Date Started - 05/04/2007
Date Completed - 05/05/2007
Probably our biggest achievement at the 2007 Celebration of Celts event was our stone oven. This oven started out as a simple idea; find a stone slab and elevate it over a fire to cook oatcakes on.
Well, over the course of a week and a half that evolved into building a whole stone oven. We had very little information; the archaeological evidence is simply that stone slabs were used. So we took that knowledge as well as the basic understanding of how they worked to create the oven(s) you see here.
One final note. Because of an organizational snafu, we ended up building 2 ovens for Celebration of Celts. The first (Mark I) was built into a small hillside, the second (Mark II) was on flat ground.
Because the Mark I was dug into a small hillside we needed very little backfill on the sides and back. This meant we could use the extra dirt for insulation on the capstone.
The backfill dirt was used to plug up gaps between the rocks, and generally stabilize the structure.
Pre-firing the Mark I
The chimney gap on the Mark II was not in the rear. So we formed a chimney from clay to help the draft. Even just the short stack helped.
The first loaf of bread in the Mark II
Closeup of the last loaf. This was a currant fruit bread; thus the black dots.
Sod saved from the excavation is placed on the capstone for insulation.
This hole, ringed with sod and dirt is the chimney. It's located on the top rear of the oven.
This is the Mark II. In order to get enough sod and backfill we had to take it from the main cooking area too. This would not have been necessary if it were built into a bank, like the Mark I.
Pre-firing the Mark II. One feature of the Mark II was that since there was no bank to utilize we were free to orient the oven in any direction. We place the oven mouth into the prevailing winds to help fan the flames.
The last loaf of bread to be baked during Celebration of Celts. Note the sod on the roof has charred after 2 days of baking. It was a good indicator of where additional insulation (sod and backfill) was needed. Only one or two such spots appeared elsewhere.