# Dutch Oven Recommendations for Sourdough Bread



## thirdeye

Mrs ~t~ has been baking more bread this year both for us and friends, and she recently got back into sourdough.   So far.... the loaves are getting good rise, the crust is thin and crispy, and texture is really airy, but the problem is, we have a 9 or 10 quart Dutch oven (which seems too large) and a 6.5 quart model which is enamel coated.  We are reading that enamel is not recommended when preheating dry.  *So, it sounds like the logical move is to buy a non-enamel Dutch oven in the 6 to 8 quart range but I'm looking for some practical 'baker tips' on sizes, and we want to keep the preheating dry option on the table. *


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## JLeonard

I have a Lodge that  I cook bread in all the time. Its just the plain ole cast iron one. I love it.
Jim


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## bregent

This is the one I use for bread:  Amazon.com: Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Double Dutch Oven With Loop Handles, 5 qt: Cast Iron Dutch Oven: Kitchen & Dining
I like it because I can put the bread on the lid and place the inverted bottom over it - makes it easier to score.


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## thirdeye

bregent said:


> This is the one I use for bread:  Amazon.com: Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Double Dutch Oven With Loop Handles, 5 qt: Cast Iron Dutch Oven: Kitchen & Dining
> I like it because I can put the bread on the lid and place the inverted bottom over it - makes it easier to score.
> 
> View attachment 476486
> View attachment 476487


What a good idea, *and your loaf is preformed first, right?* 

Mrs ~t~ has wet sourdough that is moved onto parchment paper, and then goes into the bottom of the Dutch oven with the lid on.  After a few minutes the lid is removed and the bread finishes baking.


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## BrianGSDTexoma

JLeonard said:


> I have a Lodge that  I cook bread in all the time. Its just the plain ole cast iron one. I love it.
> Jim


That is all I use.  Love them.  Straight from the fridge into oven with hot water poured on sheet pan


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## sandyut

bregent said:


> Amazon.com: Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Double Dutch Oven With Loop Handles, 5 qt: Cast Iron Dutch Oven: Kitchen & Dining


that one for sure!


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## thirdeye

Brian Trommater said:


> That is all I use.  Love them.  Straight from the fridge into oven with hot water poured on sheet pan


I have one of those for cooking beans on the pit, we'll give it a try.


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## bregent

thirdeye said:


> What a good idea, *and your loaf is preformed first, right?*
> 
> Mrs ~t~ has wet sourdough that is moved onto parchment paper, and then goes into the bottom of the Dutch oven with the lid on.  After a few minutes the lid is removed and the bread finishes baking.



Yes, those were pre- shaped and proofed in a banneton.  But I've also used it for no knead bread.  If you are going into a pre-heated dutch oven, there's no need for parchment paper - it will not stick. When I was making no-knead I scraped it from the bowl with a rubber spatula straight into the dutch oven:


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## bregent

Brian Trommater said:


> That is all I use.  Love them.  Straight from the fridge into oven with hot water poured on sheet pan


 
Brian, have you tried covering those pans with something for the first 15 minutes?  Residential ovens are vented, so the steam you generate is quickly lost and you can't reach the saturation levels needed for a crust that is like that of a commercial bread oven.  I tried the sheet pan and various other methods for years, but baking in a Dutch oven was a complete game changer.


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## BrianGSDTexoma

bregent said:


> Brian, have you tried covering those pans with something for the first 15 minutes?  Residential ovens are vented, so the steam you generate is quickly lost and you can't reach the saturation levels needed for a crust that is like that of a commercial bread oven.  I tried the sheet pan and various other methods for years, but baking in a Dutch oven was a complete game changer.


No.  I pretty happy with this.  I get good oven spring.  These could be a little darker.  I preheat 500 for hour, than pour boiling water and put dough in and turn down to 470 for 20 min than 450 for 20.


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## sandyut

bregent
 hey mine don't ever get that dark.  I am using straight white flour.  cooking in the same Dutch oven at 450 not preheated.  I tried both preheated and not preheated and saw no difference.  I cook for 45-50 minutes and then remove the lid till brown, but they are more golden.  Any thoughts on why not darker like yours?


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## oldsmokerdude

I guess I'm a little different. I do use a ceramic "cloche" designed for baking bread. This is a picture of one from King Arthur's web site that I use but mine looks, well, lot more used. I've made near 100 loaves in it with no issues.





The downside to this that I see is that it is a single use item, the only thing it does is bake bread, unlike a Dutch oven with multiple uses. The results are good. I sometimes use a pan of water and multiple sprays of water on the oven walls when I have multiple loaves to bake, but this gives superior results when I'm baking one loaf at a time.


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## sandyut

I havent read about adding a water pan until this thread...  is that common practice?.


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## bregent

sandyut said:


> bregent
> hey mine don't ever get that dark.  I am using straight white flour.  cooking in the same Dutch oven at 450 not preheated.  I tried both preheated and not preheated and saw no difference.  I cook for 45-50 minutes and then remove the lid till brown, but they are more golden.  Any thoughts on why not darker like yours?



I go about 15-20 minutes and then remove the lid. Keeping it on longer will result in lighter color. That's most likely the biggest difference.


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## sandyut

bregent said:


> I go about 15-20 minutes and then remove the lid. Keeping it on longer will result in lighter color. That's most likely the biggest difference.


I see!  thanks, I making a green olive loaf today - as in baking today.  ill try a different timeline.


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## bregent

sandyut said:


> I havent read about adding a water pan until this thread...  is that common practice?.



It's pretty common and not very effective. Folks have tried all sorts of ways to increase the humidity in the oven - wet towels, ice cubes, spray misters, etc.  I tried them all and could not detect much if any difference compared to doing nothing at all. Ovens are vented so any moisture you produce inside will exit quickly. That's why using a covered Dutch oven or cloche works best - the moisture is trapped inside.


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## sandyut

bregent said:


> It's pretty common and not very effective.


perfect - sounded like a PITA.   thanks!!


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## bregent

sandyut said:


> I see!  thanks, I making a green olive loaf today - as in baking today.  ill try a different timeline.



Cool. Post the results so we can see what difference it makes.  Also forgot to mention that I do pre-heat. I've seen lots of folks that get great results starting cold, but I never seem to get as good spring if I don't pre-heat first.

I know some folks that will preheat just the dome (the deep part of the combo cooker) so that they can dump the dough into the cool shallow lid without worrying about getting burned.


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## 617Smoker

Here's a blog post from the guy that used to do bread for America's Test Kitchen on dutch ovens and dutch oven workarounds -- probably more than you want to know, but interesting.  https://wordloaf.substack.com/p/dut...ampaign=post&utm_medium=email&utm_source=copy
The bread books I've seen all recommend the Lodge cast iron combo cooker as mentioned in the thread above. I read somewhere that the bread coming out of a combo cooker or similar dutch oven is as good as what a professional bread oven with steam will do.


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## thirdeye

617Smoker said:


> Here's a blog post from the guy that used to do bread for America's Test Kitchen on dutch ovens and dutch oven workarounds -- probably more than you want to know, but interesting.  https://wordloaf.substack.com/p/dut...ampaign=post&utm_medium=email&utm_source=copy
> The bread books I've seen all recommend the Lodge cast iron combo cooker as mentioned in the thread above. I read somewhere that the bread coming out of a combo cooker or similar dutch oven is as good as what a professional bread oven with steam will do.


That linked article is excellent


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## rc4u

i preheat my 7.5qt lodge enameled  dry all the time.. the whole thing is enameled so i figure what the diff with little oil in it.


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## thirdeye

rc4u said:


> i preheat my 7.5qt lodge enameled  dry all the time.. the whole thing is enameled so i figure what the diff with little oil in it.



I think our enameled DO is a 6.5 Qt, and several sources mentioned the possibility of cracking the enamel when preheating dry, and sure enough ours does have some fine cracking on the inside.  My next size is a standard finish 10 Qt or 12 Qt, so that's too big, and we tried a couple of loaves in a round Magnalite aluminum roaster which did not perform as well as cast iron.  Another option is an older Rommertopf, which is un-glazed.... but we have not used it for bread.  Yet.


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## rc4u

i've not seen fine cracks. and i understood not to preheat on stove as it does not heat equal like oven does.. i just dont understand how the inside and outside are same enamel and only inside pot gets cracks and not lid or sides{which cant get oiled} or the outside enamel....i even do my enameled fry pan for cornbread..


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## Inscrutable

I’ve preheated my Cuisinart and Lodge several times with no issues. Made a couple loaves of bread last week in this (3qt) as my Lodge is way too big.


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## forktender

bregent said:


> This is the one I use for bread:  Amazon.com: Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Double Dutch Oven With Loop Handles, 5 qt: Cast Iron Dutch Oven: Kitchen & Dining
> I like it because I can put the bread on the lid and place the inverted bottom over it - makes it easier to score.
> 
> View attachment 476486
> View attachment 476487


Awesome looking bread. I use the same pot that I bought off Amazon as well.
Which flour are you using can you share your recipe or is it printed anywhere we can see it?
Thank you.
Dan


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## forktender

sandyut said:


> bregent
> hey mine don't ever get that dark.  I am using straight white flour.  cooking in the same Dutch oven at 450 not preheated.  I tried both preheated and not preheated and saw no difference.  I cook for 45-50 minutes and then remove the lid till brown, but they are more golden.  Any thoughts on why not darker like yours?


Try proofing them a little longer if that doesn't do it try a malted flour like Central Milling Company makes amazing flour. Buy the 50lb sack and share it with a friend.








						Malted Artisan Bread Flour // Organic Artisan Bakers Craft Plus
					

This organic malted artisan bread flour – a blend of hard red winter wheat – has been designed specifically for artisan bread baking.




					centralmilling.com


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## forktender

Costco has a 2pk of Dutch ovens for a great price and they are super nice.


			https://www.costco.com/tramontina-enameled-cast-iron-dutch-oven%2C-2-pack.product.100690152.html
		

I was temped to buy them, but I already have straight C.I. and coated Dutch ovens.


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## bregent

rc4u said:


> i've not seen fine cracks. and i understood not to preheat on stove as it does not heat equal like oven does.. i just dont understand how the inside and outside are same enamel and only inside pot gets cracks and not lid or sides{which cant get oiled} or the outside enamel....i even do my enameled fry pan for cornbread..



The reason is because heating dry allows the surface temperatures to be greater than if you are cooking food it in.  This can be greater than what the enamel can withstand, both inside and out. 

I originally was using a  le creuset dutch oven for bread baking, but stopped once I saw that enamel was becoming seriously discolored.


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## rc4u

well ive been heating dry for a long time so if alls good why stop..


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