Visited an old bakery in Pittsburgh that still uses a wood-fired oven from the 1940s

Went down to Allegheny Bread Company last week and saw this massive brick oven that's been running since before my dad was born. The crust on their loaves has this smoky flavor you just can't get from electric ovens... has anyone else noticed a difference baking with older equipment?

3 comments

3 Comments

lucasjackson2mo ago

Wood fired ovens are definitely different, but that old brick oven at Allegheny is probably a coal fired oven that was converted. A lot of those old Pittsburgh bakeries started with coal because that's what was available back then. They just call them wood fired now because it sounds fancier. The smoky flavor you're tasting is more from the thermal mass of the brick holding heat unevenly, not actual wood smoke touching the bread. Most modern wood fired ovens are built completely different than those old commercial ones. Still makes great bread though, just not for the reason people usually say.

harper6932mo ago

My granddad ran a bakery in Philly back in the 50s and they had this massive coal oven that took up half the basement. He swore the best bread came out after a rainstorm because the humidity changed how the bricks held heat. No idea if that's true but he'd adjust his baking times based on the weather.

wadem892mo ago

Never thought about the thermal mass angle, that actually makes more sense than the smoke myth.