La Perrière Communal Oven

La Perrière Hamlet communal oven

A masonry structure, generally vaulted, open at the front, for baking bread, pastries, etc. The wide opening allows the bread dough to be placed in the oven, starting with the large loaves on the sides, which take longer to bake, and ending with the small pieces. It is possible to bake several times in a row, ending with pies or pizzas, which need less heat. 

In the Middle Ages, the oven belonged to the lord and the vassals had to bake their bread in return for a fee: the banality

Originally, it took 5 hours to heat the oven and then 5 hours to bake the bread. As soon as fire bricks appeared (around 1920), the ovens were transformed. Today it takes 1 hour to 1 H. 30 to heat the oven and 1 hour to 1h30 to bake the bread depending on the outside temperature, without changing its taste.

With the multiplication of bakeries in the communes, as well as the ease of transport, the country ovens have gradually fallen into oblivion. 

In Talloires, several have been restored and are maintained. There was one in each hamlet. Sometimes some are still in use!