Wood Fired Pizza Oven

How to build a Forno, wood fired brick oven

Al forno is a term that described cuisine in Italy which has the tradition of using wood-burning ovens and open-flame grills.  The brick oven has become a kind of symbol for "al forno" with its arched oven door and a wooden board upon which the food was put in and taken out.

One of the oldest evidence of a forno is in Pompeii, Italy.

Our forno in use during the annual All Hallows Eve Party.  Kirk is usually the baker but I was giving him a break.

My husband and I built our own forno in our back yard from scratch with a ton of help from my father-in law Ernie Ruffo, a retired stone mason, in 2009.  There are kits available where each piece is made out of unglazed ceramic that are then assembled at home.  A stand and an enclosure is still needed even when using a kit.

The base of our oven is 5'6" x 4'6" x 3' and is made out of concrete blocks, on a concrete foundation and is faced with river rock and clinker bricks.  There is an opening to store/age wood before burning.  We trim our fruit trees and use the clippings as kindling.  Only fruit, nut, or hard wood can be used in the oven - they get the hottest and do not have sap, etc.  This chart shows each species of wood and how it burns.  An oven could also be incorporated with an outdoor kitchen too. 

The completed oven

We chose to make our oven in the shape of a volcano as a reference to Mt. Vesuvius near Pompeii; where the oldest pizza oven was found. The bottom of the oven is 3' in diameter and is made out of fire brick and fire resistant mortar.

On top of the concrete block walls we placed a 2" deep steel pan that a friend of ours made to our specifications.  We wanted about a 6" overhang from the face of the brick and stone on the base.  Kirk created a template out of plywood for the 3' base and cut fire brick accordingly.  We decided that we also wanted fire brick on the floor of the opening to the oven.  This picture shows the void for the floor of the opening.

Next, we created the shape of the oven out of sand and covered it with a thin layer of stucco to form a shell that we could build to.

After the stucco was dry we started to dry stack the bricks.

Refractory mortar, or fire mud, needs to be used at all the joints at this layer.  We choose the light yellow for the floor of the oven. 

We used pieces of hardened mortar as spacers to create the angled walls.

All of the voids between the bricks need to be filled with fire resistant mortar, aka refractory mortar. After the voids are filled the entire exterior needs a coat of refractory mortar.  We also chose to apply mortar to the inside of the opening to the oven. 

At this point the bricks are supporting themselves so the sand and mortar shell can be removed.  Then a woven ceramic blanket is added to cover the entire exterior.  This blanket can insulate up to 2300 F which is key because the oven will get over 1000 F easily.

Then cover the blanket with a wire mesh.  This will hold the blanket in place and give a base for the stucco to adhere to.  For this layer of stucco, perlite needs to be included in the stucco mix as an insulator.  Perlite can be bought at your local hardware store.

Let the scratch coat cure before adding additional layers of stucco.  You do not want pockets of moisture that could expand and crack your oven when you fire up the oven.  The brown coat, or second coat, of stucco is where you can fine tune the shape of the oven.

Here you can see that we almost have the peak formed.  While Kirk finished the stucco on the outside, I filled any joints that were missing mortar.

Now let the entire oven cure for a few weeks depending on your climate.

We decided it was time to fire up the oven even though the exterior mosaic was not complete!  We were ready for some wood fired pizza.

The complete mosaic of dark grey smooth stones and lava rocks.

Things to remember

• Make sure that the opening of the oven is large enough for your pizza peel.  We buy ours from the local restaurant supply, but you can also purchase online.
• Use gloves that are rated over 500 F and that cover your forearms.  The oven gets really hot and you do not want to burn your hands or hair on your arms.
• Purchase a laser thermometer that goes to at least 1000 F.  The laser will help you find the best place to bake your pizza. 

We referenced "Your Brick Oven" Building it & Baking in it by Russel Jeavons while we were building our oven.  A newer edition is available on Amazon

I will be sharing recipes and cooking methods with the forno in future posts.

Have you built your own wood fired oven?  Would you attempt to?  Any questions about our method?

Cheers,

Amy

Heidelberg, Germany

Photo Credit -Wikipedia

The town of Heidelberg, sits along the Nekar River south of Frankfurt, and is known for the stunning pink castle upon the hill.

We arrived by train from Tres-Karden, on the Mosel River after visiting Burg Eltz  The train ride was 2 1/2 hours and did not require a reservation with our rail pass.  The train station in Heidelberg is not near the historic part of town, so we took a taxi to reach our pub hotel in the pedestrian only area near the cathedral.  During this European adventure we wanted to stay in unique places that were close to the action.

We missed our pub at home so we stayed above one.

The Dubliner Hotel and Pub has eight rooms and is in the historic center walking distance to all the main sights.  We could not hear the pub from our room, but it was a Tuesday night... Our room was a suite with an attached bathroom for 80 euro a night.  There are not many places to stay in this area and we would totally recommend it.

Vetter is a restaurant brew pub in Heidelberg and is known for the Strongest Beer in the World!   I visited this restaurant with my family the first time I was in Germany and knew that Kirk and I would eat dinner here during our trip.  The Vetter 33 is super strong and is worth a taste, but the other beers under 10% were more my speed.  The place was packed for a Tuesday and we finally got a table after 45 minutes.  Good beer, brats and potatoes were worth the wait.

Now on to the Castle!

Photo Credit

 How to get there:  If you are super sporty you can climb hundreds of step to the castle (not in this tunnel but in the open air.)  Or if you are like us who are not that sporty and who do not particularly care to be out in the rain we took the funicular: a special tram engineered to go up and down steep grades.

Heidelberg's gardens were once described as the eighth wonder of the world and can be accessed free of charge.

Most of the castle is still in ruins after many wars pummeled the pink stone walls.  The only areas that you can go inside to see is the vat, or barrel room, and the pharmacy museum.  Both areas are worth visiting - especially to see the largest barrel in the world at 55,345 gallons. The barrel room is also said to be haunted.

After viewing the castle courtyard you must go out to the viewing platforms to see the vista of the town and river below.

The castle does not take that long to see since many areas are not open to visitors but we still recommend a visit.  The town is quaint and offers a Christmas market from November 25th until December 23.

Have you visited Heidelberg?  Would you recommend it?  Have you tried the Vetter 33?

Cheers,

Amy

Our other stops in Germany: Cologne, The Rhine River by ferry and train, Burg Rheinfels - traveling the Rhine, Marksburg Castle, Burg Eltz

Linking up with:

Burg Eltz

Travel Tuesday:

Burg Eltz is an amazing castle located just north of the Mosel River, a river that joins the Rhine in Koblenz.  The castle can be reached by all modes of transportation: foot, boat, train, bus or car. This website details how to get to the castle.  I have visited by car and by train/foot - this post will feature our adventure on foot.  Burg Eltz is open from March 30th to November 2nd due.

We arrived in Karden around 6pm via train from Koblenz and made our way on foot to our hotel, Schloss Hotel Petry, which was only 60 m from the rail station.  The name is misleading - they call themselves a castle hotel (schloss usually means castle.)  I would call it more of an estate home from the 1800s - most websites give it a 3 star ranking.  We booked one night here in advanced and ate in the attached restaurant and enjoyed local Mosel wine. 

After breakfast, we walked across the bridge in search for a bank.  The views across the Mosel River were quite serene - almost like a painting.

With a fresh supply of cash we set off for the six minute train ride to Moselkern where we would start our walk to the castle.  You can actually hike from Karden but it is 7km one way.  We chose the shorter and milder path along the Eltz stream and through the forest.  This page will show you all the hiking options.  About a third of the hike is not paved so wear shoes that you can muck around in if you visit in the spring or fall.  There is a shuttle that is now offered from the Tres-Karden station where we stayed the night if you want a more direct route.

Photo Credit - Google Maps

The hike was quite peaceful and we only saw a few other people out on the trail.

We found some great photo opportunities for Cedric too!

This location was chosen for Burg Eltz because of the 70 m high rock formation and the protection of the river on three sides.   The Eltz family have been in control of the castle for more than 800 years and still own it today.

Photo Credit

 

Tours start about every 15 minutes and run for 40 minutes.  There is also a treasury where you can see artifacts from the family and is also included in the ticket price.  Unfortunately, photos are not allowed inside of the castle but you can see them on their website. The mix of stone, slate and half timbered construction reflect many generations of the Eltz family and the wars that took place around them.

Lucky for you a large renovation was recently completed and the castle is now free from scaffolding and cranes.  Before heading back into town stop for a bratwurst in a crusty roll and the castle's hefeweissbier or as we know it in America hefeweizen.

There are signs that point you back toward the parking lot, train station or other near by towns.  It is difficult to get lost.

We are glad that we had an entire day to explore Burg Eltz and the surround Eltzbach forest....and no bags to worry about.

Cheers,

Amy

Our other stops in Germany: Cologne, The Rhine River by ferry and train, Burg Rheinfels - traveling the Rhine, Marksburg Castle, Heidleburg Castle

Linking up with