Drying and Seasoning

Once you have finished building your oven or got your ready-made one into its final resting place, you need to ensure it is dried out and seasoned prior to cooking in it. The cement or mortar you have used in the construction needs to dry out as for any brick or concrete building. Once the oven is dry you then need to season it, so that the high heat of the baking temperatures doesn’t cause the new oven to crack. Even ready-built ovens should be seasoned to drive off residual moisture.

To season your oven, you simply need to light a series of small fires inside the oven, allowing each fire to gradually build up to a temperature of about 200°C/400°F, then letting it die down. Do this three or four times before you start cooking in the oven. You will see the colour inside lightening as it dries out.