Friends laughed (and probably they still will) when I suggested they build their ovens right on the ground and excavate a trench for the baker to stand in. This would "lower" the baker to a reasonable baking height.
While recently reading the enchanting Six Thousand Years of Bread by H.E. Jacob, I found this old graphic that shows exactly what I was referring to. During times of war (and that's most of the time) the baking trench could serve two purposes:
1. Provide the baker with the proper baking height without compromising the baker's back.
2. Provide the baker with quick cover from launched canon balls.
