Ocean State Pizza Oven

November 1, 2013
earth bake oven in Rhode Island with timber frame shelter

Finished oven awaits plaster

Inspired by a woodfired cob oven I (Shannon) and my boyfriend built for family in California, my parents in Rhode Island requested similar services. This outdoor oven however, must survive the harsh winters and hurricanes of coastal New England. Clearly, this one would need a timberframed shelter.

timber frame shelter for earthen pizza oven in Rhode Island

View from the patio- an oven engulfed in curved cherry braces

The shelter is a mini-me of many Timber homes projects, featuring Vermont grown and milled Eastern White Pine timbers with curved cherry braces.  The tiny tie beams have sloped housings and through tenons. The earthen oven was built with clay from the Connecticut River, with the help of my two nieces, and the frame was raised in an afternoon with my brave, ladder leaping cousin. My parents have been experimenting with bread, pie, pizza and more, achieving results that push the boundaries of delicious.

family in front of earth oven and timber frame shelter in Rhode Island

Family portrait. Hurricane Sandy chewed a chunk of roofing off the structure, but oven and frame remain in stupendous working condition.