[Sca-cooks] Fwd: Oven temperature question

[Chris Stanifer]

--- Terry Decker <t.d.decker at worldnet.att.net> wrote:

> In general, medieval European ovens are closer to New Mexican hornos than
> pizza ovens or pit type ovens.  The fire is built on the floor of the oven,
> the mass is brought to temperature, then the embers are raked, the floor is
> swabbed, coarse meal is scattered on the floor of the oven, the shaped
> loaves are loaded and the oven is closed for about an hour to bake the
> bread.


Okay...I get it.  Similar to a Viking mass oven, which was basically a hollow hill in which a fire
was lit to heat the mass, scraped out, filled with goodies, and then closed up.  Actually, very,
very similar, now that I think about it.

The few pictures I have seen of medieval 'communal ovens' all appeared to be constant temperature
ovens, with the fire burning at the rear/sides of the oven, much like our modern pizza ovens.  Of
course, these were all paintings from post-period, and could very well have been artist
interpretations.

Still, I would relish the opportunity to see one of these mass ovens in operation, and would like
even more to try my hand at mastering it.  Are there any replicas near the south-central portion
of California???  Not likely, right?

William de Grandfort




>

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


		
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail Address AutoComplete - You start. We finish.
http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail