Brick Ovens

Brick ovens, also known as masonry ovens, are made from brick, refractory concrete (a heat resistant mixture that can sustain conditions of high heat), clay, or stone, in addition to mortar and mud. These types of ovens date back to the Roman Empire, and there is evidence of Native Americans using brick ovens before the European explorers arrived in the New World. Later, restaurants in the Americas, such as pizza parlors, began using the cooking apparatus for their baking needs.

Ovens can be simple or elaborate, depending on the location of installation, amount of usage, and budget. Outdoor brick ovens are often assembled atop a concrete slab and are roughly oval-shaped, although modern brick ovens have begun to spin off into different designs. While the oven's interior can be built with regular brick or firebrick, thicker surfaces are able to retain heat better. The oven's height should be larger than the door's size, with an approximate ratio of 1:1.6. Ovens also have a flue to allow air to escape from the cooking chamber.

Most brick ovens use wood, coal, or more recently, gas or electricity, to generate the heat necessary to bake different types of breads and meats. The temperature inside the oven can reach up to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and the walls keep the oven at a constant temperature for longer periods of time than a standard kitchen oven.

The oven's function is to trap and radiate the heat from a fire kindled inside the oven (black or Roman oven) or in a firebox that vents into the oven (white oven). After preheating the oven for about one or two hours, the fire source is pushed to the side or taken out of the oven entirely. Depending on the food being baked, the fire is put out completely (ideal for breads) or kept gently burning (usually for pizza baking). Likewise, the construction can dictate what foods fare better inside the oven. Bread ovens are thicker to store heat for several hours and ovens used for pizzas usually have thinner walls.

One of the most popular foods to cook inside a brick oven is pizza, especially Neapolitan pizzas. Some suggest that the cooking style gives the pizza a unique flavor and the crust a crispier texture. Pizzas can be baked in 800 degrees Fahrenheit in about 90 seconds. As the oven cools to about 450 degrees Fahrenheit, meats and breads can take advantage of the still-hot oven. Depending on the type of wood used in preheating (usually hard woods like oak or cherry), that can add another layer of flavor to the meat being slow-roasted. Breads should be baked last so they don't brown too quickly on the outside. Depending on how well insulated and large the oven is, they can usually keep baking for an entire day.