I have and do bake in clay pots. 1 is a very large round flower pot I use on a pizza stone, the other is a La Cloche, instructions with La Cloche say NOTHING about soaking the pot. I treat both the same way.......

 I know and soak my  Romertopf for roasting /cooking dinner, but don't do that much now as I prefer to convect roast......    

 qahtan

One of the earliest ways to bake bread was underneath a curved cover or cooking pot placed over an open hearth. This is such a cooking bell made from hard-fired clay that nests on a lipped baking stone 10" in diameter. Place your bread dough on the pie-shaped base, cover it with the bell, then put it in a preheated oven. A 2-pound loaf fits under the 8 1/2" high dome. The lid traps moisture escaping from the bread to create the steam needed to produce a light, brittle crust. During the last few minutes, remove the cover to lightly brown the crust.

I have a cloche, the oblong one for "french" bread, as sold by KAF...

The book The Bread Builders, which is a great book about breads baked in masonry ovens, claims that you can get top results by using a cloche (they say almost as good as a wood fired masonry oven) in this fashion:  you preheat top and bottom in the oven, put loaf in heated base, cover with heated lid, no extra measures to add steam are required as it will trap the steam from the bread.  So no soaking, but pre-heating to high temperatures important.  The top is removed accordingly later in the baking period to brown off the top to even out with the bottom as required.

I would say definitely do as you asked, proof in a separate container, then add to preheated cloche and preheated oven when ready to bake.

 But if you are going to do as they say heat the top and bottom of the clay baker , then put in your dough which is should be ready to bake or why heat your baker, actually putting your dough onto the hot baker is going to be a major problem, your dough will deflate with your handling it, plus you will will most likely give yourself a nasty burn. 

 Agree the steam from the bread dough is enough to give a good crust.

 I put my dough to rise, at it's leasure in/on the base, leave it on the counter, when  risen and ready to bake, place lid over dough, place in hot oven etc.....qahtan

Thanks for advice. At this point I will not be purchasing a cloche, that's why I want to see if I can get the Romertopf to work better. I plan to let the dough rise (perhaps in the smaller Romertopf I have), in a parchment paper sling, and I will transport that to the preheated big Romertopf in the oven. The worst case scenario is that the clay pot breaks. Then I would have room to buy and store a Cloche.

 Also, should I place the Romertopf on a rack or on my big pizza stone. I was thinking of placing it on the stone.

Beth

I would be hesitant about putting dough in a pre-heated Romertopf having read that they MAY be prone to crack. Most, if not all of their recipes call for starting in a cold oven.

Heres a cheap workable cloche, to put your dough in to rise, cover and place in

preheated oven, qahtan

1) qahtan, that is a very cool cloche, and not $50 like the others can be :)

QUOTE "actually putting your dough onto the hot baker is going to be a major problem, your dough will deflate with your handling it, plus you will will most likely give yourself a nasty burn"

not true if done properly -- they recommend tipping it out of your banneton or proofing basket right into the hot cloche (sprinkle some meal into the bottom of the cloche first).  Shouldn't be much more deflating in a loaf that's not over-proofed than flipping it out onto your peel.  You slash quickly if desired, then put the hot top on and bake.  As for the "nasty burn," there is a danger for sure, I use serious bakers oven gloves that go up to my elbow, highly recommended even if not using a cloche with how high we heat our ovens.

The downside I worry most is to crack the cloche with a shock from hot to cold.  I think that's the most dangerous with liquids, but I don't think this method is risk free.  Though The Bread Builders describes the results as "breathtaking."  They also say you can use the cloche at room temperature flipping a proofed loaf into it, or proofing in the cloche, then cover and put in a 500 degree oven.

Whatever floats your boat.

My latest idea is to proof the dough on a parchment sling in my smaller Romertopf, have the larger Romertopf preheating in the oven on top of the pizza stone. When the dough is ready I'll take the romertopf out for a minute, put the dough on the pizza stone, then cover it with the top of the Romertopf. I've read that the bottom part of the Cloche often breaks anyway, so people put the bread on a pizza stone and then cover it with the bell-shaped part. any objections?

Beth

  As you say what ever floats your boat,,,,,

 This is how I do it, and it works for me,,,,,,,

 I will be interested to see how your idea works,, :-)))) qahtan

  My clay pot broke, I get great results with my  covered cast iron pan, I do the final rise in the pan, (coat the inside with crisco). the bread gets a great oven spring inside the pan/roaster.

I do not preheat the pan, just slide into a hot oven.  Give it a try.

Wow, I love this forum.  I just joined, my first comment.  Have baked thousands of loaves of bread, some very good and  some not so good.  Been trying to get San Francisco type bread crust on sour dough for decades.  Can I use a clay tile with a large flower pot "cloche" over it to do it the cheap way.

What is your favorite or best recommended bread cook book?  I have the Village Baker-but I sure do love pictures.