Picked a cast iron pan over non-stick for my first loaf of bread

I had to choose between a cheap non-stick loaf pan and a cast iron skillet for baking my first sourdough last week. Ended up going with the cast iron because I figured it would hold heat better. The bread came out with a crust so thick and crunchy I almost broke a tooth, but the inside was perfect. Anyone else find a cast iron skillet works better for certain breads than a standard pan?

2 comments

2 Comments

lisa_ross1612d ago

Is it really that serious, though? I mean yeah it's just bread not brain surgery. @nancy_miller has a point about the tooth thing but honestly a thick crust is kind of the whole point of baking in cast iron. You try to get that texture in a standard pan and it just doesn't happen. Maybe next time just lower the temp a bit or don't preheat the skillet quite as long so you get a softer crust but still keep the good heat distribution. It's your first loaf, you're supposed to mess around and figure out what works for you.

nancy_miller12d ago

Oh boy, are you really out here comparing bread pans like it's a life or death decision? I mean, yeah, cast iron gives you a killer crust but you pretty much admitted it almost chipped a tooth. That's not a win, that's a trip to the dentist. For a first loaf, maybe a standard pan would've been fine and saved you the worry about cracking a molar on your own baking.