The Fresh Loaf

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Dutch Oven - cast iron or steel?

You'syourloaf's picture
You'syourloaf

Dutch Oven - cast iron or steel?

I'm new to bread making and have started to search around for interesting tings to try!  The Ken Forkish book, Flour, Water, salt, Yeast introduced me to the idea of baking bread in a "Dutch Oven."

I'm making an assumption that this is what we might call a casserole in the UK?  I have two, one about 4.5L in volume (4.75 US quarts or 4.0 UK quarts) and one a little smaller at 4.25 L.  They are of cast iron construction so I'm hoping that I've already got the kit?  They both have lids. I also have a larger stainless steel stock pot, with a lid.

Ken Forkish specifically mentions cast iron but will the stainless steel stockpot serve the same purpose?  I'm guessing that things like heat conduction in different materials, the diameter of the vessel etc. have some bearing here?

Any thoughts, comments or experience would be received, gratefully!

fotomat1's picture
fotomat1

iron is mentioned by Forkish in his book,he actually makes use of the Emile Henry ceramic in his videos. Steel will not retain the heat long enough or evenly enough to be used successfully. Go with the cast iron and adjust the recipe accordingly as I think he calls for a 6 quart. Good luck and be careful.....pots get and stay REALLY hot!!

You'syourloaf's picture
You'syourloaf

Thanks for your reply fotomat1 and your advice.  I'm going to give it a go as KF seems to recommend it so strongly.  I've baked just straight in my oven (in baking tins) as well and, whilst not perfect, I have had some pleasing early success using this method but I'm keen to explore!

I checked in the book and Ken does mention a four quart Dutch Oven there (p47) so I hope that I can use his recipes straight off.  That is after purchasing some oven mitts!

Danni3ll3's picture
Danni3ll3

I use a 5quart Dutch oven and it works just fine with Forkish's recipes. 

PS. Mine are enameled cast iron. 

You'syourloaf's picture
You'syourloaf

Thanks for your reply Danni3113,

Just out of interest, if you get a chance, can you tell me what the diameter of the base is of your Dutch oven?.  My two Dutch ovens, which are 4.5L (4 UK quarts, 4.75 US quarts) and 4.25L (3.75 UK quarts, 4.5 US quarts) are 20cm (8 inches) and 19cm (7.5 inches), respectively.

My Dutch ovens (casseroles) are enameled cast iron as well so I shall give them a go.

Danni3ll3's picture
Danni3ll3

Inside bottom - 16 cm

Exterior bottom - 18 cm

Interior top - 25 cm

Exterior top (outside edges) - 26 cm

I think that either of your pots will work just fine.  Just be sure that your knobs are heatproof to the required temperature. I replaced my knobs with a metal drawer knob. I had to use a couple of washers to accommodate the length but it works just fine. I basically use the pots only for baking as they are quite the chore to keep pristine ( mine are a cream colour). 

You'syourloaf's picture
You'syourloaf

Thanks for your reply Danni3113,

From the measurements you have given me, it sounds like your Dutch oven is a fairly thick casting?  The bottom measurements seem to suggest 2 cm but maybe this is the curve in the casting?  On the top measurements it seems to be 1cm thick but maybe this is the lip?  How thick do you think the metal casting is, very approximately?

If the16 cm measurement, inside at the bottom gives a nice loaf shape then I'm hoping mine should do as well.  Time to give it a go.  Is there a particular recipe that you use in your Dutch oven that is your favourite and works well (bearing in mind it's my first go!)?

Danni3ll3's picture
Danni3ll3

are probably about a half cm thick. The bottom is a lot thicker, at least one cm if not more. The inside bottom measurement is of the flat part. It curves quite gently up from there. I wouldn't worry about the measurements. I did the same at first but like I said, your pots will be fine. 

If this is your first loaf and you have the Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast book by Forkish, start with the first recipe which I believe is the Saturday White. I baked my way through the book one recipe at a time and learned a lot. Just be aware that his times don't work for everyone. They did for me as my kitchen is 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Once you get to the sourdough recipes, come back here for advice on not wasting the huge quantities of flour that he does. 

I still consider myself a newbie as I started baking with the dutch oven last November. Once I finished the Fokish book, I am trying other methods to see which work for me and which don't. There are a million ways to make bread and it can get quite confusing. I imagine that eventually, I will settle with one or two methods and use those consistently, but I am nowhere near there yet. 

You'syourloaf's picture
You'syourloaf

Danni3113,

It will be my first KF recipe but I've had some encouraging success baking in tins in the oven. Thanks for the additional tips, now off to the bakehouse (kitchen!)

BobBoule's picture
BobBoule

pots/casseroles and have successfully baked bread in all of them. I've even used glass (Pyrex) casseroles and as long as they have a fairly snug fitting cover, they will bake and steam the bread. My very best results are with cast iron. I suspect that the stainless steel products are just very thin and can't hold enough heat to do a good job. The glass casseroles simply aren't dense enough to hold a lot of heat. Cast iron works very well and I'm quite happy with it.

In my experiments with different sizes of Dutch Ovens there was't too much difference, just pick one and experiment and you'll quickly figure out which one you like best for each recipe.

doughooker's picture
doughooker

You might not have very good results with your stainless-steel stock pot. I once tried a silver aluminum D.O. and it was a dud -- I gave it to charity. I learned that the material has poor emissivity, the property of radiating heat from the walls of the vessel to the interior. I have a 1.9 L (2 qt) Dutch oven for my small boules and it works very well for them.

The sliver aluminum D.O. left my loaves generally underdone and the crusts did not brown. I don't think it quite came up to temperature inside. My cast-iron D.O. is unenameled and black all around. You may want to put some parchment on the bottom to prevent sticking.

You'syourloaf's picture
You'syourloaf

doughhooker,

Mant thanks for your reply and sharing your experience.  The consensus seems to be cast iron (or ceramic) so I'm giving it a go today with Ken Forkish's Saturday White Bread recipe.  I will post the result on the forum (good or bad!).

You'syourloaf's picture
You'syourloaf

Not sure if I reported back but the loaf was a great success, with a crusty crust, very aerated crumb (a real Forkish 'jam dropper'!) and great taste.

Just on the crumb 'aeration' if I can call it that, what should I be watching, if I want to try and get an 'ideal' aeration (bubble size in the final bake) for our family requirements?  That is, not too big but sufficient to get a nice light crumb  ...or is the Nirvana, which we all seek!?

 

althetrainer's picture
althetrainer

I am cheap so I am always looking for alternatives to achieve the same Dutch oven effects.  I tried a Corning ware with a glass lid.  it sort of works but the Corning I have is a bit too small sometime the loaf ends up topping the lid.  Now I use a large glass mixing bowl from my old faithful Kitchen Center as a dome.  I line a pizza pan with tin foil, dust with plenty of flour, cover the dough with the large glass mixing bowl for second rise, bake the first 30 minutes with the bowl on, take it off for the last 20 minutes.  Turns out just fine.  Here's loaf of WW SD for Father's Day.  

 

jts1968's picture
jts1968

 

https://www.lodgemfg.com/dutch-ovens/5-quart-cast-iron-double-dutch-oven.asp

The beauty of it is that I actually put it in the oven upside down. The loaf goes into the skillet "top" and rises into the main part of the oven. The shallow part as the base means less chance of burning yourself and easier removal from the pan when done!