and sides, with stucco on the outside for the rest of the oven. The fire is directly on top of the stones and the racks/slabs (again check with your local builders for the type of slabbing to use) can be set at different heights. We use it to make pizza, bread, various desserts (like peach cobbler, fruit pies, etc.) and casseroles. I do all the cooking, my husband just throws it in the oven or on the grill. Granted, we aren't doing much outdoor (or indoor) cooking in the summer but we get pretty good use out of it during the rest of the year. Like who the hell wants to cook when it's 115 degrees?

Response by Tim Scheible made Aug 9 at 2018 6:30 PM

Tim Scheible — Thu, 09 Aug 2018 18:30:53 -0400

Yes, make sure you use good wood and can keep a steady temp and most definitely use pineapple and ham!

Response by SPC Jacob Hostetler made Aug 12 at 2018 10:05 AM

SPC Jacob Hostetler — Sun, 12 Aug 2018 10:05:05 -0400

So your asking why your bread coming out very brick hard, this depends on, if the batter comes from a box or from scratch? If from a box stop, go directly to from scratch, but if you are making from scratch, check or adjust flower levels. And on your question, is a pizza stone oven worth it, you can cook more things in that style of oven, than that over sized smoker.