Audio tour 08 - The Bread Oven

During the Medieval entertainment (from the first to the second Sunday of August), the historical mediation association “History-Museum” and the pottery workshop “of Léguer village” restored a bread oven.

The arched roof is made of cob, brick with a soil-like texture. As for the basis, it is surrounded by woven wood-strip fencing. The bread is placed in the oven on a brick hearth.

This kind of oven could be built by the lord enabling the peasants to cook their own bread in exchange for a tax, which represented the price of baking.

It took 2 days to raise the temperature, to around 250°C. The ideal temperature for something to go in the oven is about 170-180°C. The baking time for a batch is around 40 minutes depending on the size of the bread ball.

Then we put in the oven the dough, meat, and finally the pies and desserts.

The thermal pressure makes the substance expand and then contract, thus creating cracks. Clay was then regularly applied, as well as over the roof, gaining thickness, and inertia so consequently in power making lengthening the baking time. This oven can be used for at least three hours.