Sourdough question

As of halfway through, this novel is remarkably light on major characters. We probably hear the most from absent Mazg brothers and the bread itself. (Those loaves even have faces so that they can emote.) There are lots of other minor players in the story, but we haven't witnessed a ton of interaction with any one of them so far. This book is very focused on the solo development of a single character.

I like the way we're given tantalizing glimpses of the Mazg. They're mysterious enough to bestow magical gifts, but they're aggressively mundane too, with their claims about working in restaurants everywhere and being "inveterate renters." I'm rooting for Beoreg to get his tables.

I'm curious about the particulars of the cooking. I feel as though if I tried bread baking, it would take me many, many loaves to achieve consistent results. And is it really so easy to build an oven yourself?