Cotto Refrattario Definition
Cotto Refrattario is the Italian word for “Baked clay.” Cotto refrattario is usually sourced from Tuscany to be used as the floor of pizza ovens.
To create a pizza oven cooking surface using baked clay, you do not mortar the bricks in place but instead spread a thin layer of paste made from sand, fire clay, and water as a “bed” for the floor. The process is similar to setting ceramic tiles.
T
o make the underfloor paste, mix 1 part fine sand and 1 part fireclay with water until you reach the texture of a sticky mortar. Spread the underfloor using a notched trowel, as the ridges will make it easier for you to get your floor perfectly level.
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