Bread oven

In an oven comprising a horizontally elongated hollow refractory lined body including a base, a roof, a first end and a second end, with said first end having an air inlet aperture and with said roof being formed with a fume vent, wherein said fume vent is disposed adjacent said first end of said body in such manner that when a solid fuel is disposed on the base of said body adjacent the second end thereof, the inlet air flows along the base of said body while the flames and hot gases flow along the roof to uniformly heat same, wherein a portion of the base is selectively removable to define a first aperture in the base, and wherein the oven further comprises support means for supporting the refractory lined body, an ash pan disposed under a portion of said support means, a second aperture defined in said portion of the support means in alignment with said first aperture to allow cinders and embers from said fuel to be transferred from said body into said ash pan, a counter-draft passage formed in said second end of said body, an inlet opening defined in said support means adjacent said second end of said body in alignment with said counter-draft passage, said ash pan having first and second substantially vertical end walls with said second end wall being situated in the vicinity of said second end of said body and with said first end wall being formed with an air inlet aperture, and said ash pan being slidable longitudinally of said body between a first position in which said inlet opening of said counter-draft passage is free of said ash pan and said counter-draft passage communicates with the outer atmosphere and a second position in which said ash pan is located below said inlet opening and said counter-draft passage communicates with the inside of said ash pan to promote combustion of the embers therewithin.