| Preface |
2 |
| Introduction
Why a wood-fired, earthen oven?
Earthen Building, or what is "cob," anyway?
|
5 |
Chapter One: build a basic mud oven
How big an oven should I make?
Getting organized
Materials and tools
Beauty and sculpture
On "waterproofing"
A roof for your oven
Eight steps to a simple oven |
11 |
Chapter Two: firing and baking in your
oven
Building and managing a fire
Assembling a set of traditional baking tools |
43 |
Chapter Three: simple sourdough bread!
Introduction and a note on ingredients
A quick outline of a ten-step sourdough process
On yeast, flour, and bread
How it works--the ten step process in detail |
51 |
Chapter Four: materials and making
do
Floor materials
Straw and other fibers
Gravel and Sand
Subsoil, clay, and what to do if you can't find it
Clay facts
Refractory Cement |
68 |
Chapter Five: other mixtures,
other ovens
Single layer, all-clay, "rammed earth" ovens
Simpler foundations
Sculpting and finishing
Lime plasters and other water resistant, breathable plasters, and a warning
Brick or metal doorways
Chimneys and doors
Firing doors
Cob doors
Insulating a mud oven
Experiments and things to try |
73 |
Chapter Six: pyro-dynamics, or, playing
with fire
Mechanics of fire
Some related principles
Metaphysics of fire |
93 |
Chapter Seven: troubleshooting
My sand form won't hold its shape
I have no sand--how else can I make a form?
I can't find straw
My fire won't burn
The bottoms of my loaves always burn
My oven is cracking
Can I quick dry my oven?
Can I keep an all-clay oven from shrinking?
The doorway is crumbling and falling apart
I can't find clay subsoil anywhere
What about fuels other than wood? |
99 |
| Afterword
Art, earth, ovens |
105 |
Appendix: Questions, Answers, and Resources
About efficiency, design, etc
Using the oven
Materials and construction
Resources: Books on bread and building |
112 |
| Index |
121 |
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