These pictures are from the Earth Oven workshop at the Strawbale Studio in Oxford MI. Taught by Sam and Deanne.http://strawbale.pbworks.com/

 

If you would like to build your own oven , this book by Kiko Denzer

is highly recommended.

 

The famous traveling turtle oven at home .

 

Dry laid stone foundation demonstration.

 

 

This is the base for the large oven. Note Sam's structure around the base.

From here, the base will get a cob cap, glass bottles for insulation, more cob, and 

fire brick for the oven floor

 

Here is Sam with the large oven. Insulation layer is on and drying.

This oven is useable with small fires until fully dried. Note the head nets, 

a swarm of freshly hatched(and hungary) mosquitos decided to attend!

 

 

This is the fire brick base for our weekend oven. It measure about 22 inches 

across. The bricks are dry laid on a bed of level sand and knocked flat.

 

 

Here we begin building the sand form that the oven will be built over.A circle is

drawn to mark the inside of the dome. 

The stick in the center is to mark the height of the dome, about 12 inches.

 

Once the sand form is complete it is covered with newspaper to prevent

the cob and sand from sticking together. It is also posible to use a woven basket 

that would be burned out instead of a sand form.

 

Here, cob a mixture of water, sand and clay subsoil are being mixed the fun way.

We want a stiff sand rich mixture for the ovens wall and thermal mass.

 

 

The cob is now applied to the sand form at about 4 inches thick.

 

 

Day two, the door is cut and the sand is removed from the interior.

 

For insulation, wet clay slip is mixed with sawdust or straw. It will be applied to the 

thermal mass layer then covered by a finish coat of cob.

Here, test batches of insulation ar being made by Deanne.

 

The big oven,  with finish plaster and sculpting !

 

Bread making discussion.

 

The oven is fired untill it reaches a high temp, then the coals are swept aside 

and you can begin cooking . The oven will retain heat for many hours. This one was still 

warm from the previous nights fire.

 

Vegetables roasting on the ledge and bread baking inside.

 

 

Fresh bread made using the no Knead recipe.

 

A dinner spread of roasted veggies, sour dough bread and pizza.

It smelled and tasted as good as it looks!

 

More detail to come when I have time ! 

 

 

Roll and bake.