Okay, so I’ve always wanted a proper, old-school brick oven in my backyard. You know, the kind you see in those rustic Italian cooking shows? I finally decided to just go for it. Here’s how the whole messy, rewarding adventure went down.
Planning and Prep
First, I spent hours online, just looking at different designs and reading forums. I’m no expert, so I needed all the help I could get. I picked a basic dome shape – seemed like the least likely to collapse on me.
Then came the materials. Oh boy. I needed:
- A ton of firebricks (the ones that can handle super high heat)
- Regular bricks for the base
- Cement, sand, and mortar
- Some kind of insulation (I went with ceramic fiber)
- A metal door (I found a used one at a scrap yard)
Getting all this stuff to my backyard was a workout in itself. I borrowed my buddy’s truck and we made like five trips. My back was killing me before I even started building!
Building the Base
This was surprisingly straightforward. Just a big ol’ rectangle of regular bricks and mortar. I made sure it was level (very important!) and let it cure for a couple of days.
The Dome – The Scary Part
I used sand for formwork.
First,I built a sand pile by alluding the size of the future oven inside.
And then, I covered the sand pile with wet newspapers,this made me easy to take sand out.
This is where things got tricky. I started laying the firebricks in a circle, slowly angling them inwards to create the dome. Each brick had to be cut and shaped – my angle grinder got a serious workout. I used a simple wooden jig to help me get the angle right. It was slow, painstaking work. Lots of checking, adjusting, and muttering to myself.
I kept adding layers, slowly building up the dome. There were a few moments where I thought the whole thing was going to come crashing down. But somehow, it held. I used a special high-temperature mortar for this part – regular stuff wouldn’t survive the heat.
Insulation and Finishing Touches
Once the dome was done (and I’d let it cure for a week, praying it wouldn’t crack), I covered it with a thick layer of ceramic fiber insulation. This helps keep the heat in. Then, I added another layer of regular bricks over the insulation, just to protect it and make it look nicer.
Finally, I installed the metal door and built a little chimney out of some leftover firebricks. I even added a small landing area in front of the oven with some extra bricks – a place to put my pizzas before they go in.
The First Bake!
After weeks of work, it was finally time to fire it up! I built a small fire inside and slowly increased the temperature over a few hours. This is important to let the oven cure properly and avoid cracking. Then, I let it cool down completely.
The next day, I made pizza dough from scratch. The oven took a while to heat up (like, a couple of hours), but once it was hot, it was HOT. The pizzas cooked in like 90 seconds! They were amazing – crispy crust, perfectly melted cheese. Totally worth all the effort.
It’s not perfect, my brick oven. There are a few wonky bricks here and there, and the mortar isn’t exactly pristine. But it’s mine, I built it with my own two hands, and it makes the best darn pizza I’ve ever had. Plus, it’s a great conversation starter at backyard barbecues!
