[Sca-cooks] Fwd: Oven temperature question

[Elaine Koogler]

Terry Decker wrote:

>I've seen period illustrations showing a fire in the oven during the baking,
>but I suspect that it was an artistic way of showing the oven was heated.
>You really don't want smoke in a baking chamber.  There are a couple of
>illustrations with what might be seperate fireboxes, but it's open to
>debate.
>
>I would point out that a brick and clay oven insulates against exterior heat
>sources for the same reasons it absorbs and later radiates heat from an
>interior heat source.
>
>Check the Spanish missions.  The beehive oven commonly found in the Spanish
>colonies hasn't changed since the Middle Ages.
>
>Bear
>  
>
I can't find our copy of the book now, but Elizabeth David wrote a book 
about breads wherein she talked about ovens used to bake bread...even 
giving complete directions as to how to build and use one.  I wish I 
could find it because it was so complete that my husband talked about 
building one in our yard...he's actually the one who does the bread 
baking around here...you could put what I know about it on the head of a 
straight pin!!!

Kiri