for heating, every kind of wood, branches, brushwood and even corn husks can be used, but they must be absolutely dry.

the total amount of fuel should not be burned at once as in old baking ovens. Instead you should heat the oven as you would a kitchen stove;  that is, add more wood several times until the oven reaches the perfect temperature. 

the embers must be spread over the whole surface of the oven. it is necessary to make sure that the flames can burn through the two symmetrically situated flues of the vault; as a result the upper vault is heated. depending on the fuel, the oven will be properly heated, as a rule, within a period of 1 to 1 ½ hours when the vault turns white in color. at any rate, after heating is finished the temperature will have reached  200 to 250 degrees centigrade.

as soon as the oven has reached this temperature, the embers must be spread all over the surface. at the same time it will be necessary to almost close the damper (leaving it open just the width of one finger) to create a slight draft that takes away the dust. if the draft is reduced too much or completely stopped, the embers are smothered and turn black, enabling the development of the very poisonous and dangerous carbon monoxide. carbon monoxide is an odorless, tasteless and colorless gas that causes headache and nausea and may even result in death.  

only after a period of 15 to 20 minutes, if necessary, rake the embers again so that the glowing charcoal lying underneath the ash can burn completely.  when the total amount of charcoal has been burnt,  the damper can be closed entirely.

 then leave the oven unused for 1 to 1 ½ hours so that the heat is distributed evenly within. a basic principle is that the more a baking oven is heated up, the longer it should be allowed to stand. on no account should you clean the surface of the oven or put in the bread before you have allowed the oven time to develop a really even and long-lasting heat. 

before moving the ash up front, open the damper to avoid dust emission. immediately after cleaning,  close the damper completely. now the oven ist ready for baking.

these operating instructions for the oven are meant as a guideline for safe heating. we will not be held liable for any consequential or incidental damages resulting from their use.                                         

next