Baking bread in a cast-iron pot imitates 2 features of a professional oven in a home oven: the thick base provides strong heat from below, while the lid traps steam from the dough. Preheat the empty pot along with the oven, place the dough inside, and bake it covered for the first half an hour, then uncovered. These 2 stages create the crust. This method turns a home oven into a bread oven with just one pot.
For bread to rise well, 2 things are needed in the first few minutes: strong heat from below and moisture around the dough. Professional ovens add steam from outside, but home ovens cannot. A cast-iron pot solves this problem because steam from the dough’s own moisture stays trapped under the lid and keeps the dough’s surface moist. A moist surface sets later, allowing the bread to rise for longer. The thick cast-iron base also provides ample heat from below.
Heat the pot empty, with its lid on, together with the oven. Once the oven reaches the desired temperature, wait at least half an hour so the pot reaches the same temperature; cast iron heats slowly because it is thick. Skipping this wait greatly reduces the benefit of the method. Use thick oven mitts to remove the pot from the oven, and place the lid separately on a heat-resistant surface; both the pot and lid are very hot.
Work quickly and carefully. Prepare the dough with parchment paper underneath, then use the edges of the paper as handles to lower the dough into the pot. It is possible to work without parchment, but the dough cannot be lowered by hand. Score the dough just before putting it in the pot. Cover the pot and place it in the oven; the whole process should take a few seconds, because every second in the open air lowers the accumulated heat. Choose a pot that fits the dough; in one that is too wide, the dough spreads out and cannot be supported by the sides.
Baking takes place in 2 stages. During the first stage, the lid stays on and the bread rises in its own steam; this stage lasts about 20–30 minutes. Then remove the lid and continue baking uncovered until the crust is browned. If the lid is removed too early, the oven spring is cut short; if it is never removed, no crust forms and the bread stays pale and soft. The oven temperature can be lowered slightly during the second stage so the crust colors without burning. Once the lid is off, the trapped steam escapes quickly, so avoid opening the oven door unnecessarily at that point.
Check whether the bread is done by its internal temperature, not its color. The target is 93–99°C / 200–210°F for plain bread dough and 88–90°C / 190–195°F for enriched, soft doughs. Insert the thermometer from the side into the thickest part of the loaf. Do not leave baked bread in the pot; move it to a wire rack right away, or the bottom can soften in its own steam. Wash the pot only after it has cooled, because putting hot cast iron in cold water can cause it to crack. For enameled cast-iron pots, check ahead of time that the lid knob is heat-resistant.
Comments (1)
Tencereyi boş ısıtırken kapağının sapının plastik olduğunu unutmuşum, eridi. Alırken buna dikkat edin.
Fırına girecek tencerede sap ya döküm olmalı ya da sökülebilmeli. Çoğu markanın plastik sapı iki yüz derecenin altı için üretiliyor, ekmek ise iki yüz otuzda pişiyor.