Cast Iron Dutch Oven for Bread Baking - incl. Sourdough Bread-Baking Supplies like Banneton Bread-Proofing Basket - 5QT Bread-Oven with Lid Bread-Making Kit Pan, Pot, Sour Sough Tools, Lame

Ok, I bought this as a gift from my husband for me for Mother's Day. I wanted this specific one and have been looking at it for a while. It went on sale and I got it and then he kept it until the big day. I'd forgotten all about it and was so surprised and thrilled to get it! I bake a lot of bread and sourdough bread and my ceramic long pan cracked and I had to use my round enamel cast iron pot until this beauty arrived. I love that the handles are pointed up and down so it's easy to take the lid on or off. It's big enough for all the things I want to use it for, and I could even turn it upside down and use the larger part as the top if I want more of the crust browned. I did season it even though the instructions say it's pre-seasoned. I have all the accessories already so I didn't need them, but it's nice if you are just starting out and don't already have them. Note - do not ever let your pan soak overnight or get wet for an extended amount of time without drying it off. It will rust. Cast iron rusts if it gets wet. I know because I've had to buy my son-in-law several cast iron skillets because he keeps getting them wet! And yet, my grandmother had one skillet her whole life. Anyway, that's my public service announcement for the day. LOL

This pan make the BEST loaf! Heavy duty, high quality cast iron gives our sourdough bread a wonderfully uniform and browned crust. We were originally gifted one and after just a couple of uses, we knew we needed another one to up our bread production. We have not used any other pans for bread since acquiring these. This kit comes with all kinds of cool ancillary tools to help make beautiful, professional looking bread. Look no further, this is the pan you want!

This is a great startup kit—everything you need to make fantastic sourdough with a thick, chewy crust. The Dutch oven is well-made, dense, and heavy, made of cast iron, and nothing sticks. It's easy to clean when the baking is done because of the nonstick. Just wipe it with a clean, dry towel. My bread tastes incredible. Bake the sourdough covered for the first 20 minutes, then remove the cover and continue baking for an additional 30 to 40 minutes.

Note: the kit does not include a bread sling, although it is mentioned in the enclosed booklet. A sling is Not mentioned in the webpage description. It was an error in booklet that will be corrected. In nearly 15 years of baking sourdough bread, I have never used a sling nor parchment paper, just preferring to gently dump the loaf into the preheated pan, then scoring and misting. IMHO, it is not a necessary tool.I purchased this because my Le Creuset stoneware oval baker cracked after many years of use. I have only used this one time. I did not want to spend $$$$$ for a new Le Creuset after the old one cracked.I did follow instructions to re-season the pan before fist use. And I did thoroughly "season" the basket liner with rice flour before first use.I had a lot of difficulty finding something with specific bottom, inside dimensions in the website descriptions to ensure it would long enough to accommodate the oval proofing baskets that I already own.Fortunately, this comes as a very complete kit with a basket. My former basket appears too long to me to use in this dutch oven.I used the same 78%-80% hydration 2 pound loaf+ recipe, 700g of fresh organic, stone ground spelt flour, water, 30% ripe, sourdough culture inoculation and minimal salt for the first attempt. The bread came out perfectly--no significant difference other than shape than what I got using the Le Creuset. And I really prefer the shape of this loaf.I have increased my standard recipe 20% for future loaves. The website claims the basket can hold 4 pounds of dough, and I believe that it can.Finally, I had reason to contact the seller via email through Amazon. The response was prompt, professional, courteous and they were eager to assist me to ensure customer satisfaction. I think you will be very pleased with this product and customer service care should it be needed.

This is a quality set at a reasonable price, there's no way around that!There is no bread sling despite many mentions of it on the box, in the booklet and in this item description.Small quibble that the recipe book does not have weights as well as volume measurements like it really should.

Love this! Very easy to use, came with great instructions. Still learning how to use and become a better bread baker, but that doesn't deter from the product itself.

My daughter was hit by the sourdough "bread baking bug," so I purchased the largest cast iron kit for her. She LOVES it, and has been using it for all sorts of creations. She's made beautiful breads, English muffins, mini pizzas, etc. I got the long wide one so that she could use it as a small skillet as well. We own many other cast iron products, and my husband and I were very impressed with the quality of this cast iron. I was impressed with the quality of the box, for shipping purposes, as other past cast iron items from different shippers have come broken, so I was worried about that, but this item came perfect. It is a fantastic kit and all the items are high quality.I own a stone bread baker, and to compare the loaves, I find the cast iron one bakes it differently- not in a bad way, just slightly different crust. Although I will mention my stone one is for long, thin loaves vs my daughters cast iron one for wide thick loaves.I am so happy that I got a high quality item that she can value for the rest of her life.Thank you for creating such a high quality product!

Wow! My homemade sourdough is delicious and perfectly baked in this durable pan.