Earth ovens combine the utility of a wood-fired, retained-heat oven with the ease and timeless beauty of earthen construction. Building one will appeal to bakers, builders, and beginners of all kinds, from:
• the serious or aspiring baker who wants the best low-cost
bread oven, to
• gardeners who want a centerpiece for a beautiful
outdoor kitchen, to
• outdoor chefs, to
• creative people interested in low-cost materials and
simple technology, to
• teachers who want a multi-faceted, experiential project for students of all ages (the book has been successful with
everyone from third-graders to adults).
Build Your Own Earth Oven is fully illustrated with step-by-step directions, including how to tend the fire, and how to make perfect sourdough hearth loaves in the artisan tradition. The average do-it-yourselfer with a few tools and a scrap pile can build an oven for free, or close to it. Otherwise, $30 should cover all your materials--less than the price of a fancy "baking stone." Good building soil is often right in your back yard, under your feet. Build the simplest oven in a day! With a bit more time and imagination, you can make a permanent foundation and a fire-breathing dragon-oven or any other shape you can dream up.
Earth ovens are familiar to many that have seen a southwestern "horno" or a European "bee-hive" oven. The idea, pioneered by Egyptian bakers in the second millennium BCE, is simplicity itself: fill the oven with wood, light a fire, and let it burn down to ashes. The dense, 3- to 12-inch-thick earthen walls hold and store the heat of the fire, the baker sweeps the floor clean, and the hot oven walls radiate steady, intense heat for hours.
Home bakers who can't afford a fancy, steam-injected bread oven will be delighted to find that a simple earth oven can produce loaves to equal the fanciest "artisan" bakery. It also makes delicious roast meats, cakes, pies, pizzas, and other creations. Pizza cooks to perfection in three minutes or less. Vegetables, herbs, and potatoes drizzled with olive oil roast up in minutes for a simple, elegant, and delicious meal. Efficient cooks will find the residual heat useful for slow-baked dishes, and even for drying surplus produce, or incubating homemade yogurt.
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Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Denzer, an artist and builder, creates beautiful wood-fired ovens using the most widely available building material: dirt. Some earth ovens are plain while others are formed into the shape of animals or human faces. Denzer offers an explanation of basic concepts such as material selection, oven location, and design and then guides readers through the construction of their own oven. Earth ovens could be produced most anywhere using Denzer's instructions; he even shows how to build a weatherproof roof. A sourdough bread recipe is included. Appealing to a diverse audience of bakers, outdoor cooks, traditional crafts persons, and perhaps even homeschoolers looking for a project, this title should be part of most public library collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"... the essential book…worth many times its price in avoided labor and frustration"--Dan Wing, author, The Bread Builders: Hearth Loaves & Masonry Ovens
"[It] will awaken in you...the artisan vision, where earth meets hand meets spirit"--Peter Reinhart, author, Crust and Crumb
"Creative. Innovative. Brilliant. ...the definitive book on how to build an adobe oven..."--William Rubel, author, The Magic of Fire
"...simplicity itself: brief, brisk, artful, and well-written....empowering throughout...fruit of a new movement for sustainability, it celebrates the pleasure of living well with the earth."--Peter Bane, Permaculture Activist
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
90 of 93 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I ran a summer family camp in July 2002 and built the smaller oven in one day. I had kids from age two to fifty two stomping the clay, sand, hay and water with thier feet. I set fire in the oven on day two and made our first loaf of bread. The directions are easy to follow and was a hit with my fourty campers. I would highly recommend this book. A great family or group activity! Loved it.
86 of 91 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Reading Kiko Denzer's book for the second time this December, as I thought about friends who would most enjoy a copy as a present, I was struck again by the artistic beauty and integrity of the book as a whole. Unlike most manuals, Denzer talks about life, not just bread, or ovens, or art.
The sculptural ovens delight the eye; the color photos and flowing drawings inspire. The instructions are clear and suffused with a philosophy of simple, harmonious living. Quotes add an unexpected depth. Finally, the explanation of bread-making science and technique makes a full circle of the various experiences of making, eating, and living.
The design and excellent presentation has drawn positive comments from friends, anthropologists, ecologists, as well as visitors and professional community workers from Mali, Tunisia, Japan, England, Ireland. Another friend, after seeing the book, went home with plans to build an oven for the intentional community where she lives.
As a Peace Corps Volunteer, I helped people build improved cook stoves (out of earth) in West Africa. Now, as an anthropologist, professor, trainer, and returned Volunteer I especially appreciate instructional texts that respect traditions of living within material limits. I would highly recommend this book, not only to home bakers and builders, but particularly to teachers and others who work in community settings.
61 of 64 people found the following review helpful
By robi dawson
Format:Paperback
I read the book, and immediately wanted to build an oven.
Wonderfully written and easy to follow. It was so easy in fact that i was able to build my oven, with the help of my 10 year old son over the summer. Man hours totatled about 30. I will now build a friends oven as a surprsie next weekend! IT is that easy!
Read this book and you too will realize that you can indeed built your own oven, easily, cheaply and with fun for all involved.
*Build your own Earth Oven* is simply AMAZING!
113 of 133 people found the following review helpful
By Rarkm
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The goal of this book is to give instructions on building a mud (actually adobe) oven, similar to those constructed all over the world before the invention of firebrick and other materials and technologies took over. You CAN learn what you need to do that from this book. However, it really needs another edition and an editor who will ruthlessly organize the material and demand better and more even treatment and presentation.
While written by someone who is obviously experienced in the subject (mainly through personal research), this book is not the last word on the subject of wood fired baking. (For example, there is really nothing about tandoori ovens. Those bottle shaped ovens are in use in great number in Central Asia today; you can't make authentic naan without them.)
It is also somewhat disorganized: material on construction is scattered throughout, along with some New Age philosophy and personal anecdotes. I don't wish to seem crabby, but the author's life experiences just aren't that interesting to me.
There are many areas in which the author simply doesn't seem have enough information or technical experience. The illustrations range from fairly good to amateurish (odd for an author who claims to be an artist). The treatment of sourdough baking and baking in general is perfunctory and the author seems to be mostly unaware of the many excellent net resources on sourdough baking on USENET and the web. There are also some interesting clay oven resources on the web, including information on paleolithic and ancient ovens discovered in Great Britain and Europe.
There is useful information in this book, but it is an evolving work in progress. I hope to see a new and greatly expanded edition.... Read more ›
While written by someone who is obviously experienced in the subject (mainly through personal research), this book is not the last word on the subject of wood fired baking. (For example, there is really nothing about tandoori ovens. Those bottle shaped ovens are in use in great number in Central Asia today; you can't make authentic naan without them.)
It is also somewhat disorganized: material on construction is scattered throughout, along with some New Age philosophy and personal anecdotes. I don't wish to seem crabby, but the author's life experiences just aren't that interesting to me.
There are many areas in which the author simply doesn't seem have enough information or technical experience. The illustrations range from fairly good to amateurish (odd for an author who claims to be an artist). The treatment of sourdough baking and baking in general is perfunctory and the author seems to be mostly unaware of the many excellent net resources on sourdough baking on USENET and the web. There are also some interesting clay oven resources on the web, including information on paleolithic and ancient ovens discovered in Great Britain and Europe.
There is useful information in this book, but it is an evolving work in progress. I hope to see a new and greatly expanded edition.... Read more ›
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful
By gemini_pearl
Format:Paperback
A+++! This book is the perfect guide to building your own earthen oven, adding on a hand sculpted design, and it even shows you other design options. It has everything you need for the basics of making a working earthen oven and then leaves tons of room for your own creativity and design ideas. I really loved this book and we have already built a small prototype. The author combines logic and science with creativity and art, you have to love it!
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Kiko has done it again, I own the two previous editions and this new edition is a clear improvement.
The addition of an insulation layer in the oven construction enhances the oven performance and brings professional bake oven results. Still simple enough to build yourself though.
There is also more information on bread making as well as more color and more of the illustrative and entertaining illustrations.
Highly recommended!
The addition of an insulation layer in the oven construction enhances the oven performance and brings professional bake oven results. Still simple enough to build yourself though.
There is also more information on bread making as well as more color and more of the illustrative and entertaining illustrations.
Highly recommended!
21 of 23 people found the following review helpful
By jody gardner
Format:Paperback
This is a wonderful, hands-on, inspirational book with simple, clear, fun, illustrated (very important) instructions on how to create a sculptured mud and straw outdoor bread-baking oven. It is perfect for my family celebrations such as: Thanksgiving turkey, Christmas bread, and all of my other baking adventures. I was pleased to discover the roots of this century tested simple solution to baking outdoors. Thank you so much for this important addition to my life.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cool Book!
Even though we haven't built our oven yet, this book has amazing detail on how to get it done. Still in the planing stage with our oven, and rounding up supplies, but am confidant... Read more
Published 24 days ago by K. Palmer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect gideline for eath oven
I eat a pizza at a friends house made in an earth oven made after those gidelines, bread and food come out tasty, this book made it possible.
Published 26 days ago by Arrest
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cob builders
The one thing I want to makae this summer and with this book, which is easy to read and has lots of drawings, will help me get it done!
Published 1 month ago by Marcy Hjort
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book!!!
Anything and everything about making earthen ovens!!! If you want to know how to and how much the cost this is the perfect book.
Published 1 month ago by natalie weaver
5.0 out of 5 stars
real outdoor cooking
well written, easy to understand, especially for a novice as soon as our weather in northern michigan breaks I plan to start building my oven am a retired chef and am looking... Read more
Published 2 months ago by frederic g wahls
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting but .......
I was looking to make an outdoor oven and so bought this book for ideas. It is an interesting book but the plans are much too detailed for what I would want. Read more
Published 2 months ago by animal lover
5.0 out of 5 stars
Read, Read, then Re-Read
Kiko Denzer wants you to play in the mud, to express your artistic self and create a work of art that just happens to bake the best bread you'll ever eat. Read more
Published 2 months ago by PastorJohn
5.0 out of 5 stars
Building an Earth Oven
This book contains more information in one place than I have found so far. The variety of possible types of ovens to build is very clearly shown, and makes it easier to make our... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Grammie
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Try It, You'll Like It"
For the DIY minded interested in fun and useful projects, this is a great addition to your personal library. Also makes a great gift not everyone has.
Published 3 months ago by galactifier
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hands on
I took a class building a wood fired mud oven last summer, I needn't have bothered for after reading this book you can build a very decent oven by yourself (or with friends).
Published 3 months ago by Constance
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