Okay, so I’ve been wanting to make one of these mini brick ovens for ages. I finally decided, what the heck, let’s just do it! I started by gathering a bunch of bricks I found lying around the yard. Some were old, some were new, it was a real mix.
First thing I did was clean the bricks. I just used a stiff brush and some water to scrub off all the dirt and gunk. Gotta have clean bricks, right?
Next, I found a flat spot in my backyard. It wasn’t perfectly level, but I figured it would be good enough. I started laying the bricks out in a circle, kind of like a well, but wider. No mortar or anything, just stacking them dry.
This part was a bit tricky. I had to keep adjusting the bricks to get them to fit together snugly. It was like a 3D puzzle! I spent a good hour just fiddling with the first layer to make sure it was solid and more or less circular.
Building Up the Walls
Once the base layer was down, I just kept adding more layers. I made sure to stagger the bricks, you know, like how they do it in walls. This makes it stronger. I went up about five layers, trying to keep the inside space big enough for a small fire.
- Layer 1: The foundation, took the longest.
- Layer 2: Getting the hang of the staggered pattern.
- Layer 3: Starting to see the oven shape!
- Layer 4: Making it taller.
- Layer 5: The final layer, almost there!
I didn’t have a plan for a roof or anything, so I just left it open at the top. I figured I could always add something later if I needed to.
The First Fire!
With the oven built, it was time for the moment of truth! I gathered some small twigs and dry leaves and started a little fire inside. It took a bit to get going, but soon enough, I had a nice little blaze. I even threw in some bigger pieces of wood once the fire was established.
I let it burn for a while, just to see how well it would hold the heat. It seemed to work pretty well! The bricks got warm, but not super hot, which is what I wanted.
Honestly, I haven’t cooked anything in it yet. This was more of a test run to see if I could actually build the thing. It took me most of an afternoon, but it was a fun project. And hey, now I have a mini brick oven! Maybe pizza next time?
