Clayworks Wood Fired Oven
(Firing Instructions)
Page
1
The 1500 Series Wood Fired Oven is shown in the Firing Instructions.
The same techniques are used for the 800 Series
.
Warnings:
Do not operate oven in periods of Total Fire ban.
Do not use treated, painted, varnished or oiled timber as a fuel source.
Do not use wet timber.
Do not soak timber in fuel.
Do not use cleaning agents or fluids (other than water) to clean the cooking surface.
First Firing
It is important to ensure that the Basic Unit and Outer Skin are properly dried before using the oven to cook food.
We suggest that a small fire is lit in the fire box and maintained until the Outer Skin becomes warm to the touch
and there is no sign of steam. It may take hours to properly dry the oven.
A little bit of knowledge:
To effectively preheat the oven and to create a bed of embers the fire will need to be started at least 1 to 2 hours
before cooking starts.
For best cooking results ensure the fire bed is coals and embers. Flame is only required for crisping the top of
pizzas. Add small twigs and leaves to the embers to do this.
The firing technique is
important to the efficient
heating of the oven.
The choice of timber
size is critical to the fire
efficiency. Nothing
bigger than 100 mm in
diameter and 300mm
long. Too small a fire
will take considerable
time to heat the oven;
too large a fire will loose
heat up the chimney.
The temperatures for baking and cooking in wood ovens are the same as in conventional gas/electric ovens.
Depending on the how hot you get the fire Pizzas normally requires 2
–
10 minutes and bread in 15
–
20 minutes.
Adding steam to an oven by the placing of wet hand towel in the choke of the oven can increase the crisping of
crusts. Too much steam will reduce the cooking temperature.
Addition of smoking boxes with hickory, mesquite, apple wood, tea tree cherry, peach or banksias will enhance the
flavour. Soak wood chips in cold water so that they will smoulder slowly over the fire rather than burning.
Additional flavours can be introduced by soaking the chips in a variety of herbs and spices.
Placement of the door is very important in controlling the fire. If a vigorous fire is required the door should be
located towards the front of the choke to allow plenty of air in and the smoke to exhaust through the chimney.
During cooking the door should be moved towards the back of the choke restricting the fire. PLEASE NOTE,
moving the door to the very back of the choke can extinquish the fire.
Step 1:
Start a small fire in the middle of the oven. As the wood catches add
more wood to build the fire. The door should be placed at the front of
the entry arch to allow the smoke to exhaust through the chimney.
