You'll Love these Cast Iron Skillet Bread Recipes (#4 will make you drool!) (2024)

FAQs

Is cast-iron good to bake bread in? ›

But the real magic comes from the cast-iron Dutch oven, the perfect vessel for baking bread. It acts like an oven-within-the-oven, maintaining a high and steady heat that transforms this sticky dough into a gorgeous round loaf with a crisp crust and excellent crumb structure.

I simply heat a medium-sized skillet over medium heat, and toast the bread directly in the pan. Just put the bread directly on the hot pan—I use a non-stick pan, so no butter or oil needed, but a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet would be great here too—and let it crisp and brown, 1-2 minutes per side.

Ready to bake

Apply a gentle coating of vegetable oil-based non-stick spray and sprinkle in some semolina flour or cornmeal. (Be careful during this step — the pot may smoke slightly when prepared.) Slide your hand under the towel or piece of parchment paper and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side down.

To every pan, there should be season

Wash the pan well, scrubbing away rust with fine steel wool. Dry thoroughly, either over low heat on the stove, or in a 300°F oven. To season your pan, rub it all over with peanut oil or vegetable shortening, until it's completely coated.

The quality of absorbing heat and holding onto it makes cast iron ideal for any recipe that starts on the stove and ends in the oven. From searing a thick steak or spatchco*cked chicken that finishes in the oven to caramelizing apples for a tarte tatin, cast iron is the best possible choice for this kind of cooking.

You need to rinse and thoroughly dry the skillet after each use. Fortunately, cast iron happens to have a nonstick coating that prevents food from burning. Cast iron skillets have been designed to perform a lot of cooking and that's why it is safe to use them in an oven.

Wash your cast iron cookware by hand. You can use a small amount of soap. If needed, use a pan scraper for stuck on food. For stubborn, stuck-on food, simmer a little water for 3-5 minutes, then use the scraper after the pan has cooled.

Yes, I periodically season the Dutch oven I use to bake my bread—it is cast iron after all. I simply apply a thin layer of vegetable oil all over the pot.

It keeps the bread from expanding. So for some kinds of bread, the oven has a nozzle inside that injects steam. The steam keeps the crust from forming right away so you get a healthy spring. The steam produced by the water dissolves some of the starch on the surface of the loaf and makes a thicker, tougher crust.

Butter or Olive Oil Brush: Brush softened butter or olive oil atop the loaf before baking to add flavor and color. Milk Bath: Brushing a loaf with milk before baking gives the baked bread a tender, golden crust. For a sweet bread recipe, sprinkle with sugar if desired.

Should I put parchment paper in Dutch oven for bread? ›

If the bottom of your Dutch oven isn't enamel-coated, it's best to use the parchment paper. Mine is enamel-coated, but I find it easier to keep the round shape of the dough if I just place it in the Dutch oven with the parchment paper. Whatever works fer ya!

And what better way to bake this bread than in a cast iron pan? Cast iron pans are an excellent choice for baking bread as they are durable, retain heat well, and provide even heat distribution. Plus, the cast iron surface will create a crispy, golden crust that is hard to achieve with other types of bakeware.

Why does food stick to cast iron? Two words: heat & oil. The most common reason food sticks to cast iron is because the pan is simply too hot.

Our favorite loaf pan is the Williams Sonoma Goldtouch Pro Nonstick Loaf Pan, which baked picture-perfect loaves. We also liked the round-edged Nordic Ware Treat Nonstick Loaf Pan. It had handles, making it easy to pull out of the oven.

Material: Stainless steel, cast iron, and aluminum are excellent choices for high-quality loaf pans. If you want to use your loaf pan for other purposes, check to see what temperature is considered safe. For instance, most nonstick bakeware isn't broiler-safe.

Bread baked in stoneware will be crustier in the area covered by the pan than bread baked in metal. This is a more compelling advantage with quickbreads. In my opinion sandwich bread doesn't need to be crusty. Metal bread pans are cheaper, lighter, and less fragile.