Day 19 1/2

We did it - we were able to get the walls around the baking chamber poured! We had a beautiful evening to complete the task and now we're both in need of hot showers to remove the concrete from our bodies.

I started wetting down the brick about one hour before Tom got home from work so that we wouldn't run in to any problems with the concrete. The humidity was only 12% today. This concrete is a mixture the Lumnite (for high heat), sand and gravel. This mixture will also encase the entire baking chamber once the arches are finished. This concrete mass that surrounds the baking chamber is what actually captures the heat and retains it for baking.

The sprayer that I use to add moisture when I'm baking bread came in handy
for wetting down the brick.

As Tom poured the mixture into the form, I worked it in with a short piece of re bar.

 

Once all the concrete was poured around the form,
we worked at smoothing it out and making it level.

DONE!

So now we're all set for Saturday when Tom will start building the arches. We can't wait to share it with you. Kath

Day 19

No matter how well we laid out our plans for this weekend, no matter how many times we checked the weather on the computer, nothing was going to stop the very wet, cold and New Jersey like day we had on Saturday here in Las Cruces, NM! Tom and I are convinced that these days blow in to the sunny Mesilla Valley just to keep us both humble.

Tom was determined to work on the oven. I went out to check on him and it was obvious that having a conversation just wasn't an option. I decided that the best way I could help was to make sure that lunch and dinner were hot!

Saturday morning started out overcast and 40°. I know,  I know, all of our
New Jersey friends are laughing right now. We've become soft!

Then it started to rain. One look at Tom's face will reveal just how miserable he was.

Tom persevered and by the end of the afternoon decided that he'd accomplished all that he wanted by getting the firebricks that will act be the arch base in to place. 

The re bar that would need to be in the outer walls of the oven were also put in to place and wired together.

Sunday the bright blue sky was out and by the afternoon it was 70°! The forms that will be needed for outer walls were assembled. With the time change giving us more daylight in the evenings, we will be able to pour the walls that surround the baking chamber on Tuesday. Tom will then be ready to start the arches this coming Saturday.

The forms are now in place and held in place by the 2 x 4 bracing which is
screwed to the plywood. This will keep the walls rigid when we are
filling the space with concrete.

A view from the back.

So there you have it. Despite the chilly start to the weekend, we were able to make some good headway. Thanks for checking in, it's great to have all of you with us:) Kath

Day 18

Las Cruces gave us beautiful weather this weekend. So much so that it we had to pull out the sun screen and the Easy Up to give Tom some shade to work in! This time of year in the Southwest is always a bit tricky. It starts out chilly in the early morning and then once the Sun rises over the mountains it's time to shed the sweatshirts and jackets. It does make me think of John Denver's song,  Sunshine on My Shoulders - it sure does make you happy:)

Tom took a 3 day weekend to make some headway on the baking chamber. Saturday began with the construction of the side walls. One trick that Tom discovered with our first oven back in 2006 was to soak the fire bricks before cementing them in place. This added moisture helped the mortar to not dry so fast. It is amazing how much water the bricks soak up once they are placed in water, you can hear them fizzing!

The key to placing the walls is to keep them level and plumb. You'll notice how a plumb line is set in place as a guide.

Tom then worked his way to the back wall. Again, making sure everything was level and plumb.

One final check before cementing the front bricks in place. 

With all the walls cemented in place, Tom could start building up the back wall of the baking chamber. 

Can you see hints of Tom's cabinet making skills evident in this picture?

The final course of bricks are placed on the back wall.

Tom could now start on the face of the oven which is red brick. This is also part of the chimney.

It was about 83° in the sun. Time to get the Easy Up assembled.
Copper and Bradley wasted no time getting in the shade.

Once the four courses of red brick were in place it was time to cut the angled fire brick that would be the starting point for each arch of the baking chamber.

Day's end.

After we cleaned up the weekends mess, we enjoyed the view that you see right here at the Day's end. It's becoming more and more real to us that the BakeHouse will have it's new home in Las Cruces. This coming weekend will find Tom making the forms for the arches and also we'll be pouring more cement around the oven walls - so stay tuned and we'll see you all next weekend! Kath

Day 17

This week found Tom finishing the hearth bed and me busy test baking. By the time Sunday evening arrived, both Tom and I felt a great sense of satisfaction with all that had been accomplished.

I was encouraged when I woke up to find my starter incredibly active and ready to do it's work!

The life of our bread.

I spent all day Thursday baking bread with the flour I had received from General Mills. With each step of my dough mixing process I was pleased with the dough development and finished loaves.

Whole Wheat

Kalamata Olive

Until the oven is finished, this is how I'm baking my test loaves.

I've approached a local Gourment Food/Health Food Grocer to see if they would be able to bring in the General Mills product for me. They were very willing to see if they could help us in our search, now we all have to be patient as we wait for the suppliers to respond.

Tom was up early Saturday with his focus on finishing the hearth bed, get the concrete shelf in place and get the sides of the oven laid out. He also wanted to make sure that we had enough bricks. When you have to purchase and receive your oven supplies from 600+ miles away, you always have this queasy feeling that you've not ordered enough material, even when you double and triple check your layout. Well, this did indeed happen with the Lumnite! Remember a few Blogs back when Tom was able to get the firebrick and Lumnite because of a trip to Phoenix for his employer? Ughhhh!

So I called Mason Mart in Phoenix and they did indeed have 3 more bags and could ship them via freight. The hitch . . . the cost of shipping 3 bags would cost us more than we paid for the original 6 bags that Tom originally picked up! Yikes. We were in a bind for sure. That extra shipping money we would have to spend was allocated for other material. We really didn't want to waste the money on shipping, and even a drive to Phoenix would have been costly with the gas prices as they are.

Then up to the plate comes the home run pitcher! A friend from our church was willing to pick up the 3 bags of Lumnite for us this past week because he and his father were taking a trip to Phoenix. What's even more amazing is that the place that they needed to go to was only 7 miles from Mason Mart! This is pretty incredible when you consider just how big Phoenix is! So a big THANK YOU to Arnold and his dad. And I'll be able to return the favor since his wife, Nancy, is involved in a fund raising dinner that will need bread :)

Now with this issue solved - Tom was able to better focus on the job at hand.

Hearth bed completed - CHECK.

Refractory mix for the baking chamber.
10 parts Sand + 3 parts Lumnite + 1 1/2 parts Fire Clay
CHECK.

Dry mixing the refractory mix so it's all ready to go this
coming weekend - CHECK.

Side walls set up dry - CHECK.

Day's end. CHECK :)

Can't wait to bring you next weekends progress! Thanks for stopping by - Kath

Flour Samples Arrive . . .

I received quite a bit of curiosity in regard to our search for a supplier for our flour, so I only thought it fitting to share today's delivery with you. I had contacted three Flour brands: King Arthur, General Mills and a company in California that handles Central Milling Flour. Imagine my surprise when I arrived home today to find 150 pounds of Artisan Flour direct from the General Mills plant in Kansas City, MO! I had spoken to their Rep. for the Southwest region last week - and she did mention sending me sample flour, but I didn't expect 150 lbs. of it!

So the test baking will begin in earnest. I've been using General Mills conventional flour which goes under the Gold Medal name in grocery stores and I've found the dough to responds fairly well. I'm anxious to see how the dough responds to their flour that is milled specifically for Hearth Breads!

A very generous gift from General Mills!

I pulled out my flour buckets from the original BakeHouse. It's hard to explain, but it felt good to go through the process of opening the bags and emptying the flour in to the buckets.

I'll be sure to share the results of the test baking - thoughtfully, Kath

A visit to Wednesday's Farm Market

I took some time today to head over to the Las Cruces Farmer's Market. Once we start firing the oven, we will be able to bake, but not large volumes, so the Wednesday market will be a nice fit as we work to grow in to the Saturday market. I thought I'd share a little of Las Cruces with all of you - Enjoy.

Throughout Las Cruces you will discover
artistic expression.

The market hosts a wide selection of local Artists.

The Folk Art at this market is awesome!

Open air musicians are tucked in
and around the vendors and they add to the
festive atmosphere of the market.

Happy Cacti

Spring colors are arriving to the Sunny Southwest.

What would New Mexico be without the Ristras!

Thoughtfully - Kath

Day 16

This weekend was a turning point for the construction of the BakeHouse oven. The laying of the oven's hearth bed has now begun and we are excited for you to see the baking chamber come to life. To think that Tom is now laying the firebrick that the BakeHouse breads will be baked on is just so exciting!

Our morning started with the reveal of the slab that is to become the shelf that sits in front of the oven opening. We were so pleased with the way it turned out - and it proved to be much more economical than purchasing real stone.

Notice the little bit of ice that formed - it was chilly in the morning!

The form and the slab. The slab slipped right out!
It's amazing what you can do with concrete!

Here you can see the support blocks in place. The concrete slab
is ready to now be lifted in to place. 

The concrete slab is now in place which allows for Tom to start
laying out the firebrick for the hearth bed.

The hearth bed is held in place with a simple mixture of Fire Clay and Sand. A slurry is mixed and used like mortar to set the firebricks in place. The use of this slurry allows for hearth bed bricks to be replaced if they break.

Fire Clay and Sand are mixed in to a slurry.

With a notched trowel, the mixture is spread on to
 the hearth bed and the bricks are put in place.

The brick is then tamped into the slurry to set it.

Tom makes sure each brick is not leaning.

The top of each brick is also checked
so that the hearth bed is flush
and level. 

The weekends work complete.

This coming weekend should find the hearth bed completed. The next step will be for the side walls to be put in place. Las Cruces is starting to reveal itself in that she's tired of winter and each day is deciding to bring the temperatures up to almost 70°. The mornings are still chilly, but by 9am it's already time to remove your sweatshirt - perfect oven building weather :)

Only a few more days until Saturday - we look forward to sharing our weekend's work with you. Thanks for taking the journey with us. We've heard from so many of you. It so encouraging, thank you.

Kath