An oven constructed of bricks, usually having a circular or oval dome; often located within the hearth of the principal fireplace of a colonial home, usually in a corner of the hearth and a few feet above it. Bake ovens were once an integral part of the fireplace construction; some were heated by glowing charcoal or embers that were swept out before the unbaked loaves were inserted and the iron oven door closed. Also called a beehive oven, bread oven, brick oven, or Dutch oven.
