Purpose-built Brick Ovens

Brick ovens can be built to provide one capability.  For instance, when I build ovens in which I know the owner will be primarily baking bread, I add mass to the dome and floor.

The feature unique in the oven shown at left are the two pizza floors raised on either side of the fire channel.  This serves to maintain a fierce fire in the center of the oven without incinerating the pizza placed on the two sides.  The mouth of the oven is generous so that the pizzaiolo can manage the pizzas as they are placed inside for the minute or so that they need to cook.

The elongated shape of these ovens lends themselves to construction either with cob, composite mortar and stone (as does Flatbread ovens) or from bricks.

Although I like the arrangement of this oven, the attempt as rusticating the face with stone might have been carried through the entire exterior.

baguettes

matzoh oven

Brick ovens for high-output commercial bread in rectangular loaves is best done in rectangular ovens.

tandoor

Other ovens that are mechanized, such as a rotating floor, continue the trend toward specialization and eventually, with the addition of fossil fuels, replace the tradition of baking with a wholly commercial approach.

Thinking about the various shapes and uses of ovens usually brings me back to the satisfying work of building domes.  It's my niche.