Last week I decided to make a project just for me in the evenings. I've been making lots of bread on my bread stone lately (sorry to keep going on about it) and I really fancied having a little "peel" to slip the dough onto the stone rather than plop it on with my hands.
It didn't need to be a massive one for a proper bread oven, just a board with a handle really for our standard oven, if I ever build a outdoor bread/pizza oven I'll just make another!
The project started with my brother and me looking through some of his timber he's got milled. He picked up a short oak board that he'd obviously sawn freehand with the chainsaw. It also had a huge knot in it and a lot of sap wood. Not much usable wood in it, but just enough for what I had planned.
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| Rough board |
I got the board into the workshop and went at it with the handheld electric plane to see what was under all the dust and to try and level it out. Luckily this board was pretty much quarter sawn so it will be nice and stable when it's finished.
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| Starting to see the grain |
Once I could see where all the knots, sap wood and splits were I then planned out how I wanted the board. I could see by the way the grain went in the board that the handle would have to slope away otherwise there would be short grain and the handle might snap off.
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| Drawing out the board |
I then got the jig saw and cut it out, the shape kind of presented itself so I just went with it, shaping the handle around the knot and following the grain.
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| Rough shape cut out with the jig saw |
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| An almost quarter sawn board meaning that it should be much more stable. Put simply the lines in the wood above won't try and straighten out quite so much. |
I then planed and sanded it until I was happy with the finish and it felt right to the touch. The whole thing tapers to the end as well.
I treated it with a food safe oil and left it to dry.
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| The finished board |
I'm really pleased with this for a simple project and hopefully it'll get quite a bit of use. It's a really tactile piece and it made me laugh when I brought it into the house as the girls kept rubbing it with their hands!
I'll put this into action next week and let you know how I get on with it.
Anyone else have a bakers/bread makers peel that they use?
That is such a lovely item to have, along with your blackboards you could make a few of these to sell as well, we have a peel for the outdoor oven we used to have but its metal and no-where near as attractive as yours :-)
ReplyDeleteThe wood is what makes this one so nice, although the wood wouldn't have been much good for anything else.
DeleteThat's a really good looking piece of wood work. It would do equally well as a cheese board ( that's your Christmas presents sorted !)
ReplyDeleteYeah it would make a good range of presents!
DeleteWonderful piece Kev! Love it and I would keep touching it too!
ReplyDeleteI was given a pair of Butter pats once that had had a lot of use. I made butter a couple of items with them then they got lost in all the kitchen paraphernalia in my last abode and I didn't find them when I moved here, probably fell down that gap I could never retrieve things from!
We all have that gap in the back of a kitchen cupboard somewhere. My wife and I spent ages searching for a pizza slice once and never found it, I think that it found it's way down to a gap somewhere!
DeleteThat one simple board contained a whole bunch of lessons for me!
ReplyDeleteDon't follow too closely though - a wide board like this might split!
DeleteYour work is that of an artisan Kev. I think it's time you opened your shop.
ReplyDeleteYeah I keep thinking about things I could make to sell so I can work from home more, I've got a window coming up soon where I might be able to make a few things to sell.
DeleteI love that board, Kev, .....and it is priceless because it is a 'one off'!
ReplyDeleteMist of my work is one off - rightly or wrongly!
DeleteWe use a store bought one of some unknown type of wood but it seems fairly soft and light. It fits the round oven stones that they sell. Your board looks like it would work nicely with our setup.
ReplyDeleteYeah this is the right size for my bread stone, I'll test it out this week and see how it does.
DeleteSuch satisfaction in making it yourself. I've learnt something here as well, I'd never heard of a 'peel' before.
ReplyDeleteBriony
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It was in one of the breadmaking books I've got, I didn't know it was called that until the other week.
DeleteGreat job Kev. Love the random shape following the grain like that. Years ago I got a laminated store bought one and find it indispensable for pizza and bread making.
ReplyDeleteI struggle sometimes doing things that aren't all square and right angles as that's how mu brain has been trained to think!
DeleteThat is just lovely, truly. I agree you should put them on Etsy in a shop!
ReplyDeletenot sure I'll ever make my fortune but it might be worth doing.
DeleteYou have a little side business in the making! I love my peel, I've had it for years, although I do love the unique shape of yours. I build my pizza right on the peel, remembering to put a little cornmeal on the peel so the dough will slide off into the oven or onto your pizza stone.
ReplyDeleteI will be a good way to use up my offcuts rather than chucking them on the fire. I'm going to try it this week with some sourdough and see how it does.
DeleteBeautiful Kev.
ReplyDeleteWe have an antique french peel but it is five foot long so don't use it.
I really like the long ones but it's no good until I've built a clay oven outside.
DeleteThat's really lovely. You should sell your stuff you know.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I think I will soon as I'd like to work from home more.
DeleteYou really do have a gift for seeing something beautiful in that piece of wood.
ReplyDeleteGood work.
Thanks Sharon, It's the wood really that makes it beautiful.
DeleteKev, it's beautiful! I have two pizza peels that I really can't use for pizza, I suppose 'cuz my pizzas are so loaded that they need to be made directly on the hot stone itself. But Dan wood burned them for me so they are decorative only. Maybe I need to give them a try anyway. Thanks for the inspiration.
ReplyDeleteThanks Leigh, I might have to make some pizzas on Friday night to test them out properly! I do love them with a crisp base.
DeleteThat's lovely, we have a large collection of wooden boards, I just can't resist them.
ReplyDelete