the oven has to be heated up carefully with slowly increasing amounts of wood to dry out the new construction evenly.

the water that was used during the building of the oven has to be evaporated slowly. for this purpose, heat for 5 or 6 days at intervals of 4 to 5 hours as described below. do not overheat the oven as this may cause cracks in the surface and in the inside construction too.

if you stop the drying-out process or carry it out insufficiently, this will always result in cracked or pale bread crusts due to the continuous development of steam.

use absolutely dry wood, branches, twigs, etc.

while drying out the oven, always keep the outside door open (a width of two fingers or at least an inch)  and last but not least leave the damper completely open so that the steam may escape freely. only after carrying out the process 15 times is the oven ready to be used for baking bread.

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