A Baker’s Guide to Buying The Best Dutch Oven - Bake from Scratch (2024)

FAQs

Should I oil my Dutch oven before baking bread? ›

Fight the urge to grease your Dutch oven. Because of the high temperature, the fat will burn off almost immediately, giving your bread a charred taste. Splurge for high-quality ingredients—especially flour.

You just need a lid to cover it and the proper heat-conducting cast-iron material, and your bread will come out perfectly every time. Size & Shape: Look for a 6- to 7-quart, round Dutch oven. Anything much bigger will cause the bread to spread out and go flat.

The oven should feel heavy when you hold it, with a thick walls and an equally thick bottom. Take a look at the handles and the knob on the lid, and make sure you'll still be able to grasp them easily when wearing heavy oven mitts. We also recommend getting at least a 6-quart Dutch oven.

Bread will conform to the shape of the pot it is baked in, especially with wet doughs like the 'no knead' variety. So with an Oval Dutch Oven, your bread will bake in a more traditional loaf shape versus a rounded boule shape that results from a Round Dutch Oven.

You can shape your dough on a rectangular sheet of parchment paper, then use it to safely lower the dough into your Dutch oven. Once your gorgeous loaf of bread is finished cooking, the parchment paper makes removing the loaf super easy.

All cooking oils and fats can be used for seasoning cast iron, but based on availability, affordability, effectiveness, and having a high smoke point, Lodge recommends vegetable oil, melted shortening, or canola oil, like our Seasoning Spray.

An enamelled cast-iron Dutch oven is a kitchen classic, and of course Ina (who has a well-documented love affair with Paris) trusts French heritage brand Le Creuset. She prefers the brand's round, 5.5 quart Dutch oven because it's great for soups, stews and braising.

When you buy from Le Creuset, you're paying for high-quality pots and pans that are designed to stand the test of time. Rather than aluminum or stainless steel, Le Creuset craft their pieces from cast iron, which has a much higher heat capacity.

The high heat inside the Dutch oven brings the water inside the dough to evaporate. Because you have the lid on top, the steam is trapped inside and creates a hot and steamy environment. This helps your bread to stay moist and flexible so it can rise and expand easily.

1. Lodge Dutch Ovens. Lodge Dutch ovens are a popular and highly regarded alternative to Le Creuset. Made of cast iron, Lodge Dutch ovens are known for their excellent heat retention and even heat distribution.

Are Martha Stewart Dutch ovens good? ›

High quality, not cheaply made. This Dutch oven is really nice, it's well made and durable, it's very heavy. It holds the heat well, and cleans up easily. Purchased before the Christmas price hike!

Another versatile alternative to a Dutch oven is the classic pot or stockpot - and the best thing about this substitute is that every kitchen should already have a large pot! Stockpots work particularly well, as they have high sides and a lid that will allow you to simmer your ingredients for an extended time.

Dutch oven bread recipes often call for a 5.5-quart pot, which makes these Dutch ovens more desirable for baking, which inspires more recipes — and the delicious cycle continues. All that to say, if you don't have a Dutch oven yet, a 5.5-quart Dutch oven will set you up for decades of baking.

Cover with the lid and bake for 20 minutes, covered. After 20 minutes, remove the lid from the oven and continue baking per the recipe (typically 25 to 35 minutes)

Insulate the bottom of the Dutch oven with a baking sheet, baking stone, or even single sheet of aluminum foil. Add coarse corn meal or wheat bran to the Dutch oven before adding your dough. Use two pieces of parchment paper below the dough. Remove the dough from the Dutch oven when it's almost finished baking.

For almost any type of bread, greasing the entire ball of dough before the first rise is an essential step. It's easy to do and becomes second nature as you bake more loaves of bread.

Like all other nonstick pots and pans, it needs a sufficient amount of hot fat on its surface to ensure food won't stick to it. You'll want to drizzle enough oil or melt enough butter to completely coat the surface before sautéing those onions.

It is highly recommended that you grease the pan with oil or with butter before placing the dough, as this will help in easy removal of the baked bread and will also help in giving an even texture. Along with grease, you can also add butter paper to avoid sticking on the pan.