Very nice, and prefect for making batard shaped loaves of sourdough. I don’t care for making round loaves because the round shape doesn’t leave you with even slices for sandwiches and toast like a batard does.. Four bakers tips for the use of this pan: Consider whether you really need the handles on the silicone mat that’s included. I found that they keep the lid from sealing completely and allows steam to escape if you leave them on the outside while baking, and if you leave them inside while baking they lay on the dough and cause an uneven crust when browning. Because of the perfect shape of the pan, I found that I simply didn’t need the handles, I trimmed them off of my mat. Second be sure to rotate your pan halfway through your bake. All ovens have hot spots and you may experience uneven browning if the pan stays in the same location throughout the entire bake. Three: To avoid scorching the bottom or top of your bread while baking, ensure that there is at least 5 inches of air space between the bottom of the pan and the bottom of the oven and 5” of air space between the lid and the top of your oven. (This pan is suitable for full-size household ovens but not for smaller countertop size ovens.) Fourth: If you like a camelized bubbly crust on your finished loaf, simply load your dough onto the bottom of the pan, and then spritz the dough with water (2-3 spritz’s is fine) then score and close the lid. This will give your dough just the right amount of extra steam while baking and won’t puddle up like ice coupes do. A spray bottle works best for spritzing. This pan was thoughtfully designed for sourdough bakers and works great! I am so happy that I found it. Read more
This is my favorite of 8 different Dutch ovens that I use for sourdough. It seals nicely, trapping the steam needed, and produces great oven spring. It’s a bit heavy, as expected for cast iron, but lighter than another name brand dome baker. I can safely lift the lid off without worrying about dropping it because it’s light enough even for those of us with weak hands, and because the knob isn’t curved, so it doesn’t tend to slip. Now my goal is to slowly replace several traditional Dutch ovens with Krustic ones. Oh, and the grey one is beautiful. Read more
We’ve used the pan about 4 times now and follow the instructions that came with it except we used our existing sourdough starter. You get a great crusty oblong loaf indistinguishable from a high end bread bakery, we use King Arthur Bread Flour, the starter, and some King Arthur white whole wheat flour. We also have a bread machine sourdough dough recipe that shortens the time considerably but not as good. The crusty part is thin but chewy, just what you want. Surprisingly the bottom with the silicone sling comes out the same way, light crusty and chewy, not too thick at all. Pan is a great design. Some caveats. 1. The pan is very heavy. 2. You need some really high end oven mitts as the pan is cast iron enamel and the instructions have you handling the pan and lid when they are very, very hot. 3. We removed the oven racks above the pan because the instructions have you removing the lid about 20 minutes before it is done. You want to have enough clearance to remove the lid without incident and the pan itself in and out. Incidentally, it was done 3/4 times 20 minutes early when the lid came off so you have to keep an eye on it to prevent the bread from becoming overdone and use an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is accurate. The pan appears to be of very high quality and if you use the sling not that hard to clean. They warn in the book to let it cool before attempting to clean. One other caveat. If you don’t register the pan you just get a 30 day warranty. Not sure why they do that. In short, great pan, great results, pan is heavy, hot, follow all safety advice in the instructions. Read more
I’m new to sourdough baking and I never got an “ear” on my loaves until I started using this Dutch oven. Now I get an ear every time!! It seals so well and my bread bakes perfectly every time! I love that it’s got a short lip on the bottom so it’s easy to get the loaves in and out of. It’s definitely heavy but it is surprisingly easy to handle with the large side handles. And the slick coating on the inside makes it super easy to clean. Lastly, I love the gorgeous red color! It goes perfectly with my kitchen :) Read more
I love it ! My bread comes out beautifully! Read more
Absolutely love Krustic Cast Iron Bakeware! The enamel coating is durable & beautiful, My sourdough loaves come out looking like they came from a professional bakery. Priceless performance @ a Great Price! Highly Recommend ! Read more
I like the way the Krustic cooks the bread. The quality is exceptional. The top is very heavy, Handle with care. I won’t use the rubber bread matt to put the bread on, too many chemicals that probably cause cancer in it when heated up. Love the red! Read more
This is a beautiful piece of cookware and makes the nicest crust on my breads! Read more
