After many baking sessions, the bread oven started to develop some significant cracks over the winter of 2010-2011. Here are a few photos of a maintenance session held this spring, where we removed the oven's roof and patched the cracks with clay slip. Eventually, the clay portion will need to be rebuilt from scratch but with some luck, we'll be baking for many more years before that is necessary.
The largest crack
Oven with the roof off
Mixing up the patching slip
Applying the slip to the cracks
Re-sealing the door
Almost ready for the roof
Lifting the roof back on
Viola! The oven is ready for another baking season, which this year will include pizzas for sale at the Cambridge Farmers Market.
