I recently came across my old clay pot that I used for years to bake chicken and meat dishes. The taste of the chicken and vegetables cooked in wine in a clay pot was delicious and incredibly unique to that method.
My fond memories of clay pot cooking inspired me to try this method to bake bread. Baking bread in clay develops a crispy, golden brown crust, like the kind you see on French bread. There’s a reason professional bakers use clay tiles in their ovens - the taste of bread baked this way is incredible!
My Recipe for French Bread Extraordinaire using clay bread bakers:
- Rub Flour on sides and bottom of clay pot (leave some flour in bottom of pot to prevent dough from sticking to pot).
- Remove dough ball from bread machine and place on oiled counter top. Form dough into one oblong loaf.
- Completely cover shaped dough ball with flour and place in clay pot bottom. Let rise 1-3 hours, covered, in warm place.
- Soak TOP of Clay Pot in HOT water for at least 30 minutes (I also gently slash the top of the dough at an angle before putting the cover on).
- Place soaked clay pot COVER on clay pot bottom. Put into COLD oven. - Set oven temperature at 450 degrees.
- Bake 45 minutes. Remove cover, check for “doneness” and color. In my oven,this is enough time for the bread to be done and nicely browned, however ovens vary, so if necessary, read may be baked/browned an additional 15 minutes UN-covered.
- Bread will be done when a finger thump on the loaf’s surface sounds hollow.
- Allow the bread to cool for 15 minutes before serving; serves about 14 to 16 people.