The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Poor Man's Dutch Oven

doughooker's picture
doughooker

Poor Man's Dutch Oven

I purchased one of these for use in my new convection oven and it's been working very well.

The lid seals well to keep steam in, and it is much lighter in weight than a cast-iron D.O. Before baking I spray the inside of the lid with water for a little extra steam.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OFUB64U/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also got some 8" pizza stones which go on the bottom and are dusted with corn meal. The loaves do not stick and lift right out.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005IF2YNS/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Lazy Loafer's picture
Lazy Loafer

Oh, good idea to put a pizza stone in the bottom of the roaster! I bet that works well as a mini-bread oven. Do you preheat the whole arrangement? How do you get the loaves into the roaster once it's hot?

doughooker's picture
doughooker

I put my boules in while it's cold, and allow a little extra baking time to compensate for the lack of preheating.

Lazy Loafer's picture
Lazy Loafer

Another alternative would be to preheat the stone with the upturned roaster pan on top of it, then load the boule onto the pre-heated stone and cover with the pre-heated lid. Just to see what difference that might make in the bread / crust.

eddieruko's picture
eddieruko

That is a great idea. Will your boule rise above the rim of the roaster? Do you leave the top on the entire bake? 

 

doughooker's picture
doughooker

The roaster is plenty deep, so my boules do not rise above the rim.

My convection oven takes about 12 minutes to come up to temperature, so I bake 40 minutes from a cold start with the roaster lid on, remove it, and bake another 20 minutes lid off. The lid is much lighter than a cast-iron D.O. lid and easier to handle.

Because the roaster is made of lighter-gauge material than a cast-iron D.O., it is possible that the interior comes up to temperature more quickly than a D.O., but I have not tested it.

cblueribbon's picture
cblueribbon

Found roasters & pizza stones at local mission store.  Had stones cut to fit in roasters.  Have about $11 invested in each.  What temperature are you baking at?

Thanks!

Candy