From Concept to Cooking: Part Four

Kneading Conference bread from my oven

Audrix on market day

Inspiration for your brick oven can have any starting point.
For many in America, their first introduction to wood-fired brick ovens is a via a pizza.

Although pizzas from wood-fired ovens are remarkable, artisan bread holds the place of ancient tradition.  The upcoming Kneading Conference in Skowhegan, Maine (kneadingconference.com), where I brought my portable oven last year, illuminated the variety and techniques of artisan bread making.  A number of professional bakers made breads in my oven and I learned more than can be written in a year's worth of blog posts.  Recently, I had the pleasure of having Michael and Sandy Jubinsky of Stone Turtle Baking and Cooking School (stoneturtlebaking.com), whom I met at the KC last year, present a artisan bread workshop with my oven at the Northern New England Home and Garden Show (www.homegardenflowershow.com/‎).

Also, previous posts describing community wood-fired brick ovens in Europe also centered around bread.

Naturally, when I design an oven project, I take into account the experiences and cultural contexts of the people for whom I am working.  The project at Pietree Orchard in Sweden, Maine (see featured project on truebrickovens.com) sought to bring a European influence to New England. 

exterior of Pietree oven

exterior of Audrix oven

This sometimes involves 'transliterating' styles.
Style is an essential part of brick oven design.  The interior of the oven may be built in any way you wish (see a ton of previous posts) but the exterior should reflect your aesthetic taste.
After that, whatever else that may come out of the oven will taste better for it.

Face of Pietree oven