Hello guys I want to make a pizza Neapolitan oven, but I do not know which option, should I use refractory bricks or cement?
Hi Salem and welcome to the BrickWood forum!
I think you are asking which kind of oven to build, yes?
The dome ovens (which use castable refractory) are more for pure baking, most especially pizza and breads. You can do other foods in them as well, but they have less interior volume and a lower ceiling.
The barrel ovens (which use firebrick) are more versatile both for space and the variety of foods you can prepare in them. They are not quite as efficient for pizza, but you can roast large animals in them if you have a need.
Decide on your needs first, then use the installation manuals to put together your bill of materials.
Good luck, and let us know what you decide!
Thank you my brother bikerbudmatt
Yes, I am asking about what kind of furnace I should build
My uses are for pizza and pastries only, such as (thyme pies - cheese pies - coffee pies - pizza) and the thing I like the most is the Neapolitan pizza, the number of people does not exceed 5 people only
What do you suggest for me?
Knowing that I will use gas inside the oven
I think you want to build a Cortile Barile, which is shaped like a barrel oven but is low and is made of castable refractory (you actually keep the forms in the box to pour and cast the material!).
Look at this gallery entry to see a gas-fired Cortile Barile from start to finish.
Even though the builder really went “over the top” in landscaping and stonework (which we really, really like!), the basic Cortile Barile is one of the easier ovens to build as long as you follow the provided instructions carefully. Search these forums for the word "gas " (include the space after the word) and you’ll pick up some tips for how to add gas burners to your wood-fired oven.
Finally, you should know that we consider wood to be the best fuel for these ovens (for both economic and flavor reasons), but you can build your oven so that it can burn either wood or gas. Search for “dual fuel” to see some tips for that.
Hope all this helps, Salem, and please come here often. There’s lots of help and advice for you along the way!
Frankly, I don’t know if I understood you correctly, bikerbudmatt, because my mother tongue is not English. But I am confused, I find bricks easier than cement in construction, but I am looking for the best for my needs (a friend told me that the dome is better for Neapolitan pizza), so what do you advise me? Are the two (cement - refractory bricks) the same?
Good question, and thank you for asking!
Bricks are not the same as cement.
Brick is a solid material that you glue together with mortar.
Cement is a liquid material that you shape with tools or a mold. It dries into a hard, solid structure in whatever shape you molded. “Castable refractory” is a kind of cement.
The Cortile Barile oven is molded from cement. The Mattone Barile is built from bricks.
You choose your design, and then use the material called for by that design.
I hope this makes things clearer. Please continue to ask questions! I want to be sure everything is clear to you before you make a choice.
Thank you, bikerbudmatt, for your patience
Now I only have one question left
Is there a difference between Mattone Barile and Cortile Barile in terms of food quality (pastry) or are they similar to each other?
Very glad to help.
The difference would not be in food quality, so much. Either of the two designs can reach a very high temperature and bake your pizza and pastries well.
There are two main differences:
- Size The Cortile Barile is smaller, and more concentrated heat. The doorway is not as wide or as tall.
- Shape The Mattone Barile is a large barrel shape, so it is more of a general-purpose oven.
You have said that you are interested in baking Neapolitan-style pizza (which is the style I bake most often!) and pastries. I think the Cortile Barile would be an easier design to control for temperature for that kind of baking.
Do not let the “brick or cement” question put you off. Both designs use both brick and cement.
I hope this helps clear up your questions, Salem, and I encourage you to keep asking if something wasn’t clear.