Customer Reviews

Sassafras Superstone Covered Baker

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I've been looking for something that will allow me to bake artisan-style French bread at home. I'm an experienced bread baker, but had not been able to produce breads that were identical to the commercial bakeries.

Allowing for the differences in our ovens, I thought that perhaps a stone baking container might allow me to more closely reproduce the breads. In late December after reading the available reviews on this product, I purchased it. I had high hopes that I would be able to bake outstanding bread. I used the recipe that came with the pan and was not totally disappointed. The flavor of the bread was very good, but it was not extraordinary. Nevertheless, the baking method is less labor intense than the misting methods used in some recipes.

However, I'm not satisfied with the final results and will continue to experiment with various steps in my bread-baking experience. I'm considering using this pan, but tinkering with the production method, by using a higher temperature, misting to produce steam, and not covering the loaf with this pan's lid.

February 15 Update - I tried putting the baker's top into the oven during preheating. Then, I placed a shallow pan in the bottom of the oven during preheating and, after the oven had reached temperature, poured in 1 c. of boiling water and then closed the oven and allowed it to heat an additional 5 minutes. Please be CAREFUL or you may get steam-burned!!!!!!!!Then I placed the bottom of the Sassafras in which the dough had been raising into the oven for 5 minutes. Again, BE CAREFUL or you may get steam burned. I then opened the oven and placed the hot lid over the loaf and allowed it to bake for the remaining time. It worked great! The bread was nicely browned, very crusty, and perfectly done. The methods are a synthesis of those in the Peter Reinhart, Bernard Clayton, and Rose Beranbaum. I hope this helps others out there looking for the perfect French-style bread.

When you bake bread using only a sourdough starter you get a dough that is more relaxed than dough made with commercial yeast, it wants to rise out as well as up. This pan is the best I have found for baking with sourdough because it not only supports the sides of the dough (so it rises up and not over the sides of the pan) but gives it a fabulous crust.

To prevent sticking you will have to *really* grease both the top and bottom the first several times you use it, also genrously sprinkle the the bottom with cornmeal. After the pan is seasoned a light greasing will do, and once it is *well* seasoned you often won't have to grease it at all. I always lightly sprinkle the bottom with cornmeal though.

One important thing to remember is that you can't wash this with soap, the stoneware will absob it and make your bread taste funny. Most of the time all you need to do is dust the cornmeal out, but every now and then (and if something sticks) you can soak it in plain hot water.

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

I received my Sassafras Clay Covered French Bread Baker the other day and used it right away. The results were excellent. Previously, my wife and I had no luck when it came to getting a beautiful, rustic crust on the bread we'd bake; apparently, that will no longer be a problem with our new clay baker! It was easy to use and easier to clean. I can't wait to experiment some more.

I can say nothing but great things about this baker. I have always had bad luck when trying to bake bread. I decided to try my luck with the Sassafras Bread Baker. The results were wonderful! The bread came out with a perfectly brown crisp crust - just like a professional bread bakery. I am so pleased to have this! My results were fabulous with different types of bread: french and multigrain. Another benefit - clean up was so easy. Just wash off with a water and a sponge and let dry. I'd highly recommend it.

I've owned several of these stone bakers and I keep going back for more because my family sneaks them out of the kitchen whenever they can to keep for themselves. If you use it correctly, your bread will have a fantastic, crunchy crust and will cook evenly every time.

As with all stoneware, the key to preventing dough from sticking to the baker is preheating. You need to place your baker (both top and bottom) into a COLD oven and then preheat it to 450-500 degrees F. This is also true for pizza stones and other stone bakers. When your dough is ready to bake and your baker is hot, remove it from the oven, reset the temperature to whatever your recipe calls for and either:

1. Toss a hearty handful of cornmeal into the bottom of the baker before transferring your dough into it (being VERY careful not to burn yourself - wear oven mitts), cover and bake.

2. Transfer your dough to the baker in a parchment sling. Then toss in a tablespoon of water, cover it, and bake the whole thing, parchment, dough, water and all. The steam in the baker will create a bread will be crispy and crusty, and it won't stick to the stone.

This method works equally well for french baguettes, italian loaves and sourdough recipes.

In reading some of the reviews, I was a bit floored at a couple.

I'm a sourdough baker, have been keeping my own generally for about 35 years. As stated elsewhere, sourdough has a tendency to spread when it rises, giving rather flat loaves.

I used this as directed, lightly coating the bottom with olive oil & giving a generous dusting of cornmeal. It came out without any trouble. I then used parchment with some cornmeal & same thing. I have not used the recipe that came with it. I've baked breads in the past using the spray bottle but, quite frankly, it doesn't turn out very consistent & most of the time way too hard. I live in the desert so it's not like I have a problem with humidity either. I also found making the bread with less moisture content produces a better looking loaf, which I accomplish via adding the Cornell Triple Rich Formula at the recommended rate, as well as about 1 1/2 tsp of wheat gluten per cup of flour, which gives a better elasticity. If you're using a standard recipe calling for 6 cups flour, you may need to add a bit more liquid; I like to use a bit of microbrewery ale. Many bakers swear by a hard winter wheat but I think the softer wheat produces better loaves. Since there's no telling what you can find in the grocery store, the wheat gluten makes up for any hard wheat that might be in it. With the soy in the Cornell additive, it turns out quite lovely & very nutritious.

Another trick I found useful was I soaked the top in water prior to using. I did not spray the bread first, using only the soaked top, & they turned out wonderful! I will be purchasing other brands in different sizes for the various types of breads but I was absolutely tickled with how this turned out, a perfect loaf of sourdough French bread! What this is supposed to duplicate is the classic French clay ovens, which is manages quite well.

I can now look forward to producing my sourdough cheese bread that looks like a loaf, Italian herb & olive, roasted garlic & some rye I've been eyeballing for some time. Don't get discouraged, especially if using sourdough. Just keep experimenting & find what works for you.

On a scale of 1-10, may i say 11? I have only used it 3 times thus far, but it makes an incredible loaf of bread. I actually like the elongated baker vs. the round for easier cutting in a bread slicing guide (you can find what one looks like on Amazon). Each slice comes out perfect. Besides the fact that i already have a cast iron pot to make the "boule" shape so a round baker really isnt necessary.

Using the no knead method (love the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day), and cooking the bread for 30 minutes and then removing the top for 15 minutes makes a perfect loaf of bread. I just read that Wegman's Grocery is now changing all their recipes to incorporate an 11 hour rise time. Right now all my breads have surpassed any of theirs.

I began baking with Jim Lahey's/Sullivan Street Bakery, NY (no-knead method found on youtube). I was once afraid of yeast, but never again!! I was already a passionate cook, but i feel i have found my real passion in the kitchen....BREAD!!!!

p.s. A Quick read thermometer to make sure your bread is "finished" is an absolute necessity. When it reads 205-210 degrees...VOILA, ENJOY

This works extremely well with the famous New York Times "no-knead bread recipe" or CooksIllustrated's "almost no-knead bread" recipe, which both require a very wet dough baked in a covered container.

After 20 years trying to get the crusty and chewey french loaf and failing using tiles, boiling water, spray etc I read about this and sprung for the price expecting more of the same disappointment.

I used their printed recipe and the first loaf was the best in 20 years of bread making. I wish I had this at the beginning and would have saved tons of flour and yeast not to mention time. If you bake bread and can't quite duplicate what you want you need this!