How do you use the stone oven to bake bread and other advanced foods?

The stone oven is a crucial crafting station in Valheim for baking advanced foods like bread, which provide significant health and stamina boosts. To unlock the stone oven, you must first defeat Moder, the fourth boss in the Mountain biome, and obtain the Dragon Tear. This item allows you to craft the Artisan Table, which is required to build the stone oven. The oven itself requires 15 iron, 4 stone, and 4 surtling cores to craft, making it a mid-to-late-game item.\n\nOnce the stone oven is built, you can use it to bake bread and other advanced foods. To make bread, you need barley flour and cloudberries. Barley flour is crafted from barley, which is grown in the Plains biome. Cloudberries are also found in the Plains biome, making this a biome-specific recipe. Place the barley in a windmill to grind it into flour, then combine the flour and cloudberries in the stone oven to bake bread. Each bread provides 40 health and 40 stamina, making it one of the best foods in the game.\n\nOne common challenge is acquiring barley, as it only grows in the Plains biome, which is dangerous for unprepared players. To safely farm barley, ensure you have strong armor, weapons, and food buffs. Clear Fuling villages to find barley seeds, then plant them in cultivated soil within the Plains biome. Use fences or walls to protect your crops from hostile mobs like Fulings and Deathsquitos. Once harvested, store barley in a secure chest to avoid losing it to raids.\n\nAnother challenge is managing fuel for the stone oven. Unlike the cauldron, the stone oven requires wood as fuel. Always keep a stack of wood nearby to ensure uninterrupted baking. If you run out of fuel mid-crafting, the process will stop, and you’ll need to restart. To optimize your workflow, gather wood in bulk from the Black Forest or Meadows biome, where it’s abundant and safe to collect.\n\nFor experienced players, the stone oven opens up advanced food combinations. For example, you can bake lox meat pie, which requires barley flour, cloudberries, and lox meat. This dish provides 80 health and 80 stamina, making it ideal for endgame content like fighting Yagluth or exploring the Mistlands. Always prioritize farming and gathering the necessary ingredients to maintain a steady supply of high-tier foods.\n\nPractical tips for using the stone oven include setting up a dedicated cooking area near your farm and storage. This minimizes travel time and ensures efficient resource management. Additionally, always carry a stack of bread or other baked goods when exploring dangerous biomes, as they provide long-lasting buffs. Finally, consider building multiple stone ovens if you have a large group, as this speeds up food production and ensures everyone is well-fed during raids or boss fights.\n\nIn summary, the stone oven is a game-changing tool for advanced food preparation in Valheim. By mastering its use, you can significantly enhance your Viking’s survivability and combat effectiveness. Focus on farming barley, gathering cloudberries, and maintaining a steady supply of wood to maximize the oven’s potential. With proper planning and resource management, you’ll be baking bread and other high-tier foods in no time.