Italian Bread Loaf Baker | Burgundy

I bought this bread loaf baker specifically because I wanted to make loaves instead of sourdough rounds all the time. For reference I usually make sourdough bread in either my Staub or Lodge dutch ovens and this was my first time making bread in a ceramic baker. After reading the EH instructions and seeing a few youtube videos, I gave it a try. I used the same multi-seed recipe I normally do for a boule I bake in my Staub, so it didn't fill out the EH baker, which is a bit larger. I preheated the loaf baker at 485 F (since ceramic generally heats up faster than cast iron) and then once I took it out, I just tipped my bread into it directly from the loaf-shaped proofing basket without greasing the baker or putting in some flour beforehand. I scored my bread, gave it a healthy spritz of water on and around the loaf, sealed it and baked it at 450 F for 25 min, before uncovering and baking for an additional 25 min. It came out perfect - crispy, chewy thin crust with a spongy and soft interior. If I were to double my recipe, I'm sure I would get better height, but I like the smaller size. I was also pleased that I had no need for parchment paper or greasing the baker. My bread just popped right out when I tipped it over and the baker stayed relatively clean. The additinal bonus is that the loaf baker is light, so for those who find enameled and cast iron ovens too heavy, this is an excellent alternative. Also, it cools down much quicker than cast iron and it looks pretty set out on my kitchen hutch. This is made in France so the enamel and craftsmanship is quality and it feels like it will last a long time. I highly recommend this to those who enjoy home baking and would like sandwich-stylebread!

I love the Emile Henry brand. I have 6 different types of bread bakers from Emile Henry and love how my bread turns out. They are the best investment for increasing the quality of my bread. They are lighter than using cast iron, but still heavy duty enough to produce the perfect crumb and crust. Don't get a cheap alternative. These are made from fine burgundy clay from France. They can withstand high heat requirements for baking good sourdough loaves.

I am absolutely blown away by the Emile Henry loaf baker! This incredible kitchen tool deserves nothing less than a perfect 5-star rating. The quality of the craftsmanship is outstanding, evident in every detail of this loaf baker. The durable ceramic material ensures even heat distribution, resulting in perfectly baked loaves every time. I love the beautiful design and vibrant color options available, adding a touch of elegance to my kitchen. The lid creates the ideal steamy environment for a crispy crust and moist interior, making my homemade breads taste like they came straight from a professional bakery. The non-stick surface makes for easy release and cleanup, saving me time and effort. I am truly impressed with the Emile Henry loaf baker and highly recommend it to any bread enthusiast or home baker. It has become an essential part of my kitchen arsenal and I can't imagine baking without it. If you want to elevate your bread baking game, look no further than the Emile Henry loaf baker!

You get what you pay for, the shiny surface keeps all the surface clean, in and out. I just wish it had a handle on top, I use my bottom oven and it’s hard to open without getting burn

I was reluctant to buy this expansive baker because I saw some reviews saying the item arrived broken, some complaining that it's hard to remove from the oven, and some saying the bread sticks to the pan. But I'm glad I took the plunge and bought it because it makes a great loaf and I've had none of those problems. Today I made a 6-cups of flour loaf of no-knead rye bread, using the Bittman technique for no-knead bread as described in his book, How to Bake Everything. The result was perfect. Bittman's technique involves heating the empty, covered pan in the pre-heating oven for at least a half hour before the dough is ready to bake. When ready, you remove the pan from the oven and dump the dough into the pan, close it up, and place in the oven. It's not as tricky as it sounds because you let the dough rise on a towel, so you pick up the towel and dump it in. When you preheat the pan in this manner, it does NOT need to be greased or floured. The baked bread will easily fall out of the pan, no sticking. That is true for my pyrex bowl that I usually bake bread in, and evidently it is true for ceramic as well. I do not have any trouble moving the pan into or out of the oven with oven mitts. I wonder if the people who found that difficult have stiffer oven mitts so they cannot get a grip?? It might be tricky to remove just the cover to brown the bread, without removing the whole pan from the oven. Perhaps that is what people were trying to do. And yes, that would be easier to do if there was a knob on the top of the cover. But regardless of which vessel I'm using to bake the bread, I take the whole pan out of the oven if/when I want to remove the cover for further browning. That feels safer and easier to me no matter what I'm baking the bread in. I love the the loaf shape and large size of this pan. Now sandwiches made with my homemade bread will fit in standard sandwich containers for packed lunches. The fact that you can make a 6-cup loaf means you don't have to bake as often. I'll be cutting each loaf into thirds and freezing them in separate bags. Couldn't be more pleased. I wish it wasn't so expensive but I bake a lot of bread so I guess it is worth it.

I baked bread worked beautifully. Bread came out nicely browned. Did not stick. Would definitely recommend.

I read other reviews about the baker arriving broken and thought, not me! Yah, it arrived exactly as I hoped it wouldn't. The lid of the product is literally only being held by cardboard, at the very top of the lid of the box and it can and does indeed receive concussive force enough to break it. It's literally being held against the lid of the box, even the slightest mishandle is going to cause it to break, no foam, nothing to help it arrive to your house safely. What a shame it looked like a very nice product. Not worth my time at this point toodles.

This pan is beautiful! It has definitely helped up my bread game! I have been making sourdough bread for years – I primarily use the formulas from Ken Forkish’s book Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast. I make one batch at a time which yields dough of a little more than 1 kg, and bake in two batches in a round, Lodge, cast-iron Dutch oven. These loaves do come out beautifully – but the boule shape is sometimes difficult for making sandwiches (Some slices are larger. Some slices are smaller) Enter the Emile Henry Italian bread loaf baker, and not only do I get beautifully shaped bread that slices into perfect sandwich slices, it has also shortened my bake time since the entire 1 kg of dough will fit in here and bake all at the same time! The crust doesn’t have quite as much crunch as a loaf, coming out of a preheated Dutch oven, but given that I am using these for sandwiches that has actually worked out pretty well. I bake at 450° for just about an hour – have still been using a temperature probe just to make sure it’s done, but this pan has been performing beautifully. One word of caution – I did have one loaf start to stick to the inside of the lid. Thankfully, I noticed before I baked it and was able to change directions, but that would’ve been a bit of a mess. With a little bit of butter and flour coating on the inside of the bottom pan, I have not had any problems getting the loaf out or having it stick to the pan. Overall, I love it. It is a bit expensive and maybe if you only casually make bread, it might not be worth it? That is subjective though. If you watch, you can definitely get it on sale I got mine for around 40% off just before Christmas. If you are into bread-making, and looking for a large pan to make sandwich loaves, go for it – I don’t think you will be disappointed!

This bread bakers gives amazing results every time. It gets as close as you can to a bakers steam oven as you can in a domestic oven. Great crusty finish on all types of bread including sourdough. The easy to clean glaze on the baker is a boon. Highley recommended for that professional finish.

Sono ormai un habitué dei prodotti di questo brand, che non è sicuramente tra i più economici ma che sa regalare produrre ancora prodotti qualitativamente impareggiabili per quanto concerne "il coccio" e il suo utilizzo in cucina. nella fattispecie, questo è il secondo stampo che acquisto (stavolta per mia cognata dopo aver assaggiato il pane fatto in casa da mia moglie.) Si tratta di coccio smaltato che rende la cottura in forno unica e gustosa. Il pane risulta croccante fuori e morbido dentro. Sicuramente a livello di maneggiabilità c'è di meglio (lo stampo presenta 2 labbri per la presa con le pattina ma quando molto caldo, 2 classiche maniglie sarebbero meglio) e il peso a vuoto non è da sottovalutare, ma visti i risultati a mio avviso sono aspetti del tutto tollerabili. Unico neo... attenzione agli urti!

Beats having to lift a heavy cast cocotte, although I still use both the Staub and Emile Henry bread baker when I need to make two loaves. I just find it easier to slice the loaf than the cob. Makes beautiful bread.

Faccio il pane in casa da sempre, ma devo dire che da quando uso Emile Henry , il pane oltre che molto bello da vedere, è anche buonissimo. Cottura perfetta, croccante fuori e morbido dentro. Mai più senza Emile Henry!

Beware. Mine arrived broken.