Lodge also makes an enameled Dutch oven which is nearly identical to the Le Creuset, but it sells for about 15% of the price. Reviews say the enamel is a bit more likely to chip, but you could go through 6 Lodges and still come out ahead…
It is linked at the bottom of the post. Happy reading!
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My wife got her sour dough started from a restaurant. We’ve managed to not kill it for a couple years and it was at least 15 years old before we got a part of it.
She was taught to use a dutch oven. We use a le creuset and just plop it in without parchment usually.
That’s what I used for today’s bread. Fun bit: the color of the Lodge changes with heat. At room temp it is a bright red, and at 450° it’s a dark brick red.
You slip the bowl into the oven? You don’t preheat it first?
Ahhh…no. Sorry that wasn’t clear.
The stainless bowl is just to let the doughball rise.
The Tagine is preheated in the oven along with it’s lid.
I tip the doughball out of the stainless ‘proofing bowl’…directly on heated tagine.
Also…the link above is a org that will send you free soughdough starters.
They crowd sourced years ago and will send you a dried sourdough starters for free.
You just need to send a Self Adressed Stamp Envelope to the address.
Tho, it’s nice to include a dollar or so in the request.
They’ll send you back a baggie of starter.
Tho…be aware. Taking a sourdough starter is like adopting a puppy. It needs to be cared for and needs attention.
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Honest question: Why?
Why the hassle?
I can leave the house and buy bread like this in basically every bakery in town. Even the larger chains have it in stock.
https://www.malzers.de/produkte/brote
Doing it for fun - that I can get.
I’m hoping that lots of people will answer your question here—I’d love to hear everyone’s own reasons 
For me, off the top of my head:
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Fun and experimentation, discovery and learning
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Cooking and baking for myself makes me feel connected to our human ancestors going back thousands of years.
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Cost savings (yes, there are indeed great breads available from the bakeries, more so all the time, though they’re relatively expensive, at least where I am).
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Provides something to talk about online and at parties, that isn’t politics or religion
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Why cook for your self at all then? Why do anything yourself when you can hire some one or just run out and buy something already done?
Then why even ask?
There are a few reasons that I can imagine - Saving money or food intolerances and allergies for instance. That’s why I am asking.
Try harder next time.
I bake because it chills me out while I watch my country burn to the ground.
I also bake because I like my bread more than your market’s version.
Additionally, I want my house to smell life fresh baked bread once or twice a week, when my daughter is waking up. She likes lunch sandwiches on bread made here, and I frequently send her back to her mother’s house with a loaf, as well.
I also enjoy the challenge and like having the skill.
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You can use the stone for challah - just place the sheet with the loaf right on top of it. Halfway through baking, move the sheet to a middle rack (rotate it while you’re at it) and finish the loaf there. I always keep a dozen unglazed tiles in my oven and if something needs extra browning on the bottom, I make sure it spends a few minutes on the tiles. Preheating takes longer but the oven’s temperature doesn’t fluctuate as much
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My Lodge has seen 10 years of steady use and has held up perfectly except for normal discoloration from everyday use. It’s getting harder and harder to lift, but that’s because I’m wearing out.
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Next time mix the dough in the evening, let it sit out for an hour or so and then put it in the fridge overnight. The next day, take it out and give it about an hour to come to room temperature, then shape it, etc. according to the original instructions. Letting it sit overnight does wonders for the flavor and color of the final loaf.
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Here’s another reason for me: using the oven helps to warm the house in the winter. Of course, that’s true for anything you make in the oven, but as it’s true for bread it’s worth listing as a reason.
(It’s +16F in Minneapolis right now, +60F in the house, and I’m just about to put something in the oven…)
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- Some of us don’t have a choice of quality bakeries nearby
- It’s a creative outlet
- It’s an inexpensive hobby - you can produce a great loaf of bread for $1 worth of ingredients. You can spend $$$ on equipment, but you don’t have to
- You are developing useful skills
- Friends and family will love you forever because you can be counted on to produce rustic loaves, sandwich buns, dinner rolls, biscuits, bagels, croissants, pastries, etc. for parties and family gatherings. (A family friend threatened to steal me from my wife because I fed her a fresh croissant made with herbed garlic butter yesterday.)
- It is fun.
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Bread like this is simply not available where I live (SE United States). Oh, there are commercial loaves labeled as sour dough or rustic or hearth baked and so on, but if it’s in a grocery store, even in the bakery department, it is from a large vat of bulk dough with a long ingredient list: saemtliche Varianten an Toastbrot. There are a few so-called artisan bakers around who charge a premium for what I can bake better at home.
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I made the Cooks Illustrated “Almost No Knead” version today. Mixed everything last night, let it rise 18 hours. Punch down, smidge of kneading, 2 hours 2nd rise. I think I like this version even better than the original.
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