Bread Baking on the Mount Vernon Farm

This past spring, a new addition arrived at the Mount Vernon’s Farm site—an 18th-century-style bake oven. Bake ovens, also known as beehive, masonry, brick, pizza, or bread ovens, were a staple in early America. These semi-spherical ovens were either built into kitchens next to the cooking pit or built outdoors. The design of Mount Vernon’s reproduction oven resembles those used throughout the Chesapeake region. Evidence of ovens like this has not been found at Mount Vernon, but similar ovens may have existed around the estate.

The idea of building a bake oven took root in early 2019, when Chef Justin Cherry began his research at the Washington Library. Cherry’s research focused on the 18th-century foodways culture at Mount Vernon. He is also the chef/owner of a mobile 18th-century clay oven and the Half Crown Bakehouse, which specializes in colonial foodways. During Cherry’s residency, he also facilitated a collaboration between the historic trades team and heirloom grain specialist, Anson Mills. They ground white Lammas wheat at the Gristmill for the first time since Washington’s time. This flour went into the bread that Cherry made and sold at Revoluntionary War Weekend in May 2019.

With the bread a success, plans began to develop to include bread-making in Mount Vernon’s programming. In March 2020, Cherry and the historic trades team installed the bake oven in its permanent home at the farm. It took four days to build the oven and three days to cure. Mount Vernon’s historic trades team will utilize the new bake oven to enhance the existing foodways program throughout the season and at special events. 

Food programs and cooking demonstrations at the Mount Vernon farm site are available April to October. For details, check mountvernon.org/calendar