Alright, folks, gather ’round! Today, I’m gonna share with you my little adventure of building a brick pizza oven right in my backyard. Yeah, you heard that right – homemade pizza, anytime I want! Let me tell you, it was a heck of a project, but totally worth it.
First things first, I started by clearing out a nice spot in the yard. I mean, you gotta have a good foundation, right? So, I dug out the area and made it all level. Then, I built a wooden frame, like a little box, for the concrete. Mixed up a bunch of concrete and poured it in, making sure it was nice and smooth. This was gonna be the base for my oven, so it had to be solid.
Getting to the Bricks
Now, onto the fun part – the bricks! I got myself a whole bunch of firebricks. These aren’t your regular bricks; they can handle some serious heat. I also picked up some refractory mortar, which is like a special glue for these high-temperature bricks. Oh, and I didn’t forget about insulation – got some ceramic fiber blanket to keep that heat in.
I started laying the bricks on the concrete base, forming the floor of the oven. It was like a big puzzle, making sure each brick fit just right. Once the floor was done, I began building the walls. This is where things got a bit tricky. I wanted that classic dome shape, so I had to angle the bricks inward as I went up. Slowly but surely, the dome started to take shape.
- Laying the first layer of bricks, making a solid base.
- Building up the walls, forming the dome. It’s harder than it looks!
- Adding the insulation around the dome to trap that precious heat.
The Final Touches
With the dome complete, I wrapped the whole thing in that ceramic fiber blanket. It looked like a giant marshmallow! Then, I added another layer of bricks on top of the insulation for extra protection. I also fashioned a little door out of some scrap steel I had lying around. It wasn’t pretty, but it did the job.
After letting everything dry and cure for a while, it was finally time for the first test run. I built a small fire inside the oven and let it burn for a few hours. This is called “curing,” and it’s super important to make sure the oven can handle the heat without cracking.
And there you have it! My very own brick pizza oven. It took a lot of sweat and a few choice words, but I did it. Now, I can whip up some amazing pizzas anytime I want. Trust me, nothing beats the taste of a homemade pizza cooked in a real brick oven. If you’ve got the space and a bit of patience, I highly recommend giving it a try. You won’t regret it!
So the number of bricks? It’s about 150, I used 150 firebricks for this oven, and 20 concrete blocks for the foundation.
Building this pizza oven was a real adventure, and I learned a ton along the way. If I can do it, you can too! Just remember to take your time, double-check your work, and don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. Happy building, folks!
