[Sca-cooks] Fwd: Oven temperature question

[Chris Stanifer]

--- MD Smith <editor at costumepress.com> wrote:

> My experience baking in ovens built in the 18th and 19th centuries is 
> that they are fired once, the coals are raked out, the floor swabbed and 
> the breads inserted. The fires are not kept burning around the edges as 
> in a modern pizza oven.


Interesting.  From your experience, how long do these ovens maintain their operational temperature
once the coals are removed?  And, do these ovens use wood coals, or actual coal??  I have heard of
a few ovens which are still coal-fired, in use in the eastern U.S., but I know that these ovens do
maintain a coal fire during operation (under the cooking surface, if I am not mistaken).

All very interesting, to be sure.  Still, it begs the original question (which I believe Bear
asked in a previous message)....  Why is someone looking to bake a casserole of sticks, to begin
with????  I'm assuming it is for scientific research, rather than culinary use.  At least, I hope
it is...

As an aside, and possible topic for further discussion, does anyone have any extant evidence of
fuel shortage after the Norman Conquest in 1066?  I was looking over a few pages yesterday which
clearly indicate that England experienced a rather severe famine after the Conquest (20,000 +
dead), due to the inability to adequately farm the fields for roughly 9 years.  I would assume
that the same would hold true for the foresters, or other persons who were responsible for the
gathering of wood fuel for community ovens.  Anyone?


William de Grandfort


=====
Every heart to love will come... but like a refugee.


		
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