Sassafras Superstone Covered Baker

I've been looking for something that will allow me to bake artisan-style French bread at home. I'm an experienced bread baker, but had not been able to produce breads that were identical to the commercial bakeries.

Allowing for the differences in our ovens, I thought that perhaps a stone baking container might allow me to more closely reproduce the breads. In late December after reading the available reviews on this product, I purchased it. I had high hopes that I would be able to bake outstanding bread. I used the recipe that came with the pan and was not totally disappointed. The flavor of the bread was very good, but it was not extraordinary. Nevertheless, the baking method is less labor intense than the misting methods used in some recipes.

However, I'm not satisfied with the final results and will continue to experiment with various steps in my bread-baking experience. I'm considering using this pan, but tinkering with the production method,...Read more

When you bake bread using only a sourdough starter you get a dough that is more relaxed than dough made with commercial yeast, it wants to rise out as well as up. This pan is the best I have found for baking with sourdough because it not only supports the sides of the dough (so it rises up and not over the sides of the pan) but gives it a fabulous crust.

To prevent sticking you will have to *really* grease both the top and bottom the first several times you use it, also genrously sprinkle the the bottom with cornmeal. After the pan is seasoned a light greasing will do, and once it is *well* seasoned you often won't have to grease it at all. I always lightly sprinkle the bottom with cornmeal though.

One important thing to remember is that you can't wash this with soap, the stoneware will absob it and make your bread taste funny. Most of the time all you need to do is dust the cornmeal out, but every now and then (and if something sticks) you can soak it in plain hot water.

Ok, I grew up in an Italian section of Brooklyn.
There was a Italian bakery every other block.
My parents are from Italy, my wifes family are all Italian and I have been to Italy twice to visit relatives and have tasted some of the best home baked Italian bread ever.

I know what a good loaf of Italian bread tastes, smells and feels like.
I have been cooking and baking for over 30 years at home. In fact I do all the cooking in my family; always have. My oven is electric; I use a stone in the oven and no matter what I did, the results were inconsistent for the crust.

These are my results with the pot.

The first try: soft crust too moist inside. So I tried some of the other reviewers suggestions, including heating the pot.
Lid on lid off. Still no luck. I finally hit it. This is the method that has given me bread from my childhood.

1) Place a sheet of parchment paper in the pot and sprinkle on corn meal...Read more