Ovencrafters
The Wood-Fired Brick Oven Builders
OVENCRAFTERS CATALOG - 2007
[ Plans | Books
| Oven Accessories | Purchasing
| Other Resources]
OVEN PLANS AND BUILDING INSTRUCTIONS
The oven plans in this catalog have evolved over the past twenty five years
to meet the needs of today's baker/builder out of my personal experiences
researching, baking (50,000 loaves), building and conducting dozens of hands-on oven raising
workshops. Hundreds of these ovens have been built to these plans by now,
by professionals and amateurs alike, with my efforts alone contributing
over one hundred and fifty.
Most designs draw from eighteenth century brick ovens which reached a
peak of development before mass production of cast iron ranges for the home, and
the industrialization of bread baking forced compromises and detrimental changes
to the way bread was baked. However the traditional design has been vastly
improved for fuel efficiency whereas a traditional oven may have baked two
batches of bread after firing, one of these improved ovens recently broke
its own record to bake 25 batches of breads after a single firing.
These ovens are the simple, fuel efficient, front venting retained heat type.
This is the design that for centuries gave us the delectable, steamed bread
crust and whose inimitable radiated heat allows for the use of wetter doughs and
lower gluten wheat flours. They are particularly easy to build, yet the hours, even days of
clean, penetrating heat bakes all breads to perfection, crusting the loaves
with the steam driven off the dough and sealed tight in the bake chamber.
Unlike a pizza oven, these ovens also traditionally baked pies, pastries,
cakes, cookies, crackers as well as beans, casseroles and soups, and even jam
and yogurt.
These ovens are becoming the preferred oven for pizzas too however,
being well suited for all popular "fire-in-the-oven" baking and cooking.
These ovens are for home or commercial use, utilizing mostly low cost, commonly
available materials for construction without special skills or equipment
and in a straight forward, timely fashion.
PLAN PACKAGE #01............................................................................US-$100.00
This package contains the plans for four very popular BRICK ovens starting
with the smallest practical oven with a baking hearth of 20"X30",
another with a chamber of 24"X30",an intermediate sized oven that
allows a little extra room for fire-in-the-oven
baking, particularly pizzas, with a hearth of 32"X36", and the
largest oven that can be built in this manner with a hearth of 36"X48"
that is capable of producing marketable quantities of bread, within the limits of its materials, two to three
dozen loaves per batch, and several batches per firing. These ovens can
be located inside or outdoors.
Included in the package are the latest plans, 43 pages; includes up to date instructions,
photographs, materials lists, a temperature and baking guide and firing instructions
, accessories diagrams and more. The price includes any help over
the phone or e mail that you may need to get your oven built and baking.
PLAN PACKAGE #02 ..................................................................................US-$250.00
"ARTISAN" OVEN 42"X48" on the hearth. This oven has all the bells and
whistles of the larger commercial ovens. Designed for commercial use and the the very serious home
baker. This oven can be amateur built anywhere, even on a trailer. 10 pages of detalied
plans drawn to scale and updated materials list, and now 24 pages of instructions with photos of each step.
PLAN PACKAGE #03...............................................................................US-$250.00
This package contains 5 pages of instructions for building the quick and
inexpensive REFRACTORY CONCRETE pizza or bread ovens, the same as the many
manufactured pizza ovens and kits now on the market (8 pages of plans to scale
with a photo series of construction).
This package now includes another method of building
a light weight pizza oven shell using a novel stucco technique over lath. Unique
and fits tidily on a cheap off-the-shelf
assemble yourself highway legal trailer. Caterers can then hand wheel it into a garden for garden
partys and events. Bakes with live fire for pizzas type foods.
PLAN PACKAGE #04...............................................................................US-$500.00
This package contains two sets of 5 plans of a most popular bakery/restaurant
brick BREAD AND PIZZA oven "48X72" that can bake several batches
of four to five dozen loaves and a shorter version of the same oven when
the focus is on PIZZAS, but bread and other baking is important too. There
are 24 pages of instructions with photographs of each step showing the latest
in building techniques. Temperature guides, firing instructions and baking
tips included.
Price includes any consultation help needed to get this oven built and
baking.
PLAN PACKAGE #05................................................................................US-$750.00
This is a package of plans and instructions for building the largest bake
chamber fired brick BREAD oven to date in the series developed at Ovencrafters,
with a baking hearth of "72X96" capable of baking from 80 to 100
loaves a batch, with the capacity for multiple batches per firing.(Plans and materials list also
now available in Metric). There are 24 pages of instructions with photographs of each step showing the latest
in building techniques. Temperature guides, firing instructions and baking
tips included.
Price includes unlimited consultation to get this oven built and baking.
PLAN PACKAGE #06................................................................................US-$625.00
This is a package of plans and instructions for building the latest bake
chamber fired brick BREAD oven to date in the series developed at Ovencrafters,
with a baking hearth of "60x84" capable of baking from 60 to 80
loaves a batch, with a recorded maximum of 16 batches per firing to date. There is a
shorter version good for pizzas or a restricted space.
Price includes unlimited consultation to get this oven built and baking. There
are 24 pages of instructions with photographs of each step showing the latest
in building techniques. Temperature guides, firing instructions and baking
tips included.
All the above ovens are designed primarily for wood firing but are eminently
suitable for firing with either natural gas or propane. As experience is
gained on gas equipment it will be incorporated into the material in the
plan packages. Any inquires will be gladly answered.
OVENCRAFTERS also offers the following services:
- CONSULTING AND DESIGN -- On site consultation is available
at US-$480.00 (per day), plus travel expenses by Nick Scott. Custom plans are drawn by Alan Scott at
US-$85.00 per hour at the drafting table.
- CONSTRUCTION -- Ovencrafters builds ovens at a contracted price
determined beforehand by compounding time, materials, travel and associated
expenses. It is most often arranged that only the central core of the oven
be constructed by OVENCRAFTERS while local contractors build the foundation,
base, housing, flue or chimney, etc.
- OVEN RAISING WORKSHOPS -- To lower the expense of building
an oven in particular circumstances, Ovencrafters will assist in staging
an Oven Raising Workshop (Australia only until forther notice). Participants learn to build an oven as they help
with construction and contribute funds as well.
BOOKS
THE BREAD BUILDERS by Alan Scott and Daniel Wing 1999
272 pages, 60 b&w photos, 12 color photos..Soft Cover....................US-$35.00
illustrations, plans, recipes
(US priority postage $3.95-All others inquire)
You may have noticed the renaissance of good bread. Not just good bread, but excellent bread.
Not just excellent bread, but nutritious bread that tastes fantastic. Exploring both
the science and the artistry of baking bread, The Bread Builders takes you behind
the scenes of this revolution, revealing the keys to making your own great bread
from start to finish, and constructing your own masonry oven.
BUILD YOUR OWN EARTH OVEN by Kiko Denzer, 2007,
113 pages, COLOR & BW photos, drawings, soft bound, .................US-$15.00
( US postage $2.50- All others inquire)
New edition much expanded A clear and concise manual on building a fun oven that not only will bake your
bread and all, but can give rise to great heights of artistic expression, in the right hands
that is. Kiko is an inspiring master; his ovens will amaze you. The instructions make a
basic oven accessable to anyone with a little time and space, and just a little cash.
OVEN ACCESSORIES
TEMPERATURE METERS.....Digital display, 6 station, "K" type, wall mount units.
110 volt..(comes with 10V transformer)....................................US-$260.00
(US Shipping now direct from maker-$12.50 - All others allow $30)
Battery Operated Weather Protected..................US-$345.00
(US Shipping direct from maker-$12.50 - All others allow $30)
These are the best meters for thorough monitoring of the oven as it heats up,
to measure heat reserves in the mass, and accurate baking temperatures.
They can be mounted up to 100 feet from the oven. The 10 volt transformer
can be mounted in any nearby junction/outlet box. Made in USA.
THERMOCOUPLES .......................US-$5.00 each (base charge), plus US-$2.00
per foot- only available in 6, 8, and 10 foot lengths. (Shipped from Australia $12 a set of six or part of.)
K type, glass insulated, 24 gauge.
These thermocouples are made up to order ready to embed in
the masonry
of the oven floor or walls. "K" type are non corrosive. The high
temperature tolerant glass wrapping is easily scuffed. To extend this wire
any distance it may be more appropriate to use the cheaper plastic coated
wire below.
How to Compute Charges: Example- you want one 6 foot thermocouple.
It will cost :
US-$5 ( base charge per thermocouple)+
US-$12 ( US-$2.00 per foot)=US-$17.00 total for one 6 foot
thermocouple,(plus shipping now $12 as they are made up offshore).
COUNTERBALANCED STAINLESS STEEL OVEN DOORS ................................Base
price : US-$425.00
FOB Petaluma. (Inquire about shipping charges)
Made by a local craftsperson for the commercial ovens in Plan Packs 02, 04 05 & 06.
They are available in two widths: 20" for the Artisan Oven and 24"in two heights: 10" or 12"
for all other ovens.
CAST IRON OVEN DOORS ................................Base
price : US-$150.00
(Inquire about shipping charges)
Made in the USA from the original
century old pattern as seen on many old Squirrel tail ovens used in
the early days. These are suitable only for a nice decorative ash clean out
door on most commercial ovens above. Inside sizes approximately 12" wide by 15" high.
How to Purchase from the
OVENCRAFTERS catalog
We cannot process credit card orders but we do accept electronic wire transfers.
If you are interested in purchasing plans, books, and accessories send a
letter with a request, along with a check or money order
for the proper amount to:
Ovencrafters
PO BOX 908
Point Reyes Station, CA 94956
USA
Alan Scott. 33 Wellington Street, Oatlands 7120. To Australia Phone from N America 011 613 6254 1131