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Preheat the empty pot and lid in the oven at 450 to 500°F for 30 to 45 minutes. Lower the scored loaf in on a sling or on parchment rated for that heat, put the lid on and bake 20 minutes; then remove the lid and bake 20 to 25 minutes more, until the crust is deep brown and the center reads 205 to 210°F.
Preheat: 30 to 45 min at 450 to 500°F. Lid on: 20 min. Lid off: 20 to 25 min at 450°F. Done: deep brown, 205 to 210°F inside, hollow knock on the base.
Scoring is covered in how to score bread; loading tools in scoring and loading.
Put a baking sheet on the rack below the pot, or move the pot up a rack, for the uncovered stage. A few spoonfuls of semolina or a sheet of parchment under the loaf also help. Dark enamel and very thick cast iron hold the most heat.
Use gloves rated well above 500°F that cover your wrists, set a trivet out before you open the oven, and keep the lid's landing spot clear. If lifting is hard, bake on the lid with the pot as the cover, or choose a lighter vessel: see oven gloves and loading.
Usually yes, for 30 to 45 minutes; the timings in most recipes assume a hot pot.
About 20 minutes covered and 20 to 25 minutes uncovered at 450°F, until the center reaches about 205 to 210°F. King Arthur's recipes range from 20 to 30 minutes covered; check the crust rather than the clock.
Keep what you own when it does the job. These are the other exact models we profile.
The lid also works as a handled pan, so one set fills more than one cooking role.
An oblong cast-iron pan has a shallow base and separately handled lid.
A self-contained HR ceramic cloche for round loaves: a low platter for loading and a 4.3 lb domed lid to lift hot.
A shallow cast-iron skillet you bake on and a 3.2 qt deep pot that drops over the loaf as the lid.
Lodge's thin-cast 5.5 qt pot: 11.29 lb with its lid, about a pound lighter than the 5 qt Double Dutch Oven.
A 5.5 qt enameled cast-iron pot, 10.2 in across inside, rated with its knob to 500°F.
A 24 cm Flame ceramic pot and domed lid for a round loaf, 5.16 lb in all.
