October 7, 2020 - 1:28am
Cast iron loaf pan?
Has anyone tried baking bread in a cast iron loaf pan?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Petromax-black-2019-camping-stove/dp/B016DGV4E0
I'm considering bying one of these. I like the sandwich shape for my everyday breads, but I also prefer baking in my dutch oven. I'm thinking this will combine both, a best of both worlds kind of solution.
The question is if it works in practice. Would I prove the dough in an oval banneton? The pan is about 13 cm wide, so it can't spread out too much, or it won't fit. How would I transfer the dough to the hot, pre-heated pan without damaging it? And last but not least, for those who use this type of pan for baking, do you find it improves crust and oven spring compared to a regular, non-lidded aluminium pan?
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Wowsers. Look at the reviews and ratings.
85% 5-star, 10% 4-star. I usually look at the combined 4 & 5 star: and 95% is excellent.
Some good user photos too.
One UK reviewer said to final-proof in a regular tin of equal size, but I did not understand their explanation of how to transfer. Maybe greased parchment paper.
Yes, it looks very promising. I just wondered if any of the sourdough/artisan bread experts on TFL had any experience with this. I haven't come across anyone mentioning cast iron loaf pans specifically ?
Hi Lolakey! I use a similarly shaped clay baker when I want to make something more like a sandwich loaf (or bread that fits nicely in the toaster). I had to buy a special cane banneton for proofing as I was worried my oval banneton would be too wide. After pre-heating the DO, I pop the dough out of the banneton onto some parchment paper, score, then lift the parchment paper and dough, place in the pre-heated DO, and pop back into the oven (using normal sourdough baking times). It makes a nice loaf. That cast iron baker looks nice! But, I wanted to make sure I had room for the dough to crown, and the clay baker has a domed lid. I hope you will keep us posted on your results! I'll provide a link to the product I purchased, but I think you are in the UK, so not sure on the shipping issues/limitations. Happy Baking!
https://breadtopia.com/store/breadtopia-cloche-bread-baker-oblong/