Best Dutch Oven For Bread

By Mahrukh Khan | Updated 3 years ago

They say the way to someone’s heart is through their Stomach. Which clearly signifies the importance of cooking. The most famous type of cooking is Baking, and most frequently baking is used to create tempting bread loaves. To create crusty, delish bread you need best Dutch oven for bread.

Not only Dutch Ovens use an old technique to create a range of food varieties they are magic pots. The pots are made from cast-iron or ceramic and are covered with a lid. The tight covering makes sure that the food is cooked in steam, which would give flavours and beautiful aroma when ready to eat. Indeed, from the magic pot comes out mouthwatering food, with irresistible flavour.

Most people call Dutch Ovens Wonder pot for the fact that it can be used for baking, roasting, frying, stewing, soup making and more. The all-purpose pot can be used on stovetops as well as in the oven. Mostly, dutch ovens are made with such premium quality that they are carried on for generations. In case, you don’t have a Dutch oven and crave for the perfect crusty bread with a moist interior this article will greatly help you. For the bread that leaves your mouth with an unforgettable taste, you need the best dutch oven for the bread.

List: Best Dutch Oven For Bread

Le Creuset LS2501-267FSS

Without a doubt, the best Dutch Oven for bread is produced with Le Creuset, which has the highest standard and finest quality products. The Wonderpot once bought is carried on for generations, I received my pot from my mother who received it from her mother, and it still bakes scrumptious bread that the whole family enjoys on the dinner table. When I decided to buy a new one, I saw it has a range of colours, each allocated for special purposes.

The company has improved its products since it first started in 1925, it combines past with the latest innovation of comfort and technology. As we all know dutch oven is quite heavy, the large handles give a better grip. Moreover, heat retention is better than ever making sure food stays hot for a long while. Moreover, it is resistant to wear making it chipping and cracking resistant which is seen with other brands when exposed to a range of temperatures.

In this cast iron pot with slow cooking and well-maintained temperature, I have cooked turkey, stews, soups, roasts and baked too, but never ever anything stuck to the bottom.

However, one drawback is that it costs you hundreds of bucks compared to other products but the quality is non-compromisable. It is a brand that had had the trust of my elders, and so it has become my choice too.

Landhaus Enameled Cast Iron

If you are looking for universal cookware that allows roast, fry, prep and bake you have found the answer. Landhaus comes at a good price with premium quality cast iron and stunning colour, which is presentable on your dining table too. This dutch oven is a replacement to the expensive dutch ovens, that won’t fit your budget. It has amazing features. There is a great capacity for food storage, which means you can cook a lot of food, and even store it for a longer time. It has a stainless knob, which can resist high oven temperatures and can be easily washed. Moreover, the interior is BPA free made with Silica that is food safe gloss glass.

One of my most favourite feature I have not found elsewhere is self-basting spikes under the lid. These bumps on the lid ensure distributing flavorful juices to all parts of the dish. Hence, the result is evenly cooked and tender bread.

Although the brand brags much about the enamel coating, many customers found it cracking after a few months of usage. Moreover, it’s difficult to clean as most dutch ovens are. It’s always a good idea to use the warm water and baking soda hack to help get rid of food marks and burnt leftovers. Considering the good value of price, it’s the best dutch oven for bread.

Lodge 6 Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven

Dutch ovens bake golden brown, amazing bread loaves. Mothers honestly love dutch ovens, however, we all know it’s just not limited to just good cooking, its a versatile pot. Lodge offers a good value for money, with its dutch oven that comes in high quality. The quality check is pretty important as it is used at both stovetops and oven. Moreover, these dutch ovens come with superior heat retention due to perfect braise. The porcelain enamel enables it to withstand temperatures up to 1200 and to my surprise, it can also be refrigerated. The versatility in temperature is quite impressive.

Another ease is that it is dishwasher safe, however not recommended as the outside colours go dull with time. And of my favourite feature is that the pot on the insides is made from ceramic that means no seasoning is allowed.

Many dutch ovens are used for outdoor camping but Lodge 6 is not recommended for outdoor flames. Moreover, many customers had trust issues with its manufacturing in China. Use of metal pads or utensils for scratching is prohibited as it can cause damage to the container. I honestly, love this pot for the price and its multipurpose use.

AmazonBasics Enameled Dutch Oven

Amazon Basics come with household items that influence everyday life. Enamelled Dutch oven is at a good cost with one year warranty. There is a range in the capacity of these pots with four colours to choose from. The dutch oven works well for one-dish meals which means there is only one container to clean, making cleaning easier. It’s used for various purposes like baking, boiling, braising, roasting and more. The lid contains bumps for even distribution of flavour to your meal inside, creating finger-licking meals for the whole family.

Marinating, cooking, storing each one of them is possible as the cast iron is nonreactive to food. It can also be moved to various places let it be stovetops, oven, barbeque, refrigerator or just a tabletop.

Experts say that it should be cleaned with handwash only. Other customers came up with a complaint that it’s not the best quality, and can sometimes get minor cracks. Overall, it’s a good product but needs to be handled with care.

Tramontina 80131/037DS

Looking for incredible flavour and consistency in your bread? Perfect heat retention and even-cooking are brought to you by Tramontina. It is an inexpensive cookware which is elegant to put on stovetops, oven, refrigerator and even on tabletops. Since the product specialises in being oven-safe, amazing bread loaves are made making it one of the best dutch ovens for bread.

There are a variety of shapes and sizes to choose from for your baking and traditional slow simmering. It’s also durable with a stainless steel top that can bear a range of temperatures. And most importantly it comes with a lifetime warranty.

However, it can not be kept in a dishwasher. For its price, it has good quality, but overall poor quality and food sticks on the surface which becomes unpleasant and difficult to clean. Otherwise, it’s a recommended product for baking and roasting.

Lodge 5 Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven

Being the USA made with premium quality, Lodge is ALL-USA’s favourite cookware range. As a trusted brand for over a hundred years, it has been passed down from generations to generations maintaining its high-steam image even with multiple competitors in the market. Lodge says it prepares and serves memorable meals to the whole family, turning the family occasions ever-pleasant and I totally agree.

All dutch ovens are used over stovetops and in the oven, but Lodge can also be used for camping, again making unforgettable memories. This product comes with lifetime durability making it indestructible and long-lasting. Moreover, it specialises in retaining heat well. It’s also seasoned with Vegetable oil which means food does not get stuck to the walls or bottom.

This product is the best dutch oven for bread, just that it needs a lot of maintenance or it might start to rust. Never leave it wet.

AmazonBasics Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Dutch

Amazon basics make it possible to get household items of your choice in a low to medium budget. Preseasoned Cast Iron Dutch oven is inexpensive and great for beginners. Due to its price, the beginner chefs can experiment baking, roasting, frying, stewing almost everything. It holds speciality in being seasoned, which means a layer of vegetable oil is present in the interior walls, making food release pretty easy and saving food from burning at the bottom too.

It has relative ease with dual handles, that make it easy to carry the heavy dutch oven. Moreover, it distributes heat evenly and retains it well thus making wonderful bread loaves. From stovetops, oven, barbeque to refrigerator and tabletops, it has the versatility to be used at various places.

However the low price does not guarantee the good quality, and few customers found it getting rusty with use. In my opinion, it’s a great product at a low cost for those who love to experiment with food but are still learning.

BUYING GUIDE

The bakery baked bread is everyone’s favourite, the golden-brown crips when melts in the mouth gives an ever-lasting taste. We all dream of making Artisan bread at home, but do you know the main tool for its possibility? A dutch oven! Dutch oven uses steam to bake the bread making it moist and tender. Here is a guide to make you choose the best dutch oven for baking bread.

Quality: It is pretty important to make sure you get the best quality dutch oven. Dutch ovens are used in changing temperatures from a normal room to the refrigerator and inside the oven, a good quality dutch oven gets no cracks with the changes in temperature and is the value for money. Since Dutch ovens are expensive as compared to other cooking utensils.

Cast Iron Or Ceramic: Dutch oven is made out of two materials, cast iron and ceramic. The cast iron dutch ovens are more famous as they can get heated quickly being a good conductor, they can also be used for a camp fire. But they are much difficult to clean. On the other hand, Ceramic dutch ovens, restore the taste in every bite and nutrients remain undestroyed. They also retain the heat well. the issue is that they take longer to get heated and prepare food in more time. Choose according to what matters you more, time or finger-licking meal.

Good grip: dutch ovens are quite heavy. Handling the heavy hot pots can be difficult and dangerous at the same time, well handled and better gripping dutch oven creates ease while cooking and baking.

Size and shape: choosing the ideal size and shape is pretty important, as dutch ovens are used in ovens and stovetops both. They also used for cooking, frying, roasting and baking. Moreover, a larger size can be a lot more heavy. According to your cooking needs, and the size of the family choose the desired dutch oven.

Heat retention: almost all dutch ovens made claim to be excellent heat retainers, which means food stays at a constant temperature inside them. so make sure you take this benefit too, by getting best heat-retaining dutch ovens.

Choosing your dutch oven with these factors will get you an excellent dutch oven. But cleaning can still be an issue, you have to always clean it with a nonmetal pad and wipe it dry. Moreover, during baking, it’s pretty hot and can burn your hands, always wear oven-gloves. By taking necessary precautions you are good to go! Get your favourite colour dutch oven and make your chef dream come true.

FAQs

Why bake bread in a Dutch Oven?

The thick walls and tight lid of a dutch oven give thermal stability for baking. A steam-filled ideal baking environment is created that gives you tender and moist bread, with a caramelized taste of sugars that have melted in the steam.

What are the benefits of a Dutch oven?

It’s a multipurpose cooking pot that can be used for several purposes, for example making soup, baking and roasting. It can be kept in the oven as well as a stovetop.

The food made in steam is much more delicious, as due to the longer period of cooking all the ingredients give a better flavour.

It has good heat retention, the food inside a dutch oven can stay hot for longer periods of time.

A variety of shapes, sizes and colours are available in a Dutch Oven.

What size Dutch Oven is used for bread?

Dutch ovens are available in a range of sizes starting from 6 inches to 24 inches. Similarly deep to shallow containers are also available. For baking bread loaves an ideal size is 12 inches diameter and 3.75 inches deep.

Why is my Dutch Oven bread burning at the bottom?

There could be several reasons:

You are placing the dutch oven at the lowest rack in your oven which is more prone to heat.

You forgot to put a layer of floor/bran between the kneaded floor and the bottom of the dutch oven and so the loof got burnt from radiating heat.

The temperature used is slightly higher than that required.

Why preheat Dutch oven for bread?

Since dutch oven takes a long period to bake loaves of bread, preheating up to 20-30 saves you some time in the baking. It also protects the dutch oven from thermal instability which could cause cracks to the exterior.

What temperature to bake bread in a Dutch Oven?

A temperature ranging from 450-500F is best for baking bread with a tightly fixed lid for 30-40 min. And 10 min without the lid for a crusty, golden brown exterior.

Can I make no-knead bread without a dutch oven?

yes, it’s possible using a skillet and other baking equipment and exclusive hacks with the recipe. however, the bread won’t be as crusty as it is a Dutch Oven.

Can you make sourdough bread without a dutch oven?

Yes, the internet holds several recipes and hacks for those who don’t have Dutch Ovens. The bread won’t taste as good as it does when baked in a Dutch oven, but it is a low-key replacement.