Lid for baking bread in cast iron loaf pan?

January 28, 2023 7:08 AM

What can I use as a lid for my cast iron loaf pan when baking bread?

I want that good crust on all sides, and my loaf pan didn't come with a lid.

Foil or a cookie sheet are too thin to hold heat properly.

Can I just set a large cast iron skillet on top?

Thanks!

posted by wenestvedt to Food & Drink (15 answers total)

I was coming in to suggest a cast iron skillet! I think that would work fine. I would probably heat it in the oven before putting the bread in (and it on the bread) because all the extra metal in the handle and sides will take longer to heat.
posted by Missense Mutation at 7:22 AM on January 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

I don't suppose you have two of them? Because one would make the perfect lid for the other. I don't think a cast iron skillet or other imperfect lid is going to do what you're hoping. This technique is about trapping the steam of the baking bread inside the vessel.
posted by HotToddy at 8:14 AM on January 28, 2023 [2 favorites]

If you're not averse to an extra bit of kit—and round loaves—Lodge makes cast iron dutch ovens in multiple sizes. I find the 2 quart to be a perfect size for your average loaf. Dropping the dough into a pre-heated dutch oven produces fantastic crust,
posted by los pantalones del muerte at 8:56 AM on January 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

you can set a cast iron skillet on top, but its best if whatever lid you end up using has no gaps. One of the advantages the dutch oven method has is being able to use the water vapor from the baking dough to keep itself flexible and enhance the oven spring.
posted by alchemist at 9:06 AM on January 28, 2023 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: We use a covered cast iron Dutch oven now, but would like the loaf shape for packing lunches. :7)
posted by wenestvedt at 9:27 AM on January 28, 2023

You could get a cheap disposable aluminum loaf pan at the grocery store that's roughly the same size, then shape it so it fits tightly on your loaf pan.
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:37 AM on January 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

I just use a round Lodge dutch oven but for your situation, assuming you don't need or want to buy more stuff, I'd try a tight layer of foil and then use a skillet over that to weigh it down.
posted by tangerine at 10:58 AM on January 28, 2023 [2 favorites]

To my surprise, my 9X5 loaf pan just barely fits inside my 7 qt dutch oven. If you haven't double checked, give it a shot. If not, perhaps the lid will give you a seal on the loaf pan?
posted by jindc at 11:44 AM on January 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: The point of a lid is not to hold heat but to trap steam. I'd give the foil a go before writing off that option.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 12:42 PM on January 28, 2023 [6 favorites]

In my experience joe's spleen is right. i purposefully don't heat the lid (cast iron or pyrex) before baking while i do preheat the bottom (cast iron or pyrex). and the top always comes out fine, if not darker than the rest. Just put anything that fits and won't break, and after 20-30 minutes take it off and turn down the heat a bit. If you are worried that the top will not cook, move it a bit higher in the oven.
posted by melamakarona at 1:47 PM on January 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Just today, I tried this recipe from Serious Eats. I don't know if I'm stupid, but I had to read the recipe near a hundred times to get it, but my now baked half baguettes are pretty convincing.

I can't get foil roasting pans for turkeys here, so I used a very big ceramic casserole dish that I heated in advance in the oven, to the highest temperature possible. The casserole dish acted as the baking stone in this case. Then I put in my baguettes, and covered the dish with several layers of foil (that can and will be reused). After ten minutes I removed the foil, as per the recipe and finished them in the dish, but with no foil. So I didn't take them out of a single use roasting pan, I just let them finish in the dish without the foil.

The steaming part worked perfectly.

My baguettes look the part and they have the texture, and they did that lovely crackling sound when they came out of the oven. But I rushed them a bit when rising, and I think the taste and the crumb texture would have been even better if I had followed the timing exactly. I'm trying again very soon.
posted by mumimor at 2:09 PM on January 28, 2023 [2 favorites]

You can buy cast iron loaf pans with a lid. They're a bit spendy; I got a clay version that produces a good crust.
posted by Dashy at 2:27 PM on January 28, 2023

Best answer: Nthing the recommendation to use a lightweight cover because that crust needs trapped steam, not close radiant heat.

We don’t need to reënact the workings of a wood fired oven unless we need to turn off the oven when the dough goes in.

IME the preheated iron pans aren’t even needed except if your oven is very very slow. I can grease a Dutch oven, do a final rise in it, clap the lid on and then turn on the oven - lovely crust, crumb, oven spring, everything. (I think the _Tartine_ book describes this if you need ratification.) Pizza needs a hot stone though.
posted by clew at 4:16 PM on January 28, 2023 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks for all the advice, y'all!

Ultimately I ordered a Lodge cast iron loaf pan. We will put a big piece of foil over the top: tight enough around the edges to capture the steam, but arched up high to allow the bread to spring up during baking.

Stay tuned for our first loaf!
posted by wenestvedt at 6:24 PM on February 7, 2023 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: First white bread loaves last night came out dandy.

My wife misunderstands the role of the lid, so she just draped a huge sheet of foil across the two pans. The top crust was fine, and the sides & bottom were great.

All hail inexpensive Lodge pans!
posted by wenestvedt at 5:44 AM on February 9, 2023 [3 favorites]