Earth Oven Workshops
Traditionally called hornos in New Mexico, building an earth oven is a great way to learn the basics of mud brick construction over the course of a small 5-day project. In addition to breads and desserts, hornos are great for baking pizza and cooking meats and vegetables. I always try to use local and natural materials when building an oven and have adapted the traditionally larger oven size to a smaller design which requires less fuel and time for firing.
I offer horno construction classes at various times during the year. Please contact me to find out when the next internet or live instruction class begins.
Construction Details
- The oven foundation is usually a simple gravel or stone pad.
- The square oven base is made of sun-cured adobe bricks.
- The oven floor can either be made of troweled mud or fire brick.
- Soil taken from the oven site is used to construct the rings of the oven dome.
- The ovens are usually finished with natural earthen plasters which are strengthened with wheat paste for water-resistance.
