Customer Reviews

Sassafras La Cloche Brick Oven

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

I had wanted one of these baking dishes ever since I read about them in Carol Field's book THE ITALIAN BAKER. My wife and I received one as a wedding present and I have now baked bread in it multiple times. It does indeed make a difference in the texture of the crust. After years of experimenting I had never been able to achieve that especially crisp crust that you get from a bakery, until now. Another plus is that the dough's final rise inside the covered dish obviates the need for plastic wrap. I lately have purchased the rectangular "baguette" version of La Cloche at an outlet store, and have found it to be a more practical shape for day to day baking. The original bell-shaped La Cloche is great, however, for making large, round hearth loaves or a cluster or dinner rolls.

I love to bake. I really love to bake bread. My specialty is sourdough. So now I have 3 strikes against me, that is, until I found La Cloche.

Although it can be used to cook meats, I personally only use it for bread. La Cloche turns your regular oven into a brick oven, and the quality of your bread will amaze you. It browns beautifully, has a crispy, chewy crust that seems to carmelize the sugars in the crust differently. There is no need to spray water or create steam in the oven, because the steam is created inside La Cloche by the bread itself. So actually bread making is more simple and safe because you are not spraying water into a 500 degree oven.

There are 2 shapes, a french bread style and round oven hearth style. I have both and pop them into the oven at the same time, so I am baking 2 loaves of bread at once, which is a little more economical.

Truly, I wish I had this from the beginning of my baking attempts. If you are a baker or love one, go ahead and spring for it. You will never regret this kitchen tool. All my other bread pans are now unused.

I used La Cloche to make bread with, specifically San Francisco Sourdough, with SPECTACULAR results. The crust was crisp but chewey, and I could not imagine baking another loaf without it. But after I used it the first time, the bottom developed a crack. After a second use, the crack became so large that I will not use it again for fear it will break during cooking.

I called Sassafras Enterprises (800.537.4941), and for $8.00 to cover shipping/handling they are sending out a replacement bottom. Their customer service was outstanding, and I feel they build a quality product. I also purchased the rectangular version of La Cloche, and I have not had an issue. Perhaps our La Cloche was damaged during shipping. I would have rated it 5 stars otherwise.

I thought I would get lucky and not have my La Cloche arrive in pieces. Quite an number of reviewers claimed to have had that problem. But it was not to be. In pieces it was. However, Amazon was very good about crediting my account. Amazon needs to package these things better. It gets bounced around alot in transit and they need more bubble wrap or popcorn in the box that they stick the La Cloche box in. Please be aware that something this fragile needs to be handled with more care.Labeling the outside of the box FRAGILE wouldn't be a bad idea either.

I would not bother to purchase this very fragile oven until they fix the packaging - the original cloche I ordered and a replacement one arrived broken.

I ordered this item because of the rave reviews. Unfortunately, it is highly fragile and the manufacturer has done a TERRIBLE job of packaging the product, especially the bottom piece. My first order arrived with the bottom piece in a million pieces, as did the second, as did the third.

Amazon has been VERY good about refunding my money. However, until either the manufacturer or Amazon addresses the packaging issue, it's not worth your time ordering, as it will arrive damaged.

My friend has one of these, and it does a great job of making wonderful, crusty bread, so I thought I'd get one also. My problem isn't with the product itself, it's with the packaging. I did read the reviews before I ordered and saw that other people complained about this, so I mistakenly assumed that the issue had been addressed by now and resolved. Wrong. The first one I ordered arrived with the bottom part smashed to bits. So I ordered a replacement, which just got here today--and the bottom part is smashed to bits.

I'm going to try once more and then give up. The way these things are packed, it's a miracle any of them arrive unbroken. You can't put two pieces of unglazed pottery touching each other in a cardboard box with no insulating material and not expect at least one of the pieces to break the first time it's shaken a little. How does Sassafras ever make any money on a product they have to keep replacing? I bought the long version of this from a seller on eBay, and it was well packed and arrived in perfect condition. If a private person can ship something so it doesn't break, why can't the people who actually make the item?!

Five stars for the Cloche--zero stars for the idiotic packing.

Bottom arrived broken. I cannot believe that a fragile, ceramic vessel wouldn't be packaged with some protection in the box. Amazon packaging was equally ineffective with air bags around the box but nothing to protect the bottom of the box!

I ordered "FOUR" of these items and each time the product arrived broken in a zillion pieces. After the second delivery of clay shards I contacted Amazon and actually talked to a real person. After assurances, I ordered two more. They arrived DOA as well. Amazon is very good about refunds/replacements however it would have been nice to try out the product.

This is a good product - BUT it was packed in a foolishly light box with the bell's handle directly touching the base pan without any protection, so the base arrived broken in half by the cloche's handle!

I have a friend who is on his second Cloche, both have broken bottoms - tho' he still uses them for baking superb bread. I used my clay romertopf baker, perhaps a little more ungainly, but the bread was equally superb, and beautifully golden with a great crust. I've had it for decades and it's still intact.

I cannot understand how they could have boxed it so foolishly and there is no excuse for it breaking so easily after use by my friend.

I think the Sassafras is shoddy