A baker from Saint-Malo is happy to continue working with the wood-fired oven that his bakery has had for 30 years. This cooking technique “from the past” could well have a future.
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Every morning, Henrik Robino slides his loaves into a wood-fired oven. This traditional cooking turns out to be a great opportunity to limit energy expenditure.
“I have suffered price increases on wood, but they are still more rational than for electrical energy”notes the craftsman. “Compared to colleagues who have electric ovens, I estimate the savings made between 15,000 and 30,000 euros over the year.”
The baker has seen it: his energy costs to run his refrigerators have increased. And he still uses an electric oven for most of his pastries, around 20% of his baked production.
But Henrik Robino is currently trying to cook certain cakes over a wood fire from now on. Because cooking with wood enables it to limit soaring energy prices. Especially since the heat captured by the bricks of his wood oven is then returned to the next batch. As for bread, the wood-fired oven engulfs 140 baguettes in each batch.
The technique of traditional cooking requires a little training, and good anticipation. Daily loaf production should be assessed daily. “If I miss 60 or 80 traditional baguettes, I won’t necessarily turn on my oven again, because it won’t be worth it. “, specifies the baker.
If Henrik Robino wanted to take over, 17 years ago, the old bakery where he began his career, with its wood-fired oven, it was first and foremost for the taste of bread baked in the traditional way: “we really feel the product live, we have a bread, or a baguette, which is not straight and which has taste.”
The financial advantages of this equipment are, for the baker, a more recent discovery. Provided that the production of firewood is maintained and developed.