Sassafras Superstone® Covered Bread Baker with Lid - Bisque Glazed Exterior and Unglazed Interior Stoneware Bakeware - Bakes an Artisan Italian Bread with Crusty Crust and a Light Crumb

Stoneware, due to its kiln or oven-fired production process at high heat, exceeding 2100 degrees, is impervious to moisture. The idea of using stoneware for a covered baker is simple; the material provides even heat distribution and the porous surface circulates evaporated moisture from food while baking. This helps achieve a crispier crust while maintaining a moist interior, something every baker of artisan breads strives for. So much for the theory. We ordered the SuperStone Covered Baker from Amazon, and just like other reviewers, were disappointed in how poorly it was packaged. The manufacturer packaging does little to protect the fragile stoneware baker during transit; styrofoam endcaps holding the two pieces inside the small box. Amazon literally throws the manufacturers box into a larger shipping container with a single airpack (!) on top, allowing it to move around and bounce inside that box during shipping. I would have at least expected styrofoam chips or airpacks all around and top to bottom to provide protection, not this minimalist approach. No wonder ours arrived with the styrofoam pieces pulverized inside the box and the baker having experienced a chip. Hopefully, the packaging feedback we left separately will be read by someone at Amazon who is actually interested in improving this oversight. I have received DVD's from Amazon that were better packaged than this. Our disappointment however was limited to the packaging only. The baker itself comes in two pieces, a bottom piece and a cover with a practical handle. The color is a light tan, like clay. The two pieces are not glazed, neither inside nor outside, however can be easily seasoned by applying a slight coating of olive oil or vegetable oil to the inside prior to use. The size is about right for a loaf of bread for a family of four, for one day. In order to avoid thermal stress (which may lead to cracking), we let the covered baker get to room temperature before the first use and seasoned the inside as well as the lip with olive oil. Adding the bread dough was easy and we added a teaspoon of water on top of the dough before we put the lid on and set the covered baker in the oven. We got this tip from a fellow baker and believe it does add to the result. For the last 5 minutes of baking, we removed the lid and brushed the top of the bread with some water, which resulted in a great colored crust on top. The handle was very useful for this, not all covered bakers offer this practical feature. Once removed from the oven, we let the baker cool down a little. All we had to do to get the bread out was to turn it around and the bread fell right out. Seasoning was all that's needed for its non-stick characteristics; no cornstarch, flour or even parchment paper. In fact, this worked so good that cleanup was limited to wiping the insides with a kitchen towel, making it really easy. The reviewer that reported the dough expanding so much that it lifted the lid and stuck to everything must not have seasoned the insides and probably overlooked that the included recipe actually was for two loafs of bread. Now to the results. Evenly baked, with a perfect crust, the results met (and exceeded) our expectations. Seriously, nothing we had ever been able to achieve before, not with the expensive convection oven nor with tricks like adding a pan of water to get steam. Professional results, the kids don't even realize the bread is home made. It does however disappear fast every time we bake! The book "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" provides us with many delicious recipes, however please don't fall for the "five minutes" as they don't count the time for the dough to rise. Nevertheless, this covered baker helps us put great and delicious artisan bread on the table (and best of all, we know all of the ingredients, so no hidden chemicals or preservatives) and we are actually looking at adding the round "domed" baker as well to give us even more variety.

I have 2 of the Sassafras Superstone Covered bread bakers that are unglazed on both the exterior and interior. I love these bread bakers, but had to have the red one with the red glazed exterior. Probably silly, but I love the red glazed exterior. Since the interior is unglazed, it bakes my bread just as well as the ones I have with an unglazed exterior. When buying bread bakers, there are so many choices, i.e. glazed or unglazed, cast iron or stoneware, etc. All of these maintain the humidity under the dome to produce a superior oven spring. This eliminates the need to spritz the oven every 7 minutes at least 3 times at the start of baking to produce the needed humidity or having to put a pan of water in the oven for the same purpose. So these pans are much less messy for your oven. As for choosing a glazed or unglazed interior, the difference is in the crust produced on the bread. An unglazed interior will absorb some of the moisture from the bread producing a crispier crust. A glazed interior will produce a softer crust. Both option maintain moisture to increase oven spring, and for both, the cover should be removed the last 15 minutes of baking for browning. The clay or stone bakers, such as this one, must be preheated in a cold oven. Since putting dough into a hot baker is difficult, it works better to let the dough heat with the baker. Unless the baker is well seasoned, using parchment paper to transfer the dough works best to prevent sticking. The cast iron bakers must have a glazed interior to protect the cast iron and prevent rusting. They don't need to be preheated, and the glazed interiors make them easier to clean. These bakers are easier to clean, and can be more useful for purposes other than baking bread. As a bread baker, I believe the quality of this bread baker is superior, and the glazed exterior is a bonus. It works well for baking bread, and is easy to use for the purposes intended. I very much like the handle on the cover which makes the cover easier to remove as many similar bread makers do no have this handle, but handles on the ends of the bread baker would make it much easier to remove from the oven. I hope this review was helpful for you.

Bakes sourdough bread perfectly with delicious crispy crust

After having attempted home made bread in regular loaf pans of various sizes, and getting good (but not excellent) results, I finally decided to invest in this covered baker. I'm pleased to say that my baker arrived intact, which was a concern after having read other reviews. The lid does fit properly on the base, which I also checked due to other reviews. My first loaf of bread made in this baker turned out both beautiful and tasty! I did season the insides of both the bottom and top with oil, and I'm glad I did. I also dusted the bottom with corn meal. Even though I divided my bread dough into two loaves, it was still a little too much and I had a bad moment when I tried to take the lid off to brown the crust for the last 10 minutes of bake time. It did eventually come off, but I had to take the baker out of the oven, set it on top of the range and then carefully pull the lid straight up. I've had no trouble with subsequent loaves, and I think this is because 1) I put less dough in the baker and 2) I liberally seasoned the baker with oil, top and bottom, before each use. The last loaf I baked was a sourdough bread, using my own home made starter. It was so much better than any store bought bread I've ever tasted! Even though I've given this a 5-star rating, I do wish that the bottom of the baker had some kind of handle for easier removal from a hot oven. It's not an issue putting the room temperature baker into the oven, but since this is definitely breakable, I am a little apprehensive about getting burned using bulky oven mitts to carefully pull the baker out of the oven. Because most of my bread recipes make two loaves, I just ordered a Romertopf Reco No.111 Clay Baker from Amazon and am anxiously waiting for it to arrive. I have been using a cast iron Dutch Oven with lid to bake my second loaf of bread, but it's a little small and the lid is convex where the handle is. That means my round loaves have an indention in the top center. It's purely a cosmetic thing, the taste is nearly as good as the loaves made in the long baker, but I do want my bread to look as pretty as it tastes...

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. 2) For second rising, shape and place in pot. I place the pot on my stove for second rise. 3) 45 minutes to an hour before it's ready for the oven, I turn my oven on to 480 deg. This I believe is the secret. Higher heat. I also grow bonsai trees and I use small clay pieces in the mixture of soil. Clay absorbs water then slowly releases the moisture. Same principle for the pot. The difference is if the heat isn't high enough the moisture does not release quickly. Which is probably the reason some reviewers have spongy crumb. After 40 min in the oven I remove the lid and cook another 6-7 minutes for a deep brown. I have made hundreds of loafs of bread in my day and I have never had a crust so crisp, the crumb is perfect. Lift the parchment paper and there is nothing to clean. Nothing at all. I did condition it with when I first got it. Of coarse It doesn't look anything like an Italian free form loaf but the taste is as good as what I can buy at a good Italian bakery. No lie. I have a meat slicer that has a blade for bread; I use the whole recipe for one loaf and it is huge. I now have two pots. I basically use Carol Fields recipe for Pane Franchise, with a minor adjustment for moisture content of my starter. What I don't eat immediately I slice and freeze. Since applying this method I have made great bread everytime (8 weeks straight as of today). I have not tried any other breads yet. 425 or 450 deg won't work in my oven. Higher heat to release moisture quickly that's the trick. Good luck

This cookware bakes evenly and maintains a good shape for bread. However, I was disappointed to learn that the cookbook that came with it had only 3 bread recipes and only 1 with cover. It's difficult to use this item to its full capacity due to the limited recipes available both with product and on-line.

My original review is below. I just wanted to give you an update: I'm still using this pan and cloche 6 1/2 years later and I still love it! It gives crisp, artisinal crusts and boosts the rise of your loaf (see how near the bottom of my review) and I get terrific compliments. This is truly a product that worth the expense if you enjoy excellent breads. You will definitely see improvement in your homemade breads when you use a cloche. Basically, it is an unglazed clay base and domed lid that create the effects of a baker's oven within your own oven. The high heat and steam in a professional oven are not found in a home oven but, with the cloche, the results are remarkably similar. Contrary to many reviews, I was delighted and surprised to find that my La Cloche arrived in perfect condition. Packing it in thick cardboard and big plastic bubbles resolved the company's breakage problem. La Cloche's Pros * Excellent quality unglazed ceramic baking top and bottom * Heavy enough to retain heat * Performs as stated in the advertising * Creates a hot and humid environment making bread rise higher * Easy to maintain La Cloche's Cons * Be careful not to put too much dough into the oblong cloche. When the bread rises, it may stick to the interior of the top * The looped handle on the top is a bit small, be cautious when handling it when it is hot The following are some suggestions to improve your oven's environment using this product: * Place a thin layer of coarsely ground corn meal on the interior base of the cloche. The will prevent the bread to sticking to the surface * Use parchment paper instead of the corn meal, if desired * Soak the top (only) of the cloche in water for 30 minutes prior to placing your bread dough in the oven. (This will give you the benefits of a steam oven without the costs of a new one.) * Put your dough on the base and place the water-soaked top over it. * DO NOT PRE-HEAT your oven (Yes, read this correctly!). Turn the cold oven to 450° and set the timer for about 40-45 minutes for a 20-24 oz. loaf. * After the 40-45 minutes, remove BOTH the top and bottom of the cloche set from the oven. * Return the bread to the oven, placing it directly on the metal shelf. (Do not use a baking sheet.) The will allow you to bake artisanal breads with a crackling crust. The interior texture (crumb) will be moist and chewy. * Dust the interior surfaces with rice flour, as it helps prevent dough from sticking (If you do this, you must dry the top of the cloche if you have soaked it prior to baking. I have used this method for: San Francisco Sourdough bread (see my review); whole wheat bread; artisanal white bread; cheese bread; herbed bread; and both seeded and unseeded rye breads. I brought a basket of breads to a Superbowl party and they were a big hit--so much so that, two families asked for instructions and will begin baking breads for themselves.

I was concerned about previous reviews saying product was poorly packaged and arrived damaged. Seller must have remedied the problem. I found it to be very well protected with multiple layers of high density foam. The product inside the box was well protected, and also the box had foam at the corners and was packaged inside a second box. The baker had no glazing inside or out that I could tell, so seemed a bit different than described but looks to be of high quality. I have washed and "seasoned" it as recommended and look forward to many loaves of wonderful bread from it.

Previously I purchased the Emile Henry Loaf Baker but could never achieve the same quality of sourdough bread that I get when using my dutch oven. I even tried using the baker upside down with still not the same results. Since my family is partial to the loaf shape, I decided to try the Sassafras Baker to determine if it would do the job. Yep! It does and does it well! The crust came out as we like it and the bread baked almost identical to the dutch oven. If this baker wasn't so expensive, I would definitely purchase another because I always bake two breads at once and having the oven work twice as long by using one baker twice is a hassle but it will be worth it. Love this baker!!

Easy to use, just followed instructions for priming etc. Beautiful sourdough.

I had seen bread baking videos using the Sassafras Covered Baker, but never imagined that I would want or need one. I puttered along, happily baking my Dutch oven boules but gradually tired of the sameness and decided to experiment with the Italian loaf shape. What a perfect baking vessel! The lid fits securely to retain the steam produced as the dough bakes. It gives a remarkably crisp crust without the need for spritzing the dough with water, retains heat beautifully and for a long time. As my baker now begins to take on the darker coloration that frequent baking brings, it is beginning to look well-used and well-loved amongst my baking vessels, and has become my go-to vessel for bread baking.

Perfect for no knead bread. Loaves are nicely formed and slip out of the baker so easily. The lid grip makes so much difference in removing the top compared to one larger clay baker I have that is very awkward to manipulate. Very valuable baking vessel.

I seasoned my baker per instructions, and the stoneware has now taken on a rancid smell. I am cleaning it daily with detergent to slowly remove the smell. A pity, as it works very well, producing well shaped loaves, and does not stick, withou the need for flouring or greasing the inside.