Brick Ovens

Brick ovens have existed for centuries, but their popularity has experienced a resurgence in recent years. People have re-discovered the remarkable flavor, texture, and overall quality achieved by baking breads and pizzas in brick ovens.

What is a Brick Oven?

Brick ovens are made of clay fire bricks that create the baking chamber. They work by heating the fire bricks first, then baking the goods using heat from the bricks.

Advantages of Brick Ovens

Brick ovens offer several benefits that regular gas-run ovens do not. Because not much fuel is necessary to run a brick oven, it is a cost-efficient and environmentally friendlier way to bake. The heat produced by a brick oven is also more likely to last longer. Once a tightly-sealed brick oven is heated, its heat will hold for a minimum of 12 hours, which saves a large amount of energy. Most brick ovens are not very expensive to buy. Many smaller brick ovens can be made for just a few hundred dollars, while if you want a large, commercial-sized brick oven, it will have a much higher price tag.

The results of baked items that come from brick ovens are usually far superior to that of normal ovens. Brick ovens have the capability of baking items at much hotter temperatures than other types of ovens, causing the intense heat to simultaneously radiate, convect, and conduct. As long as the brick oven you are using is tightly sealed, it will bake the dough rapidly without a burning or over-drying the baked goods.

The results of brick oven pizzas have become famous universally. Crusts baked in brick ovens usually turns out thin and pliable with just the right amount of crisp. This is created by the steamy nature in which brick ovens create. The moisture from the dough is sucked out of the bread during the baking process. This steam then rises, but still remains in the tightly-sealed oven to be redeposited into the crust with a more complex flavor.

Downfalls of Brick Ovens

The greatest downfall of brick ovens is that they are not as durable as many other types of ovens. Their lifespan typically will reach about 20 years. Other concerns when using brick ovens include venting and flue solutions, as well as strict fire codes to which everyone must adhere.