The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Baking Stone Needed with Cast Iron Double DO?

HeiHei29er's picture
HeiHei29er

Baking Stone Needed with Cast Iron Double DO?

I just picked up a Lodge 5-quart double Dutch Oven, and I'm going to try a boule in it tomorrow morning.

I usually cook in a Granite Ware turkey roaster and have the roaster sitting on a pizza stone to help get some heat into the roaster during the first few minutes of the bake.  Is that needed with the cast iron DO?

 

idaveindy's picture
idaveindy

 No.  

Though I do use a pizza stone on the rack one level below the rack where the DO sits. I presume that setup mostly  shades the DO from the direct radiant heat of fhe lower heating element and helps prevent burning the underside of the loaf.

HeiHei29er's picture
HeiHei29er

Thanks Dave.

I tried it today with a similar setup.  I have a large cookie sheet on the very bottom rack position as a heat shield from the oven element.  Put the double Dutch one rack position higher with the lid down and the pot as the cover.

Seemed to work pretty good!

gerhard's picture
gerhard

and then put the Dutch Oven over it upside down. I find it much less hassle than trying to put the loaf in a hot container.

idaveindy's picture
idaveindy

of the 5 qt combo cooker mentioned.  They allow cooking on the lid and using the pot as the cover, so it's easy to load.

HeiHei29er's picture
HeiHei29er

Assuming you leave the stone on the rack and just slide it out to load and cover?

gerhard's picture
gerhard

that I can leave the stone in place, slide the loaf on the stone, cover with the preheated Dutch Oven. If I remember I snap a photo next time I bake. 

HeiHei29er's picture
HeiHei29er

Thanks!

Today’s bake.  I like how evenly it plumped up.  Should make even sized slices of bread.  Not sure I like the paler crust where the loaf was sitting down in the bevel of the lid.

Grumpy's picture
Grumpy

Could take it out and finish on the stone or rack for the last ten or fifteen minutes. 

HeiHei29er's picture
HeiHei29er

I did that on yesterday’s bake and it definitely helped!

gerhard's picture
gerhard

Baking today and this is what my setup looks like. 

HeiHei29er's picture
HeiHei29er

Thanks for posting!  Looks like you had great oven spring on both of those loaves. 

Benito's picture
Benito

I have a baking steel on my oven’s roasting rack which has crumpled aluminum in it.  I have that on the lowest rack and always bake my bread in my dutch oven on the baking steel roasting rack set up.

HeiHei29er's picture
HeiHei29er

If your oven is like mine, that would put your baking steel 4-6 cm above the bottom heating element and then your DO sits on your baking steel?  Is that correct?

Benito's picture
Benito

The base of the DO would be about 9 cm above the bottom of the oven floor inside of which the heating element is hidden.