The finish work has begun...

The oven is moving right along. The facing is almost complete. It is taking on a life of it's own. I am amazed by it's size and beauty and the opportunity that lies ahead for us and our community.

There have been plenty of times for me to feel intimidated by it's size. I have never worked with an oven this large. It is going to take my longest bread peel, the handle, plus my 2' arm to reach the back, working quickly to load in 100 loaves of bread, rotating half way through baking and unloading at that perfect moment when the crust is dark, chewy and caramelized. I feel completely confident and secure moving into this relationship with the oven.

Dale recommended using cobblestone to face the oven. I was not crazy about the idea of cobblestones. However, I drove to Salem to buy 1 cobblestone, brought it home for a second opinion and we decided to give it a try. So the next day, I came home with a 1/2 ton of hand selected cobblestone. After seeing it on the front of the oven, we could not have picked a more beautiful rock. Placed just above the 7' red brick, bullnose shelf, it is a perfect fit.

The siding went on the oven today. We also had a counter top delivery for the bread bar/espresso bar. We will offer a full line of delicious coffee and espresso drinks using our Italian made Sorrento, 2 group espresso machine. We will offer coffees, teas, juices and water.

A gentleman stopped by on Friday to see if he could drive the "bread truck" for deliveries. I told him we weren't going to get that big, but perhaps there may be another position available.

The chimney should make its debut out the top of the building this week.

The sheet rockers began yesterday re-sheet rocking the entire interior about 5,760 sq. ft. of rock. They will finish up today. What a difference it makes covering up all the insulation.

The two biggest things that happened this week were that someone gave us a 40qt. Hobart mixer that weighs in at about 800# and stands 5' tall on the floor. 4 of us could barely get it into the truck. It was the heaviest thing I have every lifted in my life. This mixer will be for our pizzas. Our breads are still hand mixed and kneaded.

And secondly, John's folks arrived this week on a moments notice. Drove all the way from Missouri (2150 miles), in three days, to help us finish up the interior work. We are so thankful for their unconditional love and generosity.

We've also started fencing in the wood lot. We'll need a lot of wood to fire this oven and having it right outside, next to the oven will make it very convenient.

The Statesman Journal called this week to follow our story. We will be in touch with them this week.

The Oregonian wrote a little piece on The Bread Board.....
http://www.oregonlive.com/travel/index.ssf/2010/03/bread_is_worth_the_trip_to_fal.html

Thank you all for your support in this venture.

Keith and John
The Bread Board
Where Food, Culture and Community Intersect