Research

Calculating the amount of mortar This calculation depends on the measurements of the chosen brick. Estimate the necessary number of litres/m² of mortar by means of this table. Calculate the surface (see calculating the number of bricks) and multiply this by the number of litres/m² to get the volume of mortar. For a bastard mortar with approx. 1 m³ of sand and a proportion 1 : 1 : 6 you will need the following: Portland cement (CEM I and class 42,5): approx. 200 kg Chaffed lime: approx. 100 kg Rhine sand 0/2: approx. 1600 kg of 1m³ For lime mortar with approx. 1 m³ of sand and a proportion 2 : 1 : 1 you will need the following: sandy clay: approx. 3200 kg Rhine sand 0/2: approx. 1600 kg of 1 m³ chaffed lime: approx. 600 kg Example (by means of building plan): number of litres mortar/m² ½ brick wall for Module 50 = 32 litres or 50 kg number of litres mortar/ m² 1 brick wall for Module 50= 64 litres or 100 kg total surface ½ brick thick = 2,576 m² total surface 1 brick thick= 5,422 m² total...

Calculating the amount of concrete Foundation In order to know the amount of concrete, you will first need to calculate the volume of the foundation slots. You multiply: the length of the outer foundation wall the depth of the outer foundation wall the height of the foundation Do the same for the inner foundation wall and subtract both outcomes. Multiply the needed volume by the number of kg of components, knowing that you will need for approx. 1 m³ of concrete with concrete strength of 250 kg/m³ mortar and a proportion 1 : 3 : 4  you will need the following: Portland cement ( CEM I and class 32,5): approx. 250 kg Rhine sand 0/2: approx. 750 kg gravel (aggregate size 4/14): approx. 1000 kg Example (by means of building plan): length outer foundation wall = l(a) = 1,69 m length inner foundation wall = l(b) = 1,09 m depth outer foundation wall = d(a) = 1,69 m depth inner foundation wall = d(b) = 1,09 m height of the foundation = h = 0,60 m (l(a) x d(a) x h) - (l(b) x d(b) x h) = volume...

Documentary - How to build a bread oven? This documentary is a step-by-step practical guide for building a traditional brick bread oven. Watching these episodes, you can start building your own woodfired oven to bake proper bread the way our grandparents used to. English subtitles are being made and will be added shortly. There are 5 episodes and 3 extra films.

Calculating quantities If your bread oven has different dimensions or a different structure than that of the building plan, you can calculate the amount of materials using the following tips:

Covering the vault with loamThis text can only be consulted in Dutch.

Building the chimney This text can only be consulted in Dutch.

Substructure This text can only be consulted in Dutch.

Recipes from Ons kookboek 1943 translation under construction Alongside everyday bread, many specialities and festive dishes were baked in bread ovens. We have included here a few old recipes for oven delicacies that were baked in the old days. You can still make them today. Delicious! apple roll When baking a cake, you can use the dough remains to make an apple roll. Also called in Flemish “kattekop” (cat’s head), “bollebuis”, “krollemol”, etc. Apple rolls were a pure indulgence for small children. There was always room in the oven for a few “krollemollen”. The recipe is simplicity itself.

Baking the bread The dough balls are put in the oven in rows using a baker’s peel. They cannot be put right up against one another as the dough will still expand. They must not touch the walls either as they will burn. The bread has to be put in quickly, as the first ones will start baking while the others are put in. Furthermore, the baker has to act quickly to prevent the oven to cool down. A little flour on the baker’s peel stops the dough balls sticking to it. When the bread is in the oven, the oven door is closed to keep in the heat and also the steam. While baking, some of the water in the dough evaporates. This vapour “settles” on the bread as the oven cools, giving the bread a soft crust. The baking time depends on the weight of the bread and the type of grain used: white bread: around one hour rye bread, wholemeal bread: 1.5 to 2 hours flan: around a quarter of an hour (= the last quarter hour before the bread is ready)