BreadPot

For Christmas, Nancy gave me something super cool...a ceramic BreadPot.  For a couple of months, I had been reading about various breadbaking techniques and ran across a helpful blogpost by Mark Bittman that mentioned a handmade covered baking dish and a fabulous picture.  Go check it out when you are done here.

I tracked down Judith Motzkin, her website, her blog and, after more reading, concluded that it would be just the thing.  She and I corresponded a bit and she recommended this particular model, with a flatter bottom and deeper lid, because it suited the ciabatta-style bread that I have been making.  Here is the first product from my BreadPot, a couple of whole wheat ciabatta loaves:

The BreadPot is an appealing, rustic creation with a cheerfully functional aesthetic.  It is simple, beautiful, and artistically made.  I liked it as soon as I saw it, even before trying it out.  Judith includes a bread recipe, indelibly inscribed in the lid, something she does with all of her pots.  I will try it soon.  She also has a rye bread recipe that I will find again and try soon, too.

I cooked the bread at 425 degrees for 20 minutes like I normally do on my pizza stone, then I took the lid off, and cooked it for 10 more minutes to firm the crust.  It worked perfectly, rendering a good texture, firm crust, and full flavor.  It will take a little tweaking of ingredients and cooking time, I think, for it to be perfect, but I am off to a good start.