You'll Love these Cast Iron Skillet Bread Recipes (#4 will make you drool!) (2024)

FAQs

Can I bake bread in my cast-iron? ›

It doesn't matter if you use an enamel-coated cast-iron Dutch oven or a traditional black cast-iron Dutch oven. As long as you have a lid to cover it, the bread comes out perfectly every time.

Using other pots for baking bread

You can try using a 4- to 5-quart heavy covered pot, like a cast iron Dutch oven. Some Pyrex and ceramic Dutch ovens might also stand up to the task, but you'll want to check the manufacturer's recommendation about preheating empty before giving it a try.

It's generally not recommended to grease the inside of a Dutch oven for baking, since it can cause your bread to char. Instead, line the Dutch oven with parchment paper before baking.

Cast iron: While cast iron requires more care than the other materials on this list, its heat retention and distribution are second to none, resulting in beautifully browned loaves every time. However, it's heavy and is hand wash only.

Cast iron is able to reach high heats and maintain constant temperatures, creating a Maillard reaction on the bread's exterior—aka a seemingly simple but rather complicated set of chemical reactions that take place as food is cooked, affecting both color and the complexity of flavor.

If you are looking to make sourdough without a dutch oven, this sourdough country skillet bread is just the recipe for you. The dough rises and bakes to perfection in a trusty cast iron skillet. With just four simple ingredients, it's a straightforward sourdough recipe, perfect for beginners.

Soaking cast iron in water is a recipe for rust. If you need to remove sticky or stubborn stuck-on food, use a nylon scrubbing brush or a pan scraper and rinse under warm water. Be sure to thoroughly dry your pan. Note: If you do accidentally leave your pan in water for too long and it develops rust, don't panic!

When you buy from Le Creuset, you're paying for high-quality pots and pans that are designed to stand the test of time. Rather than aluminum or stainless steel, Le Creuset craft their pieces from cast iron, which has a much higher heat capacity.

Any tips for preventing a thick, hard crust on the bottom of my bread done in a Dutch oven? Make sure you are using a heavy gauge Dutch oven and that it isn't too close to the bottom heat element in your oven. If you are still getting a thick, hard crust, you can put a pillow of foil down, like this.

Our favorite loaf pan is the Williams Sonoma Goldtouch Pro Nonstick Loaf Pan, which baked picture-perfect loaves. We also liked the round-edged Nordic Ware Treat Nonstick Loaf Pan. It had handles, making it easy to pull out of the oven.

Should I put parchment paper in Dutch oven for bread? ›

You can shape your dough on a rectangular sheet of parchment paper, then use it to safely lower the dough into your Dutch oven. Once your gorgeous loaf of bread is finished cooking, the parchment paper makes removing the loaf super easy.

The lid of the Dutch oven traps in the steam created from the liquid in the bread dough. It's the steam that gives you good oven spring and an airy crumb. Without it, the crust would harden too quickly and your bread would likely not expand to its full potential.

There are a number of items you can use, including shortening, butter, or cooking oil. To make it even easier, you can coat the pan with a layer of coarse cornmeal. This won't adhere to the bread because it's not part of the dough, so there's no need to worry that it will alter your recipe.

To prevent burning, use coarse cornmeal or wheat bran

This layer helps keep the dough from sticking to the cast iron but also lifts it up to prevent burning.

The best pan for the job is a cast iron skillet, which will give you a nice char and a bit of seasoning to go along with it. But you can also toast bread on any non-stick frying pan, a pancake griddle, or even a grill pan if you want the added aesthetics of fancy grill marks.