Barrel Vault Oven 110 in Tanzania

Use case

In the field.

A Nanyuki lodge kitchen chose a vault over a dome because the same oven had to run pizza for guests at lunch and roasting trays for dinner service. The rectangular floor takes standard gastronorm pans, which the dome they replaced could not accommodate without improvised trivets.

Vault or dome — which should we buy?

If you cook pizza and almost nothing else, buy the dome; the curved roof gives a better bake. If the same oven has to run roasts, trays, and bread alongside pizza, buy the vault. The rectangular floor and even heat are worth more than the last few percent of pizza performance.

Does pizza suffer in a vault?

Slightly. The dome returns radiant heat to a hot centre more efficiently, so a Neapolitan bake in a vault typically runs closer to 100 seconds than 80. Most kitchens do not notice; a dedicated pizzeria will.

Will it take standard gastronorm pans?

Yes — four 1/1 pans, which is the point of the shape. Confirm your pan sizing at survey and we will set the chamber proportions to suit rather than making you work around a standard drawing.

Can a vault be gas-fired?

Yes, with the same burner arrangement as our gas domes. Say so at survey because it changes the flue sizing, and retrofitting a smaller flue later is not straightforward.

Is the vault harder to learn to use?

Easier, if anything. Straight walls and a consistent roof height make peel work more predictable, and heat is spread more evenly across the floor rather than concentrated in a centre you have to find. Less-experienced operators generally get consistent results faster on a vault than on a dome.