Pompeii wood-fired pizza oven. Do-it-yourself Pompeii wood-fired pizza oven: description and design. DIY pizza oven

Compact, efficient and beautiful - it will not only allow you to cook delicious food, but will also look stylish on any suburban area. How to lay out a Pompeian oven with your own hands, and what technical nuances should be taken into account, we will talk in this article.

The standard Pompeian oven is characterized by certain proportions that must be observed regardless of the shape and size of the structure. So, the height of the entrance is approximately equal to 50% of the total height of the dome. This allows you to optimize the workflow as much as possible, create normal traction and reduce heat losses.

Due to the special internal structure of the oven, it heats up quickly and retains heat for a long time. Historians claim that the Pompeian oven appeared on the Iberian Peninsula and was originally used specifically for making an open cheese pie, where the structure was not needed to heat the room.

Later it spread throughout the world. It is also called the Neapolitan, Italian oven, tandoor.

The Pompeian oven will not only be an ideal design for making pizza, pies and bread, but will also decorate any suburban area. In combination with a gazebo or barbecue, it becomes a real landscape decoration, becoming a favorite vacation spot for the whole family.

Basically, such a stove is installed in suburban areas on the street, in a barbecue area, in an outdoor garden, but if desired and with some technical improvements, a Pompeian stove can also be built in the house. To do this, of course, it will be necessary to provide not only a reliable solid foundation, but also a chimney.

In this article, we will look at the classic option for building an Italian outdoor stove. Before proceeding with the step-by-step instructions, I would like to warn you that the laying of the Pompeii oven is a very difficult and expensive undertaking.

But if you do everything right, then such an oven will delight you for decades, giving an authentic look to the cottage and helping to cook delicious homemade cakes. Thanks to our clear and simple instructions, even a beginner can master the laying of the Pompeian oven with his own hands.

The device of the Pompeian oven is somewhat similar to the design of the ancient Slavic oven.

But, unlike the traditional Russian stove, it heats up much faster. You can cook pies in it literally 30 minutes after heating, while the Russian oven will take at least 3-4 hours before reaching the optimum temperature for cooking.

Such a heating rate in the Pompeian furnace is achieved due to the lower thermal mass. The layer of brick that is heated is only 12 cm. Already 45 minutes after kindling, the temperature in this oven reaches 260 degrees, and an hour later - 370 degrees.

How is the temperature distribution in the Pompeii oven?

The peculiarity and main advantage of the Pompeii oven is that almost any dish can be cooked in it in a short time. Due to the high temperature that is reached inside the vault, pizza and bread are perfectly baked in it. Smoke gives a special piquancy to baking.

The principle of operation of the Pompeii oven

The efficiency of the Italian pizza oven is due to the technical design features.

During the combustion of solid fuel, two streams of hot gases appear inside the dome:

1. Convection flow that comes from the firebox itself.
2. The reflected flow comes from the walls of the dome.

It is also noteworthy that the temperature in the Pompeii oven is self-regulating.

The more firewood burns in the oven, the more gases are released. Rushing upwards with a powerful stream, they block the flow of oxygen in the cross section of the pipe mouth. Consequently, the intensity of combustion also decreases, and hence the temperature also decreases.

When the temperature has dropped, the flow of hot gases also weakens, again opening access to oxygen.

This cyclical process helps to regulate the optimal temperature in the oven, which is necessary for the preparation of bread, pies, pizza and any other food.

As can be seen from the figure, it is the dome that is the main element of the furnace, accumulating thermal energy from fire.

After analyzing the principle of operation and design of the furnace, we can summarize and highlight the main pros and cons of the Pompeii furnace.

Benefits include:

• Fast heating. Already 30 minutes after kindling, raw food for cooking can be loaded into such an oven. While the heating time of a classic Russian stove is at least 2 hours.
• Good heat dissipation. Even after burning firewood, the heat in the Pompeian oven continues to be maintained for several hours, which allows you to "stew" food.
• The compact dimensions of the unit allow you to organically fit the stove into almost any suburban area.

The disadvantages of the Pompeii oven include:

• The complexity of the design. Unlike the traditional laying of a brick oven for a summer residence, skill is required here to correctly lay out the dome, which is an essential attribute of the unit.
• High cost of materials.
• The need for arranging a powerful foundation, since the furnace is not light in weight.

The financial and economic aspect of building a Pompeian oven with your own hands

What is the reason for the high price of such a furnace?

1. The Pompeian stove is laid out from fireclay bricks, which cost an order of magnitude more than usual.
2. The design of the furnace has a fairly large weight, and for ease of use it must be raised to a height of 80-100 cm. To do this, you will have to lay out a brick stand on which the furnace itself will be erected, which means you need to think of a good foundation.

To slightly reduce the cost of building a furnace, any materials that are on the farm are suitable for the stand: blocks, ceilings, old bricks, etc.

Another disadvantage is the lengthy process of laying the Pompeian oven. A rather complex design, which involves the presence of a foundation, a pedestal, the oven itself, a large countertop, indicates that the whole process will take at least a month.

In addition, you will need significant technological breaks to harden the concrete for the foundation, etc.

If you come to the dacha only for the weekend, then the whole masonry process can be rationally divided into several stages, calculating that the technological break for “seizing” the materials just falls on your absence.

Traditionally, the Pompeian oven has the following scheme:

• solid foundation;
• pedestal under the oven;
• bake.

The oven itself, in turn, consists of four parts:

• base (furnace bottom);
• dome (vault);
• entrance arch;
• chimney.

The base (pedestal) is made of small cinder blocks, 20*20*40 cm each.

The tabletop is a monolithic slab made of reinforced concrete with a thickness of 10 cm.

Unlike the traditional stone oven, here the chimney is at the front. This is one of the main design differences. The fire rises up along the dome, heating the vault. Thanks to this, heating is carried out simultaneously from above and below, which contributes to the rapid preparation of food.

The Pompeian stove has undergone many changes over the years of its existence, and today you can find several of its varieties.

There are Tuscan and Neapolitan ovens. The Tuscan stove has a higher vault and is more versatile. In it you can bake not only pies, but also cook stews, meat, soups.

The Neapolitan oven is traditionally used for baking pizza and has a small vault that is approximately equal to 80% of the total height of the dome.

As for the shape and size of the oven, the most optimal design is the one with an inner diameter of 80-110 cm. It is not recommended to make the oven smaller than this.

The spherical vault of the stove serves for maximum heating and heat storage, and the arched entrance is used for laying firewood and the food itself.

The size of the stove may vary, but in any case, a strict proportion should be adhered to: the height of the arch should be approximately equal to 60% of the total height of the dome.

The width of the entrance for laying firewood should be equal to the total height of the dome.

The vault itself has several layers:

• the inner surface is made of fireclay bricks;
• clay coating;
• 1st layer of basalt wool (thermo insulating);
• 2nd layer of perlite;
• Facing layer of cement mortar.

In this case, the thickness of each layer should approximately have the same size of 5-10 cm. The more the heat-insulating layer is laid, the longer the furnace will cool down.

The facing layer can be made of any moisture-proof and water-repellent materials, since its main purpose is protection from atmospheric precipitation. If the furnace is carried out in the house, then this protection can be omitted.

In addition, the facing layer also performs a decorative function, so you can make it to your taste: decorative plaster, painting, mosaic, etc.

Basic rules for the arrangement of the Pompeii oven

Following the step-by-step instructions and the layout of the Pompeii oven, even a beginner can handle the work. But in order to avoid mistakes, it is necessary to adhere to the following basic rules when performing work:

How to fold the Pompeian stove with your own hands?

Work on the arrangement of the Pompeian oven will take place in several stages:

Step 1. Schematic design.

Before starting construction work, be sure to make a drawing of the furnace. Consider not only its size, location, but also observe the proportions of the vault and dome.

Decide for yourself which option suits you best: Tuscan or Neapolitan, and correctly calculate the height of the dome and the width of the entrance.

Step 2. Preparation of materials.

Before you begin construction work, you need to stock up on everything you need.

We will need the following tools:

• building level;
• construction roulette;
• Master OK;
• hammer for laying bricks (kiyalo);
• Bulgarian;
• hammer for the construction of formwork;
• container for mixing the solution;
• shovel and bayonet shovels;
• construction slope.
• goniometer;
• putty knife;
• drill with a nozzle for mixing;
• chisel.

From the materials before starting work should be purchased:

Step 3. Arrangement of the foundation.

The foundation is the basis of any construction, and the strength of the entire structure depends on how firmly and thoroughly it is executed. Given the rather large dimensions and massiveness of the Pompeian oven, you will have to work hard on the foundation.

It is better to start work in the summer or early spring, since it will take you at least 3-4 weeks to dry and set the cement mortar. If the work is not completed before the start of the seasonal rains, then it is necessary to cover the oven with a thick layer of polyethylene and tightly bandage it.

After cold weather, in the spring, you should carefully examine the structure to identify weaknesses. If necessary, grease again well and finish the job.

The level of groundwater is also important. This should be thought about in advance, even before laying the furnace.

If the summer cottage is located in an area where there is a high level of groundwater, then around the furnace it is necessary to perform a drainage system at the foundation construction stage.

In addition, it will be necessary to use hydrophobic mixtures for arranging the foundation.

If the soil, on the contrary, is very dry and dense, then a small pit can be used for the foundation, which must be filled with crushed stone, brick and poured with concrete.

We offer a standard scheme for laying the foundation for the Pompeian oven.

Step 4. Construction of the base from concrete cinder blocks.

After the foundation is completed, we proceed to the laying of the base of the furnace, on which the countertop and the dome will be located.

The height of the stand (pedestal) is 80 cm. If the foundation is above the ground, then the height of the base can be slightly reduced. In general, the height of the pedestal should be selected taking into account the convenience of further operation for the cook, so you can vary this parameter.

The shape of the pedestal will visually resemble the letter “H”, where the sides are 120 cm. Considering that each concrete block has a length of 40 cm, we need three cinder blocks on each side.

In some masonry schemes of the Pompeii oven, it is recommended to make the shape of the letter "P", but our option has its advantages. Given the heavy weight of the dome and tabletop, the transverse wall will take on the additional weight of the structure, guaranteeing its strength and reliability.

• We will stack the blocks on top of each other using the “dry” method, which consists in fastening the material together with the help of reinforcing wire, which is inserted into the hole in the blocks.

This will give an additional guarantee that when pouring concrete, the blocks will not budge.

Step 5. Table top.

A special feature of the Pompeian oven is the countertop. It must be strong and reliable, so its construction should be approached with all responsibility.

Any error and unevenness, cracking or poor drying can lead to the fact that the unit will not work as it should.

Step 6 We are building a furnace.

Video. Masonry of the dome of the Pompeian furnace.

Run this row “dry” right away to clearly determine which part of the bricks will need to be hewn. Number these bricks with chalk or a building marker so that you don’t make a mistake later when you start laying them on the mortar.

To make it easier for you to navigate in size, let's recall the following parameters of the Pompeii oven:

• The height of the furnace dome is equal to the radius of the entire circle.
• The height of the arch will be 60% of the total height of the dome.
• The width of the arch is equal to the total height of the dome.

If you are laying out a large diameter oven, then to save heat, you can make a slightly smaller entrance diameter. But don't make it too small. Firstly, through this entrance it will be necessary not only to lay firewood and put food, but also to shovel the ashes with a shovel.

• We begin to form a dome in a circle. The thickness of the dome over the entire height will be 12 cm. At the same time, lay out the rows from the beginning of the entrance, bringing them to the center of the back of the furnace.

For beginners who will be laying out a Pompeian oven for the first time, we recommend using a wooden frame, which will help to form the masonry of the correct shape in the form of a dome.

There are several variants of the dome model. They can be assembled from plywood, from wooden boards. After the frame is laid out on them, it will be necessary to remove them.

This is a rather complicated process purely technically, since you will have to lick inside the vault in order to dismantle the plywood frame. Before you remove it, make sure that all the bricks are "grabbed" and tightly fixed to each other.

Attention! To arrange a brick, you will have to “cut” it and split it. Pay attention to how to do it correctly so as not to spoil the material.

Another interesting dome idea is to create a hinged base that will determine the slope of the dome.

The dome of the Pompeian oven is a kind of multi-layer cake:

1. The inner part is made up of refractory bricks, which will take on the maximum combustion temperature.
2. Next comes a layer of clay refractory coating.
3. Thermal insulation layer made of mineral wool.
4. The outer layer is made of cement-sand plaster.

Attention! For the arrangement of the dome, you will need many halves of fireclay bricks. It is better to use a grinder for cutting, having marked a groove in the center of the brick in advance.

With each row, the distance between the bricks will increase to keep the spherical shape of the dome. To evenly control the row, it will be necessary to put wedges between the bricks.

• After the dome of the furnace is laid out, it is necessary to make an external vaulted arch, which will form the entrance part of the furnace.

To do this, we also make a blank of plywood of a larger diameter than the inner arch and lay out bricks on it. On top of this arch there should be a hole for the chimney.

Step 7. Building a chimney.

In the Pompeian furnace, the chimney can be laid out of ordinary brick, since the temperature of the exhaust gases here will not be too high.

To reduce construction time, the chimney can be made from prefabricated metal or ceramic pipes.

The choice of the shape and material from which the chimney will be made remains with the owner.

As for the height of the chimney, everything here also depends on the design and location. If the furnace is built under a canopy, then it is better to make the pipe higher so that smoke is not created under the canopy.

If the furnace is being built completely in an open area, then the height of the furnace can be reduced.

The final touch of the masonry of the dome and chimney will be the sealing of all seams.

Step 8. Furnace insulation.

This step is also the most important stage of the work, which distinguishes the design of the Pompeian oven. Considering the open part of the furnace and the location of the furnace on the street, only good thermal insulation can ensure uniform heating of food and maximum heating of the unit.

The heat-insulating layer can be made of mineral wool or based on calcium silicate boards.

A heat-insulating material is laid out along the contour of the dome, and at the same time it is immediately necessary to lay out the material “dry” in order to fit it in shape as accurately as possible.

Cut out the required piece of material and use flame retardant mastic (or fire retardant glue) to bond to the dome.

Step 9. Furnace lining.

After the dome is laid out, the plywood frame is dismantled and the heat-insulating layer is laid out, it is necessary to clad the furnace.

Plaster, clay, mosaic can be chosen as a finish. It all depends - on your imagination, on the general style of landscape design and the technical aspects of arranging the stove.

If it is not intended to install a furnace under a canopy, then it is better to finish it in 2 layers:

1 layer is heat-resistant plaster, which will protect the top layer from cracking during operation. Lay out this layer at 12 mm. Wait for the complete “setting” and drying of the layer.

2nd layer is moisture resistant plaster.
We spread it in 4 mm. Moreover, it can be decorative, have any color.

The technological break between the end of the construction work of the furnace and the first kindling should be at least 2 weeks. If precipitation occurs during this period, then it is necessary to cover the oven with polyethylene.

Step 10. Testing the furnace and the first kindling.

Once the oven is laid out and well dried, it is time to fire it up for the first time.

Don't forget to remove the plywood dome that helped you form the vault.

Dismantling the plywood frame is a complicated matter

Do not rush to do this immediately after laying. The mortar on which you laid the brick has not yet hardened and the stove may crack at the first kindling.

Test kindling should take place in 5-6 stages, only after that it can be considered ready for everyday use.

1 kindling. Take 1.5 kg of paper (not glossy) or 2 kg of straw. Ignite and wait for complete combustion.

2 kindling includes 2.5 kg of straw and 0.5 kg of brushwood.

Kindling 3 consists of burning 4 kg wood chips. You can use pellets, but this only applies to test use. In the future, the stove can only be fired with wood.

4 kindling - you can already connect small logs that will give an intense flame.

5, 6 heating - the furnace is operated in its normal state. Already large logs can be used as fuel. The ideal raw material for the Pompeian stove is olive or cherry wood.

After the oven is dried and tested, you can start using it. In order to cook pizza in it, you do not need to use any special substrate. The cake is placed directly on the bottom, which gives the food its characteristic smoky flavor. If you want to cook grilled meat in such an oven, then you need to shovel the coals to the side and put a metal grate on the base.

Refractory bricks are used for laying the inner surface of the furnace. A chimney is installed on the inlet side, which is separated from the combustion chamber. For the arrangement of the channel, burnt solid bricks are used. In this case, the pipe should be 1.5-2 meters long.

The wood-burning Pompeian stove is characterized by certain proportions. The height of the entrance is made small and comparable to 1/2 of the height of the dome. As for the width, it is the same for both the entrance and the convex cover. The choice of this ratio is not accidental, since it allows you to optimize the working process of the furnace device, namely:

• reduce the loss of thermal energy;
• ensure normal smoke removal;
• create good traction.

There are two types of arc-shaped overlapping of oven equipment for making pizza:

1. Tuscan. It is characterized by the same value for the height of the dome and the radius of the furnace.
2. Neapolitan. In this case, the height of the convex roof is 80% of the total diameter.

The main components of the design of furnace equipment

There are many options for the construction of the Pompeii oven, which differ in building materials, dimensions, constituent elements, as well as design. We will use the instructions with general recommendations and the traditional sequence of work.

Structural elements of the equipment:

1. Foundation, which is a solid slab made of reinforced concrete, 10-20 cm thick.
2. Pedestal for oven. It is made of cinder blocks measuring 20x20x40 cm each. Stand parameters: width and length of 120 cm, height - 80 cm. The tabletop is represented by a monolithic reinforced concrete slab 10 cm thick. Fireclay brick acts as a layer that provides thermal insulation between the stand and the equipment structure.
3. Bake. Its inner diameter is 84 cm, which means that the arch of the dome, in accordance with the accepted proportions, is 42 cm. At the same time, we will carry out thermal insulation work, laying the first layer of double-thickness mineral wool, and the second layer of cement mixture with perlite additives. Instead of the latter, you can use vermiculite or expanded clay.

We build ourselves

We will divide all construction work on the construction of a wood-burning pizza oven into a number of successive stages.

Stage 1: preparatory

First you need to stock up on everything you need, namely materials and tools.

We will use refractory material for laying the furnace. To do this, we take fireclay bricks and a special solution for furnaces. You can use the finished mixture or make the composition yourself using clay with the addition of fireclay (read about its features). It is better to refuse cement mortar, even if it is with various additives. Its characteristics are much worse than those of clay. In addition, after cement, poorly cleaned traces remain on the surface of the bricks, which is unacceptable for the inside of the furnace.

Another version of the solution is a special mix "Mertel" for oven masonry. The composition of the ShA-28 brand is optimally suited for the Pompeian structure. Its excesses and traces are easily removed from the surface of the brick.

For laying the sphere, all the same square bars are used, so the formation of wide seams is inevitable on the outside. These gaps must be filled with a special refractory mortar used for the construction of devices that are resistant to high temperatures. This will avoid cracking.

To perform masonry inside the oven, purchase. You should not buy a facing material, since its additional characteristics suitable for outdoor use will not be required here, since all the brick will be placed in the interior of the structure.

The material for cladding can be used to make the entrance arch, since the temperature here is low. But this is done at will or if provided for by the design project. For such an element, a fireclay brick, which is used for interior work, is quite suitable.

Necessary materials

So, to build a pizza oven, you need to stock up on the following materials:

1. Chamotte brick. Required for arranging the surface of the hearth, as well as the vault.
2. "Mertel" - a special mixture for masonry.
3. Mineral wool, with which it is necessary to insulate the arched ceiling.
4. Reinforcement and reinforcing mesh for reinforcing works of the vault, countertop and foundation.
5. Perlite is a heat insulator for arcuate overlapping of the oven and thermal insulation between the hearth and the worktop.
6. Metal profiles: beams, corners, pipes (if provided by the design).
7. Formwork boards.
8. Chimney.
9. Cement required for pouring the foundation and countertops.
10. Film made of polyethylene.
11. Bricks or concrete blocks on the podium.
12. Boards and bars on supports.
13. Sand for concrete pouring.

Tools

For construction work we need:

• grinder and discs for cutting stone;
• hammer;
• chisel;
• saw;
• mallet;
• concrete mixer or drill with a mixing nozzle.

You also need to stock up on the following personal protective equipment:

• special glasses;
• respirator;
• gloves.

Stage 2: the process of creating a stove stand

To perform such work, you need to perform the following operations:

1. Raise the foundation. On the selected site, we dig a hole with dimensions of 150x150 cm and a depth of 35 cm. In this case, the recess should be 15 cm wider than the pedestal from each edge. We lay crushed stone at the bottom of the pit and tamp it well. From above we make a pillow of sand 20 cm thick. We take suitable boards and build a formwork. A plastic film laid on the sand simplifies the process of pouring the concrete solution. A reinforcing mesh is placed on top of it, for which rods with a thickness of at least 8 mm were used. Before pouring the mortar, we put small supports under the grid, creating a space of 5 cm in size for the concrete mix. Pour the solution and level the surface of the plate. We check its evenness using the building level. After that, we wet the concrete with water, cover with a film and leave to harden and set. The last process takes about a week.
   
   
   
2. Set up a pedestal. We wait for the concrete to dry completely and proceed to the construction of the stand for the furnace, using cinder blocks for this.
   The pedestal can be made in the shape of the letter H, where the sides are 120 cm, that is, three 40-cm blocks are set. Some people prefer to make a stand in the form of the letter P. But the first option has its own advantage: the transverse wall forms an additional support for the furnace structure, which allows you to evenly distribute the load throughout the structure. We use the dry method of installing blocks. It is as follows. We lay prefabricated elements in rows, and insert reinforcement into the existing holes, which will help protect the blocks from shifting during concrete pouring. We check the masonry for evenness, both horizontally and vertically. Next, passing through one, fill the holes with a solution. We leave the structure to dry for two days, providing time for the setting of the composition.
   
   
3. Create a countertop in the form of a monolithic reinforced concrete slab. We start by making formwork. The dimensions of the surface should be 140x120 cm. To meet such parameters, we extend the front part of the wooden form by 20 cm, while its height is 10 cm. Moisture-resistant plywood or boards covered with polyethylene film are suitable as the bottom for the formwork. Inside we place a mesh of reinforcing bars, we make supports that provide gaps of 5 cm. We fill the formwork with concrete mortar, level the surface, check for horizontal evenness. After that, the countertop is sprayed with water, covered with polyethylene and left for a week for the concrete to harden.
   
   
   

Everything, the stand for the Pompeii oven is ready. But you should not immediately lay out the furnace structure itself, because it takes some time for the supporting elements to gain strength. So, for a countertop, at least 14 days are required for the final setting of the solution and its drying. Only after 2-3 weeks can you start laying the stove on the countertop. The structure has a significant weight, so performing work on a crude structure can cause serious defects. In fact, the countertop acts as a foundation for the stove, so if a crack appears on the surface, then the risk of its occurrence on the stove structure is also likely.

Stage 3: creating thermal insulation between the worktop and the oven, arranging the hearth

The heat-insulating layer separating the stand and the Pompeii pizza equipment prevents the transfer of heat energy from the oven to the elements of the pedestal. Thus, it turns out to maintain a high temperature inside the wood-burning structure and avoid significant losses of thermal energy. That is why the process of thermal insulation is a prerequisite.

There are several ways to create thermal insulation. Consider three main options:

1. The thermal insulation layer is made under the furnace contour. To do this, we take a special material - plates based on calcium silicate. We lay them out, designate the outlines of the furnace together with the entrance arch, that is, we perform a preliminary fit without gluing. At the same time, we focus on the outer diameter, not forgetting to take into account all the layers. Cut out the insulating sheets.

Let's start preparing bricks for the hearth. Beneath is the work surface
furnace building. It is on it that pizza or bread is baked. This element will require smooth and even refractory bricks.

We lay out the bars in a zigzag pattern on the tabletop. So you can avoid transverse seams, while the shovel will cling less. Using a template, we apply the outer contour of the furnace to the bricks, number them. This will help in the future installation. Cut off the excess bricks.

To once again check the correctness of the preparation of all elements, we lay out heat-insulating sheets on the countertop, on which we place bricks for the hearth. If everything is cut correctly, then we begin to glue the insulating material on any mixture. From above we fix the bricks of the hearth, fixing with a solution, for example, "Mertel".

Thus, we get an insulating layer and a hearth for a wood-burning stove.

This method of execution is considered one of the most common. Its only disadvantage is the high price of calcium silicate boards, since they are used for the construction of industrial furnaces, and it can be difficult to get this material in small quantities for the construction of one structure.

2. A heat-insulating solution of perlite sand is poured into a special hole in the countertop. The work begins with the fact that we cover the surface with only 1/2 of the height, that is, 10 cm. After that, according to the template, we mark the contour of the furnace and perform the formwork. Next, we fill the concrete solution along the outer outline by another 10 cm. When the building material hardens, it is required to remove the formwork and template.

We have a recess that needs to be filled with a mixture that has high thermal insulation properties. In our case, this is a composition of perlite sand, but expanded clay or cement is also suitable for this purpose.

3. The combination of a heat-insulating layer of perlite and a furnace hearth made of fireclay bricks. This option is similar to the previous one, but with the only difference that an insulating perlite layer is initially prepared, then under, and only then they are poured into the countertop.

Let's consider the algorithm of work in more detail:

Stage 4: laying the furnace

The first rows of masonry

First you need to prepare a plywood circle corresponding to the diameter of the inner surface of the equipment. We cut it into three segments, which will further facilitate the process of its extraction from the finished structure. We place the template on the surface of the hearth, around which we will lay out the first brick row.

In the middle of the resulting structure, we fix a special device with which we will control the laying process. We are talking about a wooden bar, fixed in the center on a hinged support. This is one of the options.

Such a lever helps to monitor the correct laying of the spherical arch, as well as support the brick when it is fixed in place.

The arcuate overlap of the dome has a thickness of 12 cm. For such masonry, you will need halves of bricks, which are obtained by cutting in half. It is convenient to do this with a grinder, tile cutter or with a chisel and hammer.

We install bricks on the borders of the entrance arch. They will serve as the starting point for laying the first row. We unfold the bars with the even side into the inner part of the arch, since in the future this surface will be visible. To fix the bricks, we use a special masonry mortar. The gaps between the bars should be minimal.

Experienced craftsmen advise to pre-fit the first two rows by dry laying. So it will be possible to determine the number of required bricks.

Create an entrance arch

The next step is to make the inlet of the furnace. It will be arched. First, let's create a template. To do this, take plywood and cut out two details of the arch. We fasten them together with the help of bars, getting a stable structure on which bricks can be laid.

Let's remember the parameters:

• the height of the dome is equal to the radius of the circle;
• the height of the arch will be 60% of the height of the convex roof;
• the width of the arched ceiling at the entrance corresponds to the height of the dome.

For a large-diameter Pompeian oven, the arch must be lower than the convex structure. When erecting a small furnace structure, you need to focus on the convenience of work, that is, the shovel should easily fit into this hole.

When choosing the width of the opening, one more factor should be taken into account: fuel raw materials are laid through this opening, and ash is also raked out, therefore, for ease of manipulation, it is necessary to take care of its sufficient width. In our case, the inlet is 53 cm.

We return to the arch template: put it in place and lay bricks on it. Spacer wedges installed in the gaps between the bars allow them to be fixed in place until the mortar sets.

Building a dome

Having laid out the arch, we proceed to the next step - laying the remaining rows around the hearth. We prepare the halves of the bricks and place them. In this case, the third level starts from the entrance arch.

Performing further rows, it is required to slightly shift the bricks, breaking the verticality of the level. This will prevent the presence of vertical seams through and through. We lay the bars with the right side inward, as close as possible to each other. During operation, we constantly check the correctness of the sphere using the articulated arm.

When it is necessary to make a rounding of the masonry, in the upper rows we set the bricks at an angle relative to the lower level. The ideal option is to pre-cut the bars at an angle. But this is a rather complicated procedure, so we can do without it. Gradually, the seams expand, so wedges must be used to fix them. Brick trimmings and fragments are well suited as them.

In those places where the dome adjoins the arch, wedge-shaped bricks should be used. It is recommended to cut the end bars of the row adjacent to the inlet.

The final stage of laying the dome is considered the most troublesome. You can use the bars and support the bricks from below. A properly selected and formulated solution will help facilitate the work. So, "Mertel" of the desired consistency securely fixes the brick, while providing quick and good adhesion to the masonry.

In order for the dry brick not to draw moisture out of the mortar, it must be briefly placed in a container of water.

It will be possible to make the laying process easier and more convenient if you use various templates made of plywood or chipboard. At the same time, it is important to provide for the possibility of disassembling the sample, since after work it will need to be removed from the furnace through the inlet.

Templates can be of various shapes, for example, in the form of a cage, made of separate stationary segments. Another option is a rotating sample, consisting of 1-2 parts, one of which is attached to the part mounted on the base.

If the template was not prepared in advance and was not used in the construction of the dome, and you have difficulty laying bricks on the final rows, then the craftsmen recommend doing the following:

The process of making an external entrance arch

We will make this overlap wider than the inner one. So we get the door porch of the correct form.

For the oven structure in which it is planned to bake pizza, a sash is not needed: the process takes place on an open fire. If you decide to bake bread, then you should provide for the presence of a door, since it is important to preserve heat for its preparation.

So, for the outer arch, we will prepare a plywood template of a suitable size. We took a radius equal to 32.5 cm.

We lay out the vault of the arch, leaving an opening for the chimney on top. This hole must match the prepared channel.

Installing a chimney

We insert the rolled metal product into the prepared opening and fix it with the help of masonry mortar. Depending on the design and material, the channel is of the following types:

The choice is made by the owner based on the style decision and the prepared materials. As for the height, it is also different. The open version of the outdoor stove involves the installation of a low pipe, and a device located under a canopy - a higher one that removes smoke from others.

Equipping the channel and choosing the length of the rolled metal product, do not forget that its height affects the traction force.

The masonry stage is completed by sealing all external seams with masonry mixture. The furnace structure can be coated with clay, to which fireclay sand is mixed. This allows you to accumulate thermal energy and make the surface even and smooth, which is useful for further laying of insulation material.

Stage 5: kiln drying

After the completion of the construction of the furnace structure, it is necessary to dry it and prepare for the perception of the action of the high temperature inherent in the operation process.

A fire started immediately after construction work is completed can lead to structural defects such as cracking of bricks. Therefore, it should be kindled gradually, as if preparing, accustoming the wood-burning pizza oven to operation. First, you can make a fire from a few thin twigs. The kiln firing process can take a week. At the same time, the drying of the bricks continues.

When working with perlite, it is necessary to use personal protective equipment, since this material emits a lot of dust, contact with the eyes and respiratory tract is undesirable. The smallest particles of perlite are harmful to human health.

Stage 7: finishing work

After the insulating layer has dried, we proceed to the final stage - finishing. To begin with, clay or cement mortar is used. To protect the outdoor Pompeian pizza oven, it is covered with a material that retains moisture from the outside.

As for the finish, it is possible to complete the entire furnace structure with one type of material. The Pompeian stove will look original, the structural elements of which (countertop, pedestal, arch, and others) are decorated differently. To do this, you can use mosaics, facing bricks, etc.

The main thing is to exclude sudden heating of the new design. Indeed, in fresh masonry there is still a large amount of moisture, and sudden heating can provoke a significant release of steam, which can break the masonry.

The new Pompeian wood-burning stove has a natural drying period that lasts up to a year. It can be accelerated a little by conducting regular fireboxes. Start with a small amount of fuel raw materials, gradually increasing this volume.

A newly erected device is heated to a predetermined high temperature in three hours. In the future, this will take about 60 minutes.

The optimal raw material for the firebox is olive or cherry wood, as they practically do not smoke. Along with timber, shavings are also used for fireboxes.

The combustion process in the oven must be maintained constantly, even if the dish is not being cooked in it. Directly during operation, the temperature is raised to 400 degrees.

For baking pizza, no additional substrates are needed. This process takes place on the surface of the hearth.
Grilled dishes can also be cooked in this oven. To do this, you need to rake the coals to the mouth and put a grate over them.

The Pompeian stove appeared for the first time in the expanses of the Iberian Peninsula. Such designs are also called Italian in another way. The device is small in size and extremely easy to manufacture. By means of such an oven you will have the opportunity to cook not only pizza, but also any other food. However, you must be prepared for the fact that such a stove is not intended for space heating. Such an installation can be done by you yourself, but you need to be able to use a tool such as a trowel, as well as a grinder.

Solution preparation

Each of us is familiar with pizza, but you can bake it at home using a special oven. In order to independently build the described structure, it is necessary to prepare a special mortar for masonry. It should be made viscous and plastic, but you should not close it with a significant liquid content, since it should not turn out to be liquid. In addition, the mixture should not crumble.

Italian oven parameters

The Pompeian stove is fired with wood, which does not emit soot and resins at the time of burning. It is necessary to use olive, alder or cherry wood, this will allow the dough to get a special aroma.

The Pompeian oven must be made in the form of a dome with a hearth that has a diameter within 1 m. As for the height of the dome, this parameter should be equal to ½ of the hearth diameter, however, this figure may be slightly less, but this is true in the manufacture of the Neapolitan oven.

The Pompeian stove has a combustion chamber, the entrance to which has a semicircular shape, its height should be equal to 60% of the height of the dome, but the chimney should be located in front, from the entrance side. You can and should kindle a fire directly on the hearth, near the wall, pizza is placed in the same place.

During operation, cold air flows penetrate from below through the entrance, after which their temperature rises from burning firewood and rushes to the dome, where the air goes around it and evenly heats the interior space, as well as the walls, for a short time. After the air masses descend to the entrance and are removed from there into the chimney.

Features of the construction of the foundation of the Pompeii oven

The Pompeian stove begins to line up, like all other stoves, from the foundation. In its role, you can use the finished one. First, you should dig a pit, lay a pillow on its bottom, which is made of gravel. The thickness of the preparation should be approximately 30 cm. While the parameters of the foundation are limited to 190 x 190 x 20 cm. A stand will be mounted on its surface. This element of the furnace is necessary in order to raise the structure to a certain height, which will greatly simplify the work.

Stand manufacturing

When a Pompeian oven is made by hand, at the stage of stand formation it is necessary to use a brick, which can be replaced with concrete blocks. There is another solution that will allow you to make a stand. It involves the use of a steel corner. This component of the furnace is made in the form of a box in the shape of a square. The second purpose of such a box is to store firewood in the inner hollow space. Then, in order to use the stand was convenient, it is necessary to provide for the presence of a hole in its body.

Table making

When a Pompeian oven is made with your own hands, it is necessary to provide the structure with a table that is installed on the surface of the stand. The table must be strong and as even as possible, and it can be based on reinforced concrete. The thickness of this element should be approximately 20 cm. This table has two tasks, one of which is the need to withstand the mass of the structure, while the second is expressed in providing thermal insulation of the hearth . It is worth considering that the plate must be strong enough to endure a weight of 600 kg, which is the mass that the structure usually has. Thanks to this element, heat will not go down.

Material preparation

In order to make wood-burning stoves of the described type, craftsmen use which has the qualities of increased heat resistance. It is this material that underlies the design. The solution is to be closed using several ingredients, including sand and liquid. When mixing, the following proportion of clay and sand should be used: 6: 4, otherwise the masonry will not be able to endure the significant temperature that occurs during combustion, as a result, the structure will certainly be covered with cracks.

Thus, for the construction of the furnace, it is necessary to prepare some materials and tools:

• clay;
• brick;
• level;
• cement;
• fittings;
• sand;
• capacity;
• shovel;
• Master OK;
• reinforced concrete slab;
• gravel.

Features of manufacturing a pizza oven

Wood stoves of the described type are made according to a certain technology, which must be followed, otherwise the design will not last for a long time. After all the above steps have been completed, you can begin to markup. These works assume an image on the surface of a pre-installed table which is approximately 95-105 cm.

At the next stage, you can start mixing the solution, since the work will involve the use of bricks. Products are stacked along the outer edge of the circle. In this case, it is necessary to use pre-prepared brick trimmings. As a result, you should get a ring. At this stage, it is important to correctly carry out the insulation work, since this process acts as one of the main ones in the construction of the furnace. Heat-insulating material should be laid or poured into the rings, which is often used as expanded clay, but if you wish, you can use penoizol or broken glass. But this is not a complete list of materials that you can use as a heat insulator.

When a pizza oven is made, concrete must also be used at the stage of forming the structure body. In order to match the table and the ring, it is necessary to use concrete. Only after that the surface can be ennobled with tiles, which can be based on artificial or natural stone.

Arrangement of the hearth of the furnace

Next, you can proceed to the formation of the hearth of the structure, during which the craftsmen use heat-resistant bricks. However, it is impossible to use it for work immediately, since the products must first be cut in such a way that a circle is obtained during masonry.

Wood-burning of this type should be laid out taking into account that the slots should be even and the same, their width should not exceed 1 cm. Each of them must be well filled with mortar, and then everything should be carefully leveled. At the next stage, you can begin to form the dome. It is necessary to determine the location of the entrance into which the frame is installed. The latter can be based on steel, wood or foam. These elements are necessary in order to make it convenient to form the furnace inlet. Due to the fact that wood and foam act as fire hazardous materials, after construction is completed, they will certainly have to be disposed of.

There are also ordinary wood-burning stoves, the drawing of which is presented in the article, they can be used not only for cooking, but also for heating a home. But if you decide that you need a Pompeian oven, then at the next stage you can start laying the starting row of the dome. In this case, it is necessary to use ½ brick, but the second row should be stacked in a checkerboard pattern. Subsequent rows should be formed in such a way that it is possible to form an inclination towards the central part of the firebox. This is done by means of brick wedges, the latter of which can also be based on wood. If you are engaged in the manufacture of such a design for the first time, then you can somewhat simplify the work, for this you should use a special template. It can be made of foam, and it must be installed in the central part of the furnace. If there is an inflatable ball, then you can use it as a template. After everything is dry, foreign objects can be disposed of.

At the same time, it is necessary to equip the entrance and chimney. The latter is done outside, and it can be based on the same brick or steel sandwich pipe. Its height must be equal to 2 m or more. As for the diameter, it is necessary to adhere to the indicator in the range from 150 to 200 mm.

Insulation work

After the installation of the wood stove is completed, and the mixtures in its base are dried, you can start using the thermal insulation that covers the roof of the stove. Mineral fiber must be used as an insulator, while cement-based plaster acts as the next layer. It is possible to replace the described works by applying a plaster made of cement mixed with perlite. It is recommended to use a ratio of 1:5.

Wood stoves, prices for which can vary within 80,000 rubles, cannot be made without the use of a tile cutter, but if there is a need to increase the speed of cutting bricks, then it is preferable to use a grinder with a diamond blade. To fit the brick in its place, you should use a rubber mallet, and the correct position will be determined by the building level.

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Anyone who has tried a real pizza at least once, and not a semi-finished product from a microwave oven, will certainly want to get a pizza oven at home. From the mere sight of the “noble sun”, just taken from the burning hearth, the saliva flows.

However building a pizza oven with your own hands, although quite possible, is quite difficult. At the same time, there are many factory-made home ovens for sale specifically for pizza. And many models allow you to get a ready-made dish that will suit even a rather demanding gourmet, and at a price it will cost no more, if not much cheaper than construction materials alone. Therefore, we will act according to this plan:

1. We will study the conditions necessary for baking pizza.
2. We define the criteria by which you need to select the finished model.
3. Let's move on to the structural features of a homemade oven.

Gas, electricity or wood?

Some connoisseurs say that only a wood-fired pizza oven gives a real product, and this is true. The structure of the wood-burning pizza oven is such (see below) that the combustion of fuel in it is rather sluggish, and only pizza cooked with a little smoke is considered noble.

But there is another point of view. Its supporters, apparently, proceed from the principles of English and Japanese cuisine and believe that in hot pizza, the taste of each of its components should be distinguishable. Simply put, the former believe that the flavor bouquet should develop during baking, while the latter prefer to form it themselves with taste buds. They even say that an electric pizza oven is preferable because does not introduce the slightest additional flavor into the semi-finished product.

We adhere to the first point of view as more democratic: yummy should be yummy for everyone, and what the organs of perception of the taste of the elect actually feel, only they know. Therefore, further emphasis will be placed on wood-burning stoves. A gas oven does not give a haze, and it can give a taste, so we will touch on them in passing, just as the most economical ones.

How is pizza baked?

Pizza baking conditions are simple, but the resulting requirements for the oven are quite strict. Firstly, pizza baking temperature is almost the limit for frying and baking: 350-400 degrees. Below - there will be no real taste, but to give more - the pyrolysis of organic matter will already go on, and the pizza will turn out to be nasty and harmful. Simply put, pizza is baked to the point of burning.

Pizza baking time varies between 1.5-10 minutes depending on the recipe, type of oven and individual characteristics of taste. Here the classification is the same as for steaks (beef steaks):

• Just arrived (rare in English) - the cheese was barely melted. Recommended for pizza with salami and olives and other ingredients that are ready to eat on their own.
• Quite ready (medium) - the top side of the dough basket and the tips of the pieces protruding above the cheese crust are browned. Preferred in most cases.
• Baked thoroughly (well done) - the very tips of the filling begin to burn, and the cheese crust is browned. This is for those who like to crunch. Seafood pizza is never cooked like this.

And the last point - the technological cycle of pizza preparation must be continuous. Not the slightest wisp of cold air until it hits right! And if the door is already open or the baking sheet is removed, you need to serve it as is.

Based on these conditions, it is impossible to bake pizza in the oven, all the same, on a stone or without it. Firstly, the gas stove oven develops a temperature of up to 250 degrees, and this is not enough. Pizza is brought to the desired degree of readiness by changing the exposure time to the heat, not by adjusting the temperature!

In a hob or solid fuel oven, you can heat the oven up to 400 degrees. But there will be no guarantee of temperature stability; in pizza ovens, it is provided either by the design itself or by the control electronics. Finally, who has ever seen an oven with lighting and a self-cleaning glass system? And without them, to check the degree of readiness, you will have to open the door, which is unacceptable. Or the oven on time, and there - as perhaps it will take out.

Purchased ovens

First of all, we will give a list of companies and models whose products have proven themselves well, and you should pay attention to them first of all if you intend to buy a stove:

1. PrismaFood, MEC, AVA, Forni, Cuppone, Fontana (Italy);
2. Roller Grill (France);
3. Bartscher (Germany);
4. Hendi (Netherlands);
5. F2Ptse GRILL MASTER, PEP-2, AS TERM - domestic.

As for the Chinese Lacucina, TRENDY, etc., they bake regularly and are convenient to use, and the price is from 2000 rubles. But in most models, the maximum temperature on the regulator is 250 degrees. Maybe there is some analogue of pizza in Chinese cuisine, but for Italian this is definitely not enough.

Household culinary pizza baking equipment can be divided into the following categories:

• Home pizza ovens for individual use, two left pos. in fig. - the cheapest. Electric - from 2000 rubles, gas - from 3500 rubles. But they are also the most convenient: in electric ones, a rotating under is visible through the viewing window, and in gas ones, all the pizza is in plain sight. For proper cooking, a thermal reflector is also provided on top, to some extent acting as the arch of a brick oven.
• Personal, two right pos. in fig. - these are for those who can at least do something themselves, unless money can buy it. There are also electric and gas, for 1-4 chambers. They are controlled by a built-in microprocessor, so there are no viewing windows. What the stove spat out, then burst. Prices - from 20,000 rubles.

• Home family, floor and table, two left pos. on the trail. rice. They are electric and gas. They are supplied with a real hearth or branded stones under the baking sheet and a ceramic or equivalent composite vault. With skillful handling, they give out pizza almost like a real one; a connoisseur, not knowing where it is baked, almost never distinguishes. Price - from 35,000 rubles.
• Mini wood-fired pizza ovens, two right pos. Ceramic or composite, a complete replacement for self-building. Models, like a stove with a pipe in Fig., Can also function as. Most of the samples are desktop, optionally equipped with a stand on wheels. The price with delivery for home models is from 42,000 rubles, for all-weather garden models - from 55,000 rubles.

• Modular self-assembly ovens - with a total cost of about 30,000 rubles. You can get a completely full-fledged desktop pizza oven. But it is necessary to have the initial skills of a builder, work from half a day, and then accelerate the furnace for 3-4 days to be ready. We will talk more about modular ovens later.

How to build a pizza oven yourself?

A wood-fired oven for pizza must provide all the conditions necessary for its baking:

1. Create the temperature necessary for the working process.
2. Maintain it without significant intervention of the stoker, regardless of the type of fuel and external conditions, i.e. be self-regulating.
3. Provide two counter heat flows in the working area: from bottom to top and from top to bottom; this is the main condition in order to properly bake pizza.
4. Allow continuous monitoring of the cooking process.

Pompeii stove

The Pompeian pizza oven is considered a classic, most of the modern designs use its principles. By the way, "Pompeian" does not mean at all that ancient Roman patricians ate pizza. The date of baking the first pizza has been preserved in history, this is 1522. And the fact that it was baked in the village of Pompeii, which still stands not far from the location of the Roman city destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius, is pure coincidence. Pompeii in the 16th century only vague legends have survived of that long-standing catastrophe.

The Pompeian oven is a domed hearth oven. In its working area, two streams of hot gases meet: convective from the bottom, and reflected from under the dome. The Pompeian stove is fired black, so it is self-regulating: if the fuel gets too hot, the flow of exhaust gases at the mouth will squeeze down the influx of fresh air that carries oxygen. The combustion will weaken, there will be less flue gases. Then they will press against the top of the vault, more fresh air will come in, the burning will intensify, and the cycle repeats all the time.

The Pompeian oven is either made of adobe. The stages of building a brick kiln are shown in fig:

1. On a stone slab foundation or a natural stone foundation, they lay out a plinth brick under it, and around it there is a side-pedestal of a dome with an arch;
2. After the masonry dries, a dome model (block) is molded on the floor from slightly moistened and densely packed loess earth;
3. A dome is laid out on a blockhead;
4. The top of the dome is closed with a lock of 2-4 shaped or hewn bricks;
5. After the masonry dries, the stuffing of the boob is picked out, the vault is cleaned from the inside with a metal brush;
6. The furnace is “dispersed”, prepared for work by test fires. How - let's talk further.

We will also talk in more detail about the methods of closing the vault. Indicated in fig. the dimensions of the oven are “family”, for one pizza for four. The adobe oven is built in the same general way, see fig. on the right, but with two differences. First, it is not loess that goes to the blockhead, it will tightly grab the length, but moistened coarse-grained sand. It is impossible to build a brick dome on sand, bricks have to be hammered in and pushed into place all the time, see below. The second - after the clay dries, the adobe vault, before removing the blockhead, is covered with lime plaster with marble chips for greater strength and weather protection.

An adobe stove is not a stove for the poor at all, it costs much more and serves several times less than a brick one. But “real noble pizza”, they say, is obtained only in an adobe oven, dispersed by straw. Pope Alexander VI Borgia (“The most perfect incarnation of the devil in human form,” according to Machiavelli) even demanded that his pizza oven be fired only with rice straw.

Better climate...

In our area and in our time, a real Pompeian oven cannot be built. First, let us recall the remark of Peter I to the architect Rastrelli, who showed the tsar the project of the Winter Palace: “You, brother, make the windows smaller. After all, our climate is not Italian.” Those., a pizza oven in Russia must have additional thermal insulation on all sides. Otherwise, instead of self-regulation of combustion, such a fumes and soot will go, that where is the smoking hut.

Next, the base. There are few natural outcrops of hard rocks on the surface in the Russian Federation, as well as deposits of high-quality building stone; however, they are also largely developed in Italy. Therefore, a concrete slab is needed under the stove, on a stand or a clay-crushed stone pillow. But concrete, with constant heating from the hearth, will last less than a furnace, so the thermal insulation from below needs to be reinforced.

The third nuance is the chimney. The thermal inertia of the new furnace will be greater than the classic one, and without additional thrust, it will simply never enter the mode and will not warm up as it should. But it is impossible to build a chimney on the dome, the circulation of gases will be disturbed. Then we will take the chimney to the arch, where it will pull up the flue gases as it should be.

The next moment is under. Plinth is not in use now, and laying it on concrete is undesirable for many reasons. It remains chamotte. But it has a TEC (temperature coefficient of expansion) much greater than that of ceramics. Therefore, it is necessary to lay out the “herringbone” under (see Fig.), Providing a complete dressing of the seams in a row.

Finally, the blockhead of the vault. We don’t have loess at all, and good construction sand does not roll around underfoot and is not cheap. In addition, to lay out the arch on the blockhead, a skilled apprentice is needed, quickly cutting bricks in the course of work, otherwise it will take time to build the furnace, which will take time on the dome of the Cathedral of St. Peter. And about 600 kg of sand will go to the family stove, which needs to be unloaded, molded, and then picked out and taken out. In the 16th century, the masters had teenage apprentices who, for grub and clothes, were obliged to perform any work they could do. Now social relations are not the same. That is, the vault must be laid out in circles.

Russia - Italy

If you look from the point of view of heat engineering and structural mechanics, what we have now done, we will see ... a Russian stove with a rounded crucible (see the figure below)! No wonder, the need for fiction is cunning everywhere. Has the oven gotten worse? Not at all, everything you need to bake a pizza, it provides. And besides, it will be possible to bake bread in it in a completely Russian way, cook cabbage soup and cook kulebyaki-porridge. So let's figure out how to build such a furnace.

Base

Under the base of the furnace on the ground, a concrete slab foundation is needed (it can be made from a finished slab) with a thickness of at least 70 mm on a clay-crushed stone pillow, as under. If the stove is on legs, a flat stove of any material will do. The thicknesses of wood boards are:

• MDF or waterproof plywood - from 60 mm.
• Fiberboard, chipboard - from 80 mm.
• Lumber - from 120 mm, in two layers of intersecting beams of 60x60 mm.

A waterproofing of 2 layers of roofing material is laid on the slab. Modern "isols" are good, but in this case, the roofing material under the weight of the structure will firmly stick to the slab and moisture from the sides will not seep under it.

A layer of aerated concrete blocks 60 mm thick is laid on the insulation, these are wall blocks of the smallest standard size, 200x300x60 mm. The density of the blocks should be taken less, so the thermal insulation will be better and it will come out cheaper. It is denoted by the letter D or D with a number, for example. D400, D500. Blocks should not be placed on the solution, but on the glue for aerated concrete. It will cost a little more, but then the stove will definitely not leave the base.

Next, a second layer of insulation, asbestos or, better, vermiculite (slab, not expanded) is laid on the substrate on the same glue. Asbestos needs 15-20 mm, vermiculite - 4-5 mm. A galvanized sheet with sides bent down so as to cover the porous material to aerated concrete is laid on the thermal insulation. Then a sheet of basalt cardboard, soaked in very liquid (“milk”), is placed on the iron, and a furnace is already built on it.

Solutions

Masonry is carried out on a solution of fireclay marl and fireclay sand, approximately 1: 1. Fireclay sand - ground battle of fireclay bricks. Powdered marl is first poured with water in a bucket to the top of the filling, allowed to “sour” for an hour and a half, then kneaded until the density of sour cream, in which the spoon stands, add sand and knead again.

When laying the dome, you will have to give the maximum allowable divergence of seams, 17 degrees, or even exceed it. Therefore, the masonry mortar needs the highest fat content: it should not flow flat from the trowel, and if it is turned with its nose down, it should fall off as a whole lump, leaving clean metal.

For laying on a “super-fat” mortar, fireclay bricks must also be moistened, otherwise it will absorb water from the mortar too quickly and the masonry will turn out to be fragile. Before wetting, each brick is swept - dust is swept from it with a hair brush. "Bath" each separately in clean water immediately before laying. After taking it out of the water, shake it vigorously several times and immediately put it back in place.

The solution for thermal insulation of the dome is made more liquid, the density of the cream, and 4-5 parts of fluffed asbestos or vermiculite chips are added to it. For decorative finishing, if it is supposed, the oven is plastered with heat-resistant plaster on vermiculite after acceleration.

Construction

The main stages of laying the furnace are shown in fig. Almost the entire structure of the furnace, except for the 1st row of masonry of the dome, is built from halves or smaller fractions of bricks. The dome is laid out, as already mentioned, in circles. More precisely - along the semicircles, pos. 1 in fig. They are made from any suitable material: pipes, plywood, boards, dense foam.

The circles should fit snugly into the cutouts of the plywood retainer, but not tight. When building under masonry pressure, the entire template will hold firmly, and upon completion of construction, it will be enough to pick up the “blamba” so that the circles themselves hit. Just make sure that you don’t hurt yourself, you’ll have to climb into the oven with your head and hands.

The furnace is small, its design is loaded weakly. Therefore, the 1st row of masonry is made in the forbidden SNiP method - a “soldier”, from two belts of full-sized bricks placed upright on a poke with dressing of the seams between the belts, pos. 2. The next 5-6 rows are laid out from halves; to withstand the seams, they insert supports and wedges from brick fragments, ibid., pos. 2.

A whole number of halves in a row, of course, will not work, so each row will have to be closed with a hewn wedge, pos. 4. When laying, you need to make sure that the locks of the rows do not fall one above the other, but run at least 1/5 of the row apart.

The internal seams with this method of masonry will become wider as it grows, pos. 3. Therefore, already from the 6-7th row, you will have to switch to non-standard thirds of the brick, and next to two above - to the quarters, pos. . The wedges and locks of the rows will now no longer enter the seam completely, also pos. 5. They are left as is until the masonry dries, and then cut off with a grinder.

For amateur craftsmen, an irregularly shaped hole remains on the top of the dome, pos. 6. It is usually plugged with somehow picked up fragments of brick, pos. 7, but this cannot be done, over time a crack will creep from the top of the dome. Experienced stove-makers close the dome with at least 2 (pos. 8), and for large domes - with a large number of unequal rounded wedges.

It is difficult for a do-it-yourselfer to remove the dome with such accuracy, so another way can be recommended: lay a few hewn bricks until a very small hole remains (pos. 10), and close it with masonry mortar. The very center of the dome is still not loaded. If the masonry converged more or less evenly, then you can buy a shaped lock of the vault of fireclay, pos. 9. Then the vault will stand for centuries.

Chimney

Pay attention again to pos. 1. Rectangular opening in the vault of the arch - under the chimney. It is laid out, or a finished pipe is installed, after the dome masonry has dried, but before its thermal insulation.

Dome thermal insulation

After the masonry has dried (at least 7 days under a canopy so that it does not splash with rain), the circles are removed and external thermal insulation is applied from the solution described above. It is applied in several layers with intermediate drying, the total thickness is not less than 60 mm. The thickness of one layer is 12-15 mm. At the top of the dome, from where the solution does not drain, you cannot make a layer thicker, they must be of equal thickness.

Furnace acceleration

After the dome insulation has dried (this is another 1-2 weeks), you can accelerate the oven. This will require at least 5-6 trial runs with an interval of a day. The first is 1.5 kg of newspapers (not recommended due to the absorption of ink fumes by the oven) or 2.5 kg of straw. For the next firebox, an additional 0.5 kg of wood chips or pellets is added. The third - 3-4 kg of chips or 2-2.5 kg of pellets. The fourth is a small, completely dry log or a number of pellets equal in weight to it. The rest - adds each time a log or a portion of pellets.

Protection and finishing

If the stove is outdoor, then it must be under a canopy, "because our climate is not Italian." In this case, it must be plastered in 2 layers: the first - heat-resistant plaster on vermiculite, 6-12 mm, and on it, after complete drying - moisture-resistant external plaster 2-4 mm, maybe decorative.

Video: the process of building the Pompeii oven

How to bake?

Professional ovens (see below) are heated continuously or with short breaks. The family, described above, must be started to disperse for baking at least 1.5 hours in advance, gradually adding firewood. Noble pizza is baked only on olive wood, cherry, alder, apple and other fruit trees will go into their oven. Remember these points:

1. It is impossible to bake on pellets, they are only suitable for overclocking the oven.
2. The taste of pizza depends on the type of firewood, so burning with coniferous firewood and waste fuel is unacceptable.
3. Just as it is undesirable to change the type of tobacco for a good smoking pipe, it is best to heat a pizza oven with the same firewood.
4. Before changing the type of firewood, if necessary, it is necessary to heat the stove with straw for at least half an hour, and then let it fire with new firewood of double duration.

Professional oven

The oven described is good, but simplified. It is suitable for a picnic, but it is difficult to bake pizza after pizza one-on-one in it. In addition, a professional oven should be larger, with a diameter of the working area of ​​the hearth from 1 m. From this, the following design features follow, see Fig.:

• Effective thermal and waterproofing under the foundation with a distance of at least 1 m to the sides so that extraneous fumes do not enter the furnace.
• Due to the large weight, the furnace is carried out on trenches that transfer its weight to the base.
• To maintain the desired temperature and circulation of gases in a large chamber, some air flow from behind is necessary, for which an air duct is provided.
• The dome is double with intermediate thermal insulation, for the same purpose.
• The chimney is equipped with a chimney, which regulates draft depending on the type of fuel, outside temperature and, most importantly, the discretion of the chef.

More about mini ovens

The author of the article was once invited to a pizza picnic. And there, as it turned out, there was no special oven at all. The hostess and her friends were in full confidence that the pizza was fried on coals in a frying pan. How to be?

Among the dishes were 3 glazed earthenware dishes, two identical large ones and one smaller one. I had to brainstorm and even poke my finger into the calculator to determine when the pizza would arrive. Then the workpiece was placed on a smaller dish, it was placed in a large one and covered with another. In the meantime, the fire burned down to coals, they were raked, they put an impromptu stove on the fire and covered them with coals.

After the calculated time (heating inside from 300 to 400 degrees for 5-6 minutes), the pizza was removed and eaten. It turned out so-so, warmed up to 300 degrees for a long time. But for the ladies it turned out to be a revelation, they were not even offended and took note.

And after some time, the “inventor” was surprised to learn from them that such a mini-pizza oven, it turns out, has long been mass-produced by Earthfire in South Africa, see fig. It costs a lot on sale, about 2000 rubles, and requires a fairly high culinary skill. However, it is completely non-volatile and will come in handy at a pizza picnic.

About modular ovens

On sale there are kits for the quick construction of small adobe pizza ovens. The kit includes a set of ceramic modules and their binding solution. A pedestal with thermal insulation and thermal insulation of the dome must be done by yourself. How to assemble such furnaces is generally shown in the figure, detailed instructions are always attached. The cost of a kit with the cost of additional materials, as a rule, does not exceed that for materials for self-building, and for those who want to try pizza from the adobe oven, this is the only real opportunity to do it.

Finally

Pizza was invented like Russian cabbage soup, so that you can cook from all sorts of things. But over time, her baking has become a high culinary art. Therefore, before taking on a pizza oven, you need to learn how to bake pizza, at least in the simplest home electric “pizza pan”.

What do you need to prepare the most famous Italian dish? A good cook, certain ingredients and a special wood-fired pizza oven. With knowledge of the features and construction technology, this type of furnace can take its rightful place on your site.

Pompeian (Italian) oven, used for cooking various foods (including pizza), baking bread, roasting meat dishes. However, this type of stove is not used as a heating element of the premises.

A feature of Pompeian food is fast heating and a long time of keeping warm. Typically, such ovens are considered an outdoor option for cooking wood-fired pizza. The exterior of the Pompeian oven can be adapted to many landscape design options.

Making such a stove with your own hands is not so difficult as it might seem at first glance.

To know where to start building, you need to understand the structure of the Pompeian oven.

Essential elements:

• base (foundation);
• a reinforced concrete slab that plays the role of a stand for the oven itself and a place for cooking;
• refractory brick dome;
• the bottom of the oven, on which the fire is initially kindled, and the cooking process is in progress;
• flue pipe. It is installed above the entrance arch, which distinguishes the Pompeian oven from other types of ovens;
• arch;
• housing from the outside;
• thermal insulation layer.

The main advantage over the Russian oven is considered to be a quick warm-up. In the Pompeian oven, you can start cooking 30-40 minutes after the start of heating.

Materials needed to build the Pompeian oven

Before starting construction, it is important to purchase the necessary tools and material, no matter what is distracted from the process itself.

Construction Materials:

• refractory brick (fireclay) - the main component;
• mortar for laying furnaces;
• edged board for creating formwork;
• thermal insulation (mineral wool);
• sheben, sand and cement for the foundation;
• metal rods with a cross section of not more than 10 mm;
• waterproofing (polyethylene, roofing material);
• insulation;
• ceramic brick (for the construction of the entrance arch);
• foam blocks or concrete blocks (to support the pedestal).

Tools:

• shovel and bayonet shovels;
• solution container;
• drill with a special whisk for mixing the solution;
• construction tape measure and level;
• spatula and trowel;
• hammer, saw and nails (formwork);
• grinder large or small (for cutting metal rods).

Pompeian oven masonry

After acquiring all the necessary materials and tools, you can begin construction.

Before laying, it is necessary to pour the base, make a stand and a reinforced concrete slab (countertop).

Foundation

First of all, you need to decide on the size of the furnace and mark the place for the foundation.

The base should be at least 10 cm larger than the stove itself. Next, you need to dig a hole. The optimal depth is about 40 cm. After that, make a formwork, put waterproofing and you can pour the solution. After filling with a solution, it is necessary to level the top layer of the base and check the level. The surface must be even. Allow the cement to harden for at least 4 weeks.

Table stand

The next step is the construction of a stand under the countertop (pedestal). When the base is completely dry, you can start laying. The pedestal can be made from foam blocks, cinder blocks, concrete blocks. The shape of the stand may be different. Square, only two walls, the letter P, the letter H. The latter option is considered the most appropriate, since there is an additional central support. When laying blocks, it is necessary to constantly check the horizontal and vertical with the building level. The height of the pedestal is made depending on the further convenience when using the stove.

tabletop

The tabletop is a reinforced concrete slab, poured directly on the pedestal. To do this, you need to make a formwork. For the bottom of the formwork, it is better to choose moisture-resistant plywood. Lay additional waterproofing on the bottom. After that, you need to make a reinforcing mesh of metal rods. Fix it in the formwork at a height of 5 cm from the plywood.
The optimal thickness of the countertop is from 10 to 20 cm.

After filling with a solution, it is required to level the surface and check the level. When these steps are completed, you need to cover the reinforced concrete slab with polyethylene and let it dry for 3 weeks.

According to the structure of the dome, Pompeian ovens are divided into: Neapolitan and Tuscan.

The Neapolitan oven is designed purely for cooking pizza. The structure of such a furnace is distinguished by a small vault, the size of which is almost equal to the height of the dome.
The Tuscan oven has a more versatile purpose. Due to the high vault in this type of oven, you can cook various dishes.

Before starting the laying of the first rows, it is necessary to make under. It is made of refractory bricks and mortar for laying furnaces. Fireclay bricks are laid out without mortar on the stove, the size of the furnace and the entrance arch are marked on it. After that, the necessary bricks are cut to obtain the desired shape.

Before laying the hearth on the mortar, a heat-insulating layer (calcium silicate board) must be laid between the fireclay bricks and the countertop. After that, you can lay it out yourself under the prepared brick.

After that, it is necessary to determine where the entrance to the furnace will be and lay out the so-called entrance side. Next, you need to determine the boundaries of the arch and in these places lay the bricks on the mortar.

The next step is laying the side of the furnace itself. This will be the base of the dome. Next, the second row is laid.

Construction of the entrance arch

The width of the entrance arch should correspond to the height of the dome. This rule must always be observed regardless of the chosen dimensions of the oven.

It is easiest to build an entrance arch using a wooden template. The template can be made from two pieces of plywood and wooden blocks.

If a large diameter is chosen during the construction of the furnace, then the size of the arch should not exceed the distance from the hearth to the top of the dome. In a small oven, everything depends on convenience. For example, a pizza shovel should pass through the entrance space freely.

After calculating the size and creating a template, you can start laying bricks. A brick is laid on the template. In order to fix them in the desired position before the mortar hardens, you can use various gaskets, pieces of wood, wedges that are inserted into the space between the bricks.

At the end of the manufacture of the arch, you can start laying the remaining rows of the dome.

Ordering:

During the masonry process, you can use a special device for the correct shape of the dome. It can be a hinged arm, or a homemade fixture made of plywood and wooden blocks. Here's what these tools look like:

Rows begin to be laid from the arch in both directions. Each row must be moved to the side, in order to avoid the formation of vertical cracks along the seams.

To round off the top of the dome, you need to properly chop or file the bricks. The same must be done, bypassing the arch.

Also, to facilitate the task, for the construction of the dome, you can use ready-made wooden frames, on the basis of which the bricks are laid out.

outer arch

The outer arch should be wider than the inner one. You can build an external arch in the same way as an internal one, only the template should be 3-5 cm larger.

Another feature of the outer arch is the presence of a hole for a chimney. The hole must be rectangular.

Chimney installation

The appearance of the chimney is chosen at will.
You can lay out a chimney from refractory bricks, make a galvanized box, use ceramic or metal coated with mortar.

The dimensions of the pipe depend on the location of the furnace and the required draft.
After the installation of the chimney is completed, its surface must be covered with a layer of clay mixed with fireclay sand.

Drying kiln

After the solution has dried, it is necessary to fire the furnace. This process will prepare the furnace for further operation.

The first kindling should be carried out only with straw. During the second, you need to add small branches and wood chips. On the third kindling, the straw can be removed completely and replaced with wood chips or thin branches. On the fourth kindling, you can lay down whole logs. The next time you need to increase the amount of solid fuel.

Both during drying and during further operation, it is recommended not to use coniferous trees for kindling. This will negatively affect the taste of your dishes and the further use of the oven. The best fuel options are fruit trees, especially cherries.

Thermal insulation of the Pompeian oven

After a properly carried out firing process, a decent thermal insulation of the furnace is necessary. This is necessary to evenly heat the food and achieve maximum temperature inside the oven.

Mineral wool, reinforcing mesh, aluminum foil and cement-perlite mortar are used for insulation.

The first step is to cut the mineral wool in the shape of the furnace. After that, the mineral wool is fixed to the furnace with the help of refractory mastic. The next layer is aluminum foil. This is not a mandatory layer, however, it will increase efficiency.

After the foil, you can tie the furnace with a metal mesh or wire.
When the reinforcement is completed, you can proceed to the last layer. A layer of cement mixed with perlite is applied to the furnace.
Furnace insulation is ready.

Exterior finish

After the complete hardening of the heat-insulating layer, you can proceed to the external design of the furnace. In connection with the outdoor location of the stove on wood, it is necessary to take care of the moisture-repellent layer. In this case, you can use one layer of heat-resistant plaster, and apply moisture-resistant plaster with the next layer. After that, you can choose the finishing material.

At this stage, everything depends on the personal desire of the owner. Facing bricks and tiled mosaics are excellent materials for this.

In a properly assembled Pompeii oven, you can cook dishes no worse than in real Italian pizzerias in compliance with all technologies.