Learning how to bake bread in a Dutch oven is the first task many undertake when embarking on their bread-baking journey at home—myself included. Introducing steam in the home oven—a beneficial component in bread baking—can be a challenge, and a sealed pot makes this process simple and unassuming. During the initial stages of baking, steam is released from the dough into the sealed pot, where it is trapped and keeps the dough moist. This humid environment allows the bread to rise high and promotes a crispy and shiny crust.
In this comprehensive guide to baking bread in a Dutch oven, we’ll look at:
- Why using a Dutch oven (like this one, which is my favorite) to bake bread is a good idea (and what it does for your bread dough)
- The baking time and temperature necessary for baking in a Dutch oven
- How to avoid burning the bottom of your bread dough
- Links to my favorite (and high-quality) Dutch ovens
Real Quick: Why Bake Bread in a Dutch Oven?
A Dutch oven helps mimic the environment many professional bakers have in a bakery: a moisture-sealed chamber with intense, (mostly) even radiant heat. The Dutch oven’s thick cast-iron walls provide ample thermal mass, ensuring a temperature-stable baking environment. Additionally, the sealed interior traps steam, a beneficial component of baking bread. Moisture in the oven during the early part of baking allows your bread to rise fully, deepens the crust color, and finally adds a level of shine to the exterior.
Video: Watch Me Bake Bread in a Dutch Oven
Here’s a quick video showing how I use a Dutch oven in my kitchen to bake sourdough bread:
How To Bake Bread in a Dutch Oven, Step by Step
My method for baking bread dough in a Dutch oven:
- Preheat your home oven to 450°F (230°C) with a Dutch oven inside for 30 to 45 minutes
- Line a pizza peel, inverted baking sheet, or cutting board with parchment paper
- Turn out your proofed bread dough onto the parchment paper (trim the paper to fit, if necessary)
- Score your dough
- Slide the parchment paper with the dough into your preheated Dutch oven and return it to the oven
- Cover with the lid and bake for 20 minutes, covered
- After 20 minutes, remove the lid from the oven and continue baking per the recipe (typically 25 to 35 minutes)
When finished, a free-form loaf should have an internal temperature of around 206° to 208°F (96° to 97°C) when fully baked.
As with most things in baking, you might have to adjust the baking duration and oven temperature to suit your environment. See my guide to baking bread at high altitude if you’re a high altitude baker.
Should I Preheat a Dutch Oven When Baking Bread?
Yes, I always preheat my Dutch oven before baking bread dough inside. I’ve tested using a cold Dutch oven, and I don’t get the same oven spring or final loaf volume as when I bake bread dough in a preheated Dutch oven.
How To Remove Your Baked Loaf From a Dutch Oven
When your loaf is finished baking, use a pair of oven-safe gloves to carefully reach down into the pot to remove the bread. The crust will be fully hardened off by this time, so there’s no worry of collapse.
Additionally, if you baked your bread dough in the Dutch oven on a piece of parchment paper as I recommend here, you can lift the corners of the parchment to remove the baked loaf.
Why Bake Bread in a Dutch Oven (Or Any Sealed Pot)
A Dutch oven helps increase loaf volume
Without steam in the oven during the first part of baking (when oven spring occurs), the rapidly expanding dough quickly forms a hard crust on the exterior. This early crust formation limits optimal oven spring and reduces overall loaf volume, resulting in a squat, dense loaf.
Conversely, when you provide adequate steam, the exterior of the dough remains moist and supple, allowing it to expand and stretch further before starches gel and the crust hardens and sets.
It doesn’t require much steam to provide benefit. When the pot is sealed during the first 20 minutes of baking, the moisture escaping from the dough provides the right environment to encourage optimal loaf volume.
Use a Dutch oven for a deeply colored and shiny bread crust
There’s little as elegant as a crust that’s well-colored with a gradient from almost-white to a deep mahogany—the contrast is striking. Add to this a subtle catch of light and shininess: your mouth starts watering even before the intoxicating aroma surrounds you.
As Jeffrey Hamelman states in his book BREAD, the reduced temperature on the exterior of the loaf allows the enzymatic activity to continue for longer. This activity, which has been happening throughout the entire fermentation process, continues to “unlock” sugars that contribute to crust color during baking.
A well-steamed oven also promotes starch gelatinization: in the presence of heat, starch molecules on the exterior of the dough begin to absorb available moisture (hello, steam), start to swell, and eventually pop to form a thin liquid layer (starch gel). This layer finally bakes hard, forming a thin, crispy exterior with a subtle shine.
As we discussed earlier, steam in the Dutch oven’s closed environment settles on the outside of the dough, forming a thin layer that prevents the temperature from rising too quickly. This helps ensure the exterior of your loaf doesn’t darken before you finish baking the interior.
With all these benefits, baking in a sealed pot is a good idea. However, there are some issues with the method, the biggest being a thicker and possibly burned bottom crust. Let’s take a look at a few ways to help mitigate this issue.
How To Keep The Bottom of Your Bread From Burning
In my experience, baking in a Dutch oven typically produces a slightly darker bottom, even with the suggestions below. However, using one or more of these will significantly reduce this darkening.
My methods for ensuring the bottom of my loaf doesn’t burn when baking in a Dutch oven:
- Do not bake bread dough inside a Dutch oven on top of a baking stone
- Reduce the oven temperature during preheating
- Insulate the bottom of the Dutch oven with a baking sheet, baking stone, or even a single sheet of aluminum foil
- Add coarse cornmeal or wheat bran to the Dutch oven before adding your dough
- Use two pieces of parchment paper below the dough
- Remove the dough from the Dutch oven when it’s almost finished baking
Let’s look at each method to help prevent bread dough from burning.
1. Do not bake bread dough inside a Dutch oven on top of a baking stone
The first important thing is to ensure you are not baking with your Dutch oven on a baking stone, or even better, a Baking Steel. When the oven has finished preheating, the stone and the cast-iron pot will be far too hot, resulting in scorched or burned bread.
2. Reduce the oven temperature during preheating
The first approach is to modify your baking temperatures. If you find the bottom crust is burning or becoming too thick, reduce the preheat temperature. For example, some of my recipes here call for a 45-minute preheat at 450°F (230°C); you could reduce it to 425°F (218°C).
3. Insulate the Dutch oven with a baking sheet or stone
Most ovens have a bottom heating element that can provide far too much heat on the bottom of your dough, especially if you place the rack too close. An insulator, such as a baking sheet or stone, can provide enough thermal mass between the heating element and your dough. This will help insulate your dough when the heating element kicks on, which happens often.
Place a rack on the bottom of your oven, and then place another one or two rungs above that. Place your baking surface on the bottom rack. Then, use the rack above to hold your Dutch oven when baking.
Additionally, a thin aluminum baking sheet, or even a single layer of aluminum foil, placed underneath the Dutch oven will help reflect most of the infrared heat from the bottom of your home oven.
4. Use coarse cornmeal or wheat bran
Coarsely ground corn (polenta or corn grits) works exceptionally well to provide a thin layer of insulation between your dough and the Dutch oven. This layer helps keep the dough from sticking to the cast iron while also lifting it to prevent burning.
Sprinkle a generous amount of coarse corn onto the preheated pan just before turning your dough onto it to score. Cover the pot with the deep end and center it over your baking stone insulator, as shown above.
If you frequently mill your own flour and have a sifting screen, save the wheat germ or bran you sift out. These coarse particles (which you can always add to the dough later) perform a similar function to the corn.
The image above shows the large germ/bran particles I’ve sifted out with my sifting screen. The fine, high-extraction flour falls through my screen into a bowl that I can add when mixing my bread dough. Then, I collect these larger bits to either add to the dough as porridge or use to coat the bottom as insulation.
Bake on two pieces of parchment paper to help prevent burning
As you might have noticed in my Beginner’s Sourdough recipe, I typically use parchment paper (I love this natural, non-stick option) to help drag dough into the blisteringly hot Dutch oven. As I describe in that recipe post, lay a sheet of parchment paper over your proofing basket containing the dough, and cut it to fit. Invert the basket on a pizza peel, slide the parchment into the preheated Dutch oven, score the dough, and bake.
In this approach, you will follow the same process as before, except you’ll layer two pieces of parchment on top of each other to help further insulate the dough.
Additionally, you can sprinkle coarse corn (as discussed above) into the pan before you drag it into the parchment holding your dough. The corn will not stick to the dough, but it will help further insulate it and prevent burning.
To prevent burning, remove the dough from the Dutch oven when it’s almost done
Another method to help prevent burning your bread dough in a Dutch oven is to remove it once the crust has set, about 30 minutes into baking. This means the dough has baked for 20 minutes with the lid on (and with steam), then uncovered and baked for another 10 minutes.
By this time, the crust should be a pale golden brown and sturdy enough to gently lift the dough from the Dutch oven to finish baking on the oven rack.
Additionally, remove both sides of the Dutch oven and the parchment paper at this time and continue baking until done.
Recommended Dutch Ovens and Combo Cookers
There are many types of Dutch ovens (lidded pots) and combo cookers out there, made from a range of materials, shapes, and sizes, and at varying quality levels. Any Dutch oven or combo cooker will work for baking bread if it’s oven-safe up to 450°F (230°C) and has a tight-fitting lid.
The following is a list of my favorite Dutch ovens for baking bread. I’ve used the following pots for years, and they’ve helped me make countless loaves of sourdough bread.
Note that some pots cannot be preheated empty, so check with the manufacturer if you are unsure.
3.2 Quart Lodge Combo Cooker
| Maximum dough weight | 900g |
| Material | Cast iron |
My favorite Dutch oven (or combo cooker, as Lodge calls it) is the Lodge 3.2-quart cast-iron combo cooker. I’ve been using the same combo cooker since I started baking bread many years ago, and it still looks new. It’ll likely last a lifetime.
This pot is extremely versatile, and I use it for a myriad of other kitchen tasks besides baking bread. I frequently use it to make the wonderful Tartine French toast and crispy-bottomed sourdough cinnamon rolls, and the deep end makes a mean roast chicken.
I’ve comfortably fit bread dough sizes from 500g to 900g in the pot. As with all cast iron, keep it seasoned.
The Dutch Oven Is Heavy. Is There A Lightweight Option?
Instead of using a heavy pot to bake your sourdough bread, the new Baking Shell is a metal cover that traps steam and weighs just over 1 pound! If you struggle to move your Dutch oven in and out of the oven, the Baking Shell is perfect for you.
How Do You Bake Bread Without a Dutch Oven?
While using a Dutch oven to bake bread is straightforward, I still enjoy steaming my home oven and baking my sourdough bread directly on a baking surface. With this alternate method, it’s easy to bake two long bâtards (even up to 1.2 kg if your surface is large enough).
Ultimately, use whatever method is most comfortable for you and that you use often for the bread you bake. And if you’re like me, you might often switch between methods.
Baking Bread in a Dutch Oven FAQs
Do you oil a Dutch oven when baking bread?
No, no oil is necessary to bake bread in a Dutch oven.
What is the best size Dutch oven for bread?
I like to use a 4 or 5-quart Dutch oven or a 3.2-quart combo cooker for baking bread. These sizes are large enough to accommodate most bread recipes. If you have a larger Dutch oven, that will work just fine, too.
Should I preheat a Dutch oven when baking bread?
Yes, I always like to preheat the Dutch oven inside my home oven before baking bread. I find a preheated Dutch oven helps encourage maximum oven spring (the amount the dough rises in the oven) at the start of baking.
Can I reuse the parchment paper used to bake bread?
Yes, absolutely! I typically use the same square of parchment paper two to three times before needing a new one.
Why did my sourdough bread burn on the bottom?
It likely was baked for too long at too high a temperature. Reduce the bake time and temperature until it no longer burns. Use the suggestions in this guide post to help reduce burning on the bottom of your bread dough.
Do I have to season my Dutch oven?
Yes, I periodically season the Dutch oven I use to bake my bread—it is cast iron after all. I simply apply a thin layer of vegetable oil to the entire pot.
What’s Next?
And now that you’ve baked a loaf (or two), be sure to read my guide on how to store baked bread to ensure it stays fresh for as long as possible!
If you still have questions about the baking process or are looking for tips on scoring your dough before baking, see my full guide to baking sourdough bread.
351 Comments
I bake bread in a Combo Cooker, and I have a tip to pass on for avoiding too-dark bread bottoms that I got from Melissa Johnson at Breadtopia. It is to cover the bottom of the Cooker with uncooked rice instead of bran or polenta grits to create a somewhat thicker insulating layer beneath the dough, while also using a single parchment paper circle under the dough. My bread bottoms now are never darker that the tops, and usually a tad lighter in color. You can keep reusing the same rice again on subsequent bakes, so there is no waste. I store mine in an empty spice jar. After five uses, my rice has gotten dark brown, but I have not noticed any impact on the taste or odor of the bread, so the same batch may last ad infinitum.
That’s a great idea!
I think dried beans could also be used in this manner. They are used as pie weights to keep the crust from popping up, so I would think they would work as bread insulation too.
Could you drop a couple ice cubes in the hot Dutch oven at the same time you put the bread in the Dutch oven? Thought this might be a good hack to add a little extra steam before baking.
Yes, I do this sometimes when I need an extra boost of steam!
I have the 3.2 qt Lodge combo cooker and it is indeed a beast! However, do you ever worry about the shallow height of the cooker impacting the overall height of your loaf? I haven’t used a regular dutch oven yet to compare loaves and was wondering if you had any input. Thanks in advance Maurizio!
You know, with all the bread I’ve baked in there, I’ve never worried about it! I don’t get that much rise, especially when the dough weight is appropriate for that pan. If you do get crazy explosive rise in the oven, it could be that your dough is under proofed!
Still in search of the perect ear, Maurizio! Wondering if my cozy 4.5qt dutch oven is too small? Is my DO size standing in the way of a the best oven spring leading to a more pronounced, much-coveted ear.
Hmm. It could be a little on the small size. If there’s not enough room to grow, and the heat is intense too close to the loaf, it could inhibit spring.
Still hoping to get a that perfect ear using my cozy 4.5qt dutch oven. Is it too small? Is the DO size standing in the way of better oven spring and a much coveted ear.
Can a starter lose it’s effectiveness? I’ve noticed the past 6 months my dough isn’t rising in the refrigerator like it did when I first created my starter. It’s about a year old and very active. I often have to let the dough rise additionally in a warmed up oven that I warmed to 100 degrees and then turned off. Only then will it rise and then I can bake as normal. I havent done anything different or used any different flour or anything. Any ideas?
I would try keeping it out on the counter for a week or two with regular refreshments to get it back into “shape.” I find with my starter, too much time in the fridge will eventually slow its activity and I have to take it out for a while to keep its strength up. I would also recommend feeding it with some whole grain rye flour while you’re keeping it out, this will help get it going and strong again!
Hello,
I have made sourdough bread 4-5 times by now. For the last couple of times my bread has been a little sticky and the base is very difficult to cut.
Can you please help me why the bread is sticky?
I used Tramontina Dutch Oven.
Pics of my baking from today. Made 2 loafs – https://imgur.com/a/rJYV4WL
You’re bread is looking good! A thicker crust is very common, especially when using a Dutch oven to bake in. I have some suggestions in the post above on how to help with that! If your bread is overly sticky/gummy, you could try reducing the water in the recipe you’re using (and I think this will help, given your photos).
OMG!! Thank you 🙂 I am so glad you to receive compliment from you 🙂
My current hydration was 75%, will try to move to 70% and see how it turns out. My bread isn’t overly sticky.
My Dutch Oven can’t take temp beyond 450, so I bake with lid for 20 mins at 450F and then 35-40 mins without lid. Do you think that could be an issue as well?
No, that should be just fine!
Thank you 🙂
Hello,
I have made sourdough bread 4-5 times by now. For the last couple of times my bread has been a little sticky and the base is very difficult to cut.
Can you please help me why the bread is sticky?
Used – Tramontina Dutch Oven
Pics of my baking from today. Made 2 loafs – https://imgur.com/a/rJYV4WL
Hi Maurizio! I want to get a Staub Cocotte and am deciding between your 5.75 qt and a 7 qt – the 7 qt size appeals to me for making some non-bread dishes, but do you see any drawbacks to the 7 qt size for bread asking, as opposed to the 5.75 qt size? Thank you!
No drawbacks! They should both work really well.
I am making bread in my Dutch oven, and 30 mins in I realized I forgot to put the lid on it. Is my loaf ruined? Thanks.
Will be just fine, Barbara! It won’t have the same shiny crust and it might lack some rise, but it’ll still be delicious.
Glad I saw this. . . was going to spend probably too much money on a name brand Cloche bread baker but I think after reading this, I can spring for the Lodge 5 qt Double Dutch oven.
Yes, a Dutch oven is a fantastic way to bake bread in the home oven. It also is, of course, infinitely useful for all things in the kitchen. Happy baking, Marcy!
I enjoy your EXCELLENT writing. Here is a “proven” method to limit over-cooking the bottom of a Boule and get very even browning of the entire crust.
Note: I’m in a dry climate at 4,000 feet elevation. (Central Oregon) My sourdough dough is generally around final hydration of 75% (plus or minus).
On a thin cutting board (I use an inexpensive 1/4″ thick bamboo board), place an adequately sized sheet of HEAVY DUTY aluminum foil, SHINY SIDE DOWN. Place a sheet (or two, if you prefer) of 500-degree parchment paper over the foil.
Holding the layers of foil and parchment paper in place, flip the cutting board on top of your Banneton proofing basket.
In a smooth, semicircular motion with one hand on top of the cutting board and the other under the basket, lift, arc, and invert the basket, allowing the dough to gently drop onto the parchment paper.
QUICKLY: Use your lame to make the expansion cuts. And spritz with water.
I use a preheated (500 degree) inverted, large Dutch oven. Pull out the rack enough for easy loading. It’s easy and reliable to pull on the foil to gently slide the Boule off the cutting board onto the inverted Dutch oven lid. Carefully place the inverted bottom of the Dutch oven over the Boule and onto the inverted lid. Bake for 25 minutes.
Turn the oven down to 450 degree setting, but do not wait for the oven temp to drop. That will happen when you open the door in the next step.
Using oven mittens, lift the Dutch oven bottom off the inverted lid. Grabbing the exposed aluminum foil CAREFULLY with bare hands and set to the side of the Dutch oven lid. Using oven mittens, remove the lid. (I remove the entire Dutch oven from the oven so I have plenty of room to move the loaf as needed.) Again lifting the Boule by the foil edges, I rotate the Boule 180 degrees and place in the center of the oven rack. Close the oven and set timer for a check at 20 minutes.
Using a highly reliable, instant-read thermometer, test the center temperature. Remove if 205 degrees or over. If less than 205 degrees, you make a call based on the temperature and “doneness” of the crust. You may bake another 3 to 5 minutes. However, if the crust is already getting “too” done, I remove the loaf, but place it unwrapped over the heat exhaust vent at the rear of the top of the range until the internal temp is 205 degrees. When “done”, I wrap the Boule in a thin, (not fuzzy), tea towel so the crumb “cures” but the crust stays crunchy. In 90 minutes, a wonderful “chunk” of the Boule can be cut with a very sharp bread knife and enjoyed at the perfect “oven-fresh” moment.
Note: In my “experiments”, removing the Dutch oven lid after the initial 25 minutes was helpful because otherwise, the retained heat overbaked the bottom. Retaining the foil layer for the next 20 minutes helps buffer the radiant heat from the bottom oven burners. The foil also makes it easy to move around the Boule. In my oven the back area is slightly warmer than the front area, which is why I rotate the Boule 180 degrees.
Always remember: “Your mileage may vary.” Depending upon your preference for crust and crumb. You can vary the temperature setting and timing intervals for the covered and uncovered baking periods.
Thanks for all the comments, Paul! Really nice modifications there with your baking process. And you’re certainly right, removing the lid of the DO is key there, otherwise it just retains too much heat and over bakes the loaf.
Lots of useful advice here. I’ve been baking round loaves in a 3qt Sulives Non-stick enamel cast iron DO. The lid has the classic interior dimples to distribute moisture evenly. I still use a bottom parchment paper round but it bakes great, very easy release, high temperature tolerant. I use this same pot for proofing the loaf so I never pre-heat. Saves that step and I’ve had nice results. I think I tend to overproof my loafs so I often don’t get much of an oven rise though I would have guessed a non-preheated DO would encourage a comparatively larger rise. Other than a longer bake time, would you expect any qualitative differences in bread baked in a preheated DO vs not? I guess I should try it.
BTW, I have baked in rectangular Corningware deep dish that works well but difficult bread release and hard to clean. I’ve also baked in a clear tempered glass bowl with similar good results. But even pre-oiled it was very hard to free up the loaf. Parchment paper almost essential.
The question of preheated DO vs. cold is something I keep meaning to investigate more fully—haven’t gotten there yet. I hope to have a post on the topic 🙂
Great article and great website (just clicked on favorite). I used Dutch ovens to make two loaves at the same time. Preheated to 460 degrees. The loaves came out great. Thank you for the suggestions on how to reduce the thickness and lighten the color of the bottom of the loaves. Seem like you are moving away from the Dutch ovens. If you don’t mind me asking – why?
Thanks, Mark! Oh, I still use my DO! It all depends on what my process is like and what bread I’m making. If I’m making oval loaves, I tend to use my other steaming technique, and I also use my Challenger pan (which is similar to a DO).
Hi Maurizio. Great blog. Love the website. Can I ask, when baking a 900g loaf in the dutch oven, how long would you bake with the lid on and then lid off roughly?
Thank you
Thank you, Lee! Roughly, a 900g loaf would be 20m with lid on, and then around 30m with lid off at 450F.
Fantastic. Dis it this morning and it was a great loaf. Thank you
Hi Maurizio, thanks for the comprehensive info. Using an oven thermometer, I found that my electric oven achieves max temperature after 10 minutes. Preheating the cast iron Dutch oven over gas stove for 5 minutes is faster, hotter and saves electricity.
That’s a really fantastic idea, Alan! Quite a bit of electricity as well. I’m going to be testing this over here!
Hi Maurizio!
The oven I currently have access to is a convection oven with trays. Will this affect my baking? Planning on baking your “My Favorite Sourdough” recipe using the Lodge combo cooker. But worried about how the hot air will affect it. What adjustments should I make?
Thanks!
I’ve got some heavy orange Le Creuset pots made in France. Do these qualify as Dutch ovens? I’d love to try your technique.
Yes, they absolutely do quality. Just be sure they’re oven-safe (which I’m pretty sure all are, but if if they have plastic handles, you might have to remove that).
Thanks, Maurizio. I’m pretty sure the one handle in the middle of the lid is oven safe. I’m looking forward to trying it out. I’m assuming having a Dutch oven that seems too big is better than having one that’s too small. Am I right?
Absolutely.
Roger,
I’ve been baking my breads for over two years in the exact same Le Creuset Dutch ovens (I have a total of 3, a round one, a rectangular one and the one specifically for French baguettes), and they all come out just perfect! And, as if late (about a year) I’m only baking using precise and well written Maurizio recipes, thank you for that, Maurizio!
Happy to help, Danny!
Thanks for your comments, Danny. My first bread in my Le Creuset Dutch oven came out better than I could have ever expected. I’m going to try another one today.
Wow, what a pleasant surprise! I think I am going to finally get that Lodge double-dutch, although I have no idea where to store it. 🙂 Hope all is well!
I’d love to add that I some folks say that their Le Creuset Dutch ovens can show cracks and discoloration on the exterior when using in the oven at high temps (450-500 F). May not be a structural issue but could hurt their nice aesthetic
Hello! Thanks for all your helpful instructions/tips on making sourdough breads – I have two of your “best” loaves in baskets in the refrigerator right now. I bake in a standard 30″-wide oven that can fit two Lodge combo cookers side-by-side. My question: Is there any disadvantage (regarding oven spring, etc) to baking two loaves at once in combo cookers.
You’re welcome, David! No issue at all baking two at a time, just be sure your oven is fully preheated and you’re good to go.
Thanks! I will try it soon. Second boule is now in the oven.
Hi Maurizio! Thinking of a new experiment soon as I tinker with “Best Bread” and wanted your thoughts. Two variables, both about baking in a DO:
The first is temperature: so many recipes (including Tartine) ask for 500 with the lid on and 450 off. What impact will that higher temp have on the loaf vs your 450 start? I’m imagining abbreviated enzymatic activity (per Hamelman) but am not sure I trust my gut on exactly how to hypothesize about this temp shift.
The second is time: assuming I stick with 450, what’s the difference if I extend the bake by ~5 minutes with the lid on (ie first half) vs off. Most recipes say to extend the second half until the desired crust color is achieved. But if I extend in the first half might I get better overall/thicker crust development?
Thank you for any hypotheses, however brief!
I’ve baked at 500/450 for a long time, and have recently scaled back to 450/450. I find at the higher 500 temp the bottom of the dough has a tendency to get slightly darker than I’d like. The higher temp might result in a reduced window for allowing those initial stages of fermentation to get going, but the general thought is that high temp does help shock the dough into greater oven spring before it hardens off in the oven. Personally, I haven’t see that much of a gain there and the over colored bottom is an issue.
Leaving the lid on means more steam time, which can be fine in many cases, but after a while when baking you actually want the crust to harden off so the structure of the loaf doesn’t begin to collapse. The time and amount of collapse really depends on the dough (flour, hydration, etc.) and how far it’s proofed (whether it’s very delicate or can take it).
Those are my thoughts! Hope that helps and happy baking, Hank.
Thanks, Maurizio! So I experimented just with steam time as follows. FYI, my dough is a well-fermented version of Best Bread (80% Bread Flour/20% Whole Wheat; 80% Hydration; 20% Leaven; 2% Salt)..
1. Preheat 30m at 500, then 25m at 450 with lid and 23 without.
2. Heat back to 500, then 30m at 450 with lid and 23 without.
Crumb was exactly the same on both. Oven spring was better on 2, but the crust was *almost* too thick and the bread itself was a bit drier overall. I’ll try 475 next time to see if I can get some of that oven spring without burning the bottom or sacrificing crumb/crust development..
Right on, Hank! Nice test there. I think it’s a balance there to find, just as you suggest, and it might even depend on the oven itself. I’ll keep an eye on this over here too and see if I can find any improvement!
Hey!
I’m a total newbie at this. Would you say it’s ok to bake in a Dutch oven with a glass lid? Should I follow the same steps? Heating it first, placing the dough in the shallow lid first? Thank you!
I’m weary about using glass in a very hot oven, especially when steam/water is involved!
Thank you! It’s been working great so far with the glass dish and I’m pleased with the results. I do get your hesitance on using glass. I guess it depends on the resistance of the glass.
I’m really excited for having found your blog! I started my sourdough starter 3 months ago reading your blog and it’s still going and giving me delicious bread. Thank you very much for all the information!
Yes, a little reservation there on my part, but I do know (and have used) many glass baking dishes are just fine in there 🙂 So happy to hear my site has helped. Happy baking, Simona!
Hi Simona, I just tried using a large O’Cuisine-branded oval casserole dish with lid, flipped upside down. I had previously been having problems with lack of oven spring, so I was really impressed with the result when using the glass dish – the bread was lofty and voluminous. For a large dough (about 1,000g), I pre-heated the oven to 230C and placed the dish – with a spritz of water inside the top – on a hot pizza stone (I haven’t tried placing it straight onto the rack yet). The dough continued to rise slowly for about 30 minutes, after which I removed the lid and baked for another 15 minutes (for a crispier crust, I might extend this another five minutes or so). If the dish is made from borosilicate glass, there’s no danger of it breaking, at least up to 300C. And from the the look of my first attempt, there is no need to pre-heat the dish (I didn’t). The major benefit of glass is you can see the dough’s progress as it bakes, so you can tweak the timings/temperature and not be blind to what’s happening inside the oven.
Thanks for the reply, Wandru!
Helpful information! I have tried it several times and I’m pleased with the results. I place my bread in the shallow glass lid and cover it with the cast iron part. I leave it like that for 30 minutes at 230 degrees C and then 15-20 more, spritzing it with water at the beggining and after I remove the lid (or more if I see it needs some more). Also I’m actually putting it straight on the rack, haven’t tried with the pizza stone, yet. It’s working great for me so far, delish bread coming out. I’ll try placing it without pre-heating the dish, I’ve been pre-heating it so far. Happy baking!
Hey Maurizio,
Have you ever cooked your bread in a Romertopf (Claypan),
What are your experiences on this?
I have not! Keep meaning to, though.
How tall does a combo cooker need to be to let the dough spring in the oven? I was looking at a Cabellas combo cooker for only $30 that has a 12″ bottom. This seems like a good size and allows me to upscale my recipes in the future if I get a larger banneton. But it is only 4.25 inches tall with the lid on. Is this enough?
It depends on the style of bread you’re baking and the weight of the dough. 4″ is pretty small—you can take a look at the Lodge Combo Cooker I have linked above for an idea on height!
Thanks for the good information on this site. I’ve been baking bread and pizza on a good “Copper” (actually fiberglass) grill mat (475* rating) on top of a pizza stone in the oven, and love it–no trash, just a brief cleaning, and reusable probably 100+ times. I mostly make 100% whole wheat and wanted a more crusty bread sometimes, so got a Crock Pot brand, 7-qt enameled dutch oven, and was concerned about the safety of my hands dropping dough into the hot oven.
I took one of my old grill mats and cut a 9-inch circle to go into the 10-inch diameter DO. Then I cut a 24×8-inch strip of heavy duty foil, and placed it on the bottom of a wide-bottom bowl so that about 4 inches hung over the edge on both sides, put the grill mat circle centered over it, and placed dough on that to rise in the bowl. When ready to bake, I used the ends of the foil as handles, pulled it taught while lifting the risen dough out of the bowl and directly into the hot DO, then pulled the edges of the foil down over the sides of the DO and put the cover on. When the bread was done, I used silicone oven mitts to take the DO out of the oven, then grabbed the ends of the foil to lift the loaf out and transfer to a cooling rack.
The first time I didn’t pull the foil taught, and ended up with a slightly oval shaped loaf, because the foil made a sling and pressed the loaf inward on opposite sides. I next time shaped the dough into an oval shape before the rise so the foil would tend to even out the oval shape when lifting and pulled the foil more taught, then got a round boule. Both mat circle and foil are reusable many times.
Just love this creative design! Great idea creating something a little easier to drop your dough in and pull it out. I’ll have to see if I can concoct something like this over here and give it some testing!
I received my 5.25 qt round Staub yesterday. Would I be able to do smaller loaves in this one? I wasn’t able to get the Lodge Combo Cooker (out of stock).
Yes, absolutely. As long as it’s a sealed pot, it’ll work well!
Thank you for the detailed instructions! I baked my first Basic Sourdough with my first starter (7th day) I made this past week. The bread came out to be very flat and dense. The dough was soft so that when I put it into the DO it spread widely on the pan. I am not sure expected. Do you think my starter too weak?
It sounds like perhaps your dough was slightly underproofed. There are a few indicators your dough could be under: dense spots in the interior with potentially scattered large holes, and a gummy texture to the interior. Finally, it’s possible the bottom of the loaf might be slightly bowed upward (like the letter “U” — the top will kind of dome).
Make sure to build your levain from a starter that’s strong and mature (meaning it’s risen to it’s peak height before you take some to use). From there, bulk fermentation is very important! Make sure your bulk fermentation goes sufficiently far, you want the dough to look smooth, it should have risen considerably, and have bubbles here and there — it should look alive. If you tug on the dough a bit it should offer resistance to your tugging, it’ll feel stronger. Give the dough the time it needs in bulk fermentation! If you have to give it another 30m or hour to see these signs, do so. It’s important for this step to go sufficiently far for the dough to have enough fermentation activity before its proof.
Thank you so much for your thorough advise! You are probably right that my dough may not have had nice bubbles I see on the recipe photo. I will try again this weekend!