Cob Pizza Oven, First Try

In 2020 I dug a small pond for aquatic plants and animals. The resulting pile of clay sat covered for a year, drying out, protected from sun and rain.

In 2022 I used that pile to try making a cob pizza oven. For some reason, these ideas and motivation always seem to strike right in the middle of summer. I spent the hot and sweaty months getting the area leveled, building a base from flagstone, and building a small pavilion to protect from weather before I got into the cob.

The clay around this part of Georgia (Atlanta area) seems to be a really nice mix... I brought in a load of sand but really did need as much as I thought I would. It took less than a couple bales of straw for the entire oven. b

This first attempt at a pizza oven was an overall success! It's been a hit with the neighbors and this year I've been perfecting a dough recipe as well as learning to cook other dishes in the oven. It does take around 2 hours to get to a stable cooking temperature, so it's not something I can just get going on a whim. However, this summer I've found it to be the perfect way to cook a meal without turning on my stove and heating up my small house.

Rough dimensions of the inner dome are 27" diameter with a 16" height - the door opening is 10" tall and about 14" wide. Temps can easily reach a nice 700 degrees, and while I was still figuring things out, they were going much higher than that.

The oven still isn't done, and will eventually get a finish plaster, but I'm still deciding if I want to do something more sculptural and fun with the exterior - I'll say I really like the ability to come back and adjust, fix, or add on whenever the fancy strikes. I'll likely seal with a clay plaster this year, at the same time I'm working on some interior plaster projects.

The resulting pizzas have been well worth the effort! It's definitely different from cooking in an oven - the heat, smoke, and humidity from a wood fire combine to add an extra element to any food cooked inside.

Awesome Corey, Looks great and nice shelter. I'm about 75% done with mine. I did it the hard way...on purpose, lol.
I've laways wanted to try making adobe bricks,  so I built mine igloo style with adobe brick, which was much more difficult than anticipated (next time I'll use a sand form and cob only). Still have to cover it with cob and put the finish layer on, I'm considering a high clay/sand with natural pigment layer and a wheat paste mix to get it smooth and was wondering about using a linseed oil coating to help preotect it a bit, but am unsure of what would happen to it when it get's heated from a firing.

Corey;  That Looks Great!

Kyle;  Pictures please, current and finished.

Corey, thank you for sharing your pizza oven build.  The oven looks awesome and so does the broccoli pizza.