Dutch Oven or other recommendations

[Sam6687]

For sure the combo cooker is the way to go. i have this and a lodge 5qt dutch oven, the combo cooker is much easier getting the bread in and out of but both bake up great bread.

[Tomaron]

I got one of the 5 quart dutch ovens by Lodge. Ordered it a while back and it finally arrived yesterday. Unfortunately it had some manufacturing issues (A deep dent in the bottom and some serious grind marks all along one side). I contacted Lodge directly and showed them pictures, they confirmed that is absolutely not what it is supposed to look like.
I've now gone on to Amazon to get a replacement sent out (and of course the customer support chat crashed so not sure where it all ended up, I'm just going to wait to see if I get an email or if I have to contact them again!)

I love my 10" Lodge skillet, but I am tempted to get a 12" one as well.

[jfmorris]

PBCDad great choice! I use my 5 quart Lodge frequently - for chili this weekend. It's pretty much non-stick for anything I've made in it. Hope you guys like it for your bread baking! I only have a 12" Lodge skillet, so sometimes with I had gotten the double dutch oven instead, to have a 10" skillet.

[PBCDad]

Sorry I'm mixing terms. It is the 5qt Double Dutch Oven with the skillet as the lid

[jfmorris]

klflowers the cornbread festival is on my list of things to do. I drove through South Pittsburg last Wednesday going and coming from Chattanooga. I really want to do the factory tour at Lodge during the festival.

[klflowers]

That's the one I have too. I got it at the factory store in South Pittsburg. If you haven't been to the Lodge open house they do during the cornbread festival, you should plan to take it post coved. It is interesting, then they funnel you straight to the store, which is not a good thing lol

[jfmorris]

PBCDad did you end up with the Lodge Combo-Cooker (3.2 quart with skillet as the lid), or the Lodge Double-Dutch oven, which is a 5 quart pot with a skillet as the lid?

Just curious. I've got the standard Lodge 5 quart with lid, my daughter has that double dutch oven and likes it, plus her lid doubles as a 10" skillet. I've thought of the combo cooker for bread, and those times I need a smaller dutch oven than my 5 quart.

Either way, if you keep that cast iron seasoned, it will be great for baking and anything else you want to throw at it, without anything flaking off in your food. Well - I guess seasoning can come off, but its edible, unlike porcelain!

[PBCDad]

Thanks everyone for your help. We have the Lodge combo 5qt on the way!

[Thunder77]

Looks nice, but I have all the CI skillets that I need! 😎

[rickgregory]

The advantage of the dutch oven technique is just that it lets you more easily control when you stop with the steam. It will be limited by when you remove the lid (or the cooker in the case of the lodge, so if you want to bake with steam for 25 minutes, you can remove the lid then and the minimal moisture there will quickly dissipate.

Whether this is important... eh. If you have a baking steel, the inverted stainless bowl over the loaf works just fine. So does adding a pan with water and letting that steam away.

[Willy]

I recommend what Thunder77 wrote at Post #6.

[Willy]

I do this too, and it is much easier than maneuvering "heavy" cast iron pieces. I added a METAL (cuz...no melt--LOL) cabinet pull to the outside of the bottom of the bowl to make it easier to lift the bowl off--just drill a hole through bowl bottom and screw/bolt the pull in place. A baking stone (or steel) and a stainless bowl--my bowl came from a 4-piece Costco mixing bowl set--and you're set to bake bread!

[jfmorris]

I have this one - my wife got it at the local Academy:

https://www.lodgecastiron.com/produc...bail?sku=L8DO3

[jfmorris]

I have the same basic one but with the wire bail handle.

[jfmorris]

I second the recommendation for a Lodge 5 quart cast iron dutch oven. I originally asked my wife for the 7 quart model and am so glad she got the 5 quart instead. Mine has the bail handle which stays cool on the stove for picking it up and moving it without a pot holder. I use mine for bread, stews, chili, frying, etc. works great on the grill, stove top and in the oven.

I have a Misen 7 quart enameled one on the way at some point from their recent Kickstarter. I doubt their enamel will be coming off.

We often use the same no knead recipe to make loaves of bread, baked on parchment paper uncontained on a baking sheet. I just cut the baking time from 50 to 30 minutes when doing that.