Most of my work is single fired (“raw glazed”). The clay is not biscuit-fired before glazing, and the finished pot is only fired once .
Many potters do a preliminary firing (the biscuit or “bisque” firing) before glazing and a second firing for the glaze, but with the right technique it’s possible to avoid firing twice. Single firing was, with a few exceptions, the most common technique for thousands of years until the widespread adoption of twice-firing since the 17th century. Today it’s sometimes seen as a specialised technique, but it is environmentally attractive with slightly lower energy usage.
One of the things I like about glazing raw clay is the continuity it brings to the making process as you don’t have to wait for a kiln to be loaded and fired, you can move straight from making to glazing. However not all glazes are suitable for this way of working so the ones I use have been selected after extensive testing.
See also Raw Glazing, Single Firing