# The goodwife (bread post)



## motoscoota (Mar 9, 2021)

Anyone else baking bread today, to be stuffing tomorrow?
I love her🥲...


----------



## motoscoota (Mar 9, 2021)

That's loaf #1.
2nd loaf just went in.

I don't know what sort of flour magic she's performing, but it's working


----------



## motoscoota (Mar 9, 2021)

This recently acquired Dutch oven is paying dividends.

I got to find a Lodge cast iron Sportsman Grill now. Apparently this particular Dutch oven is the exact size as the grill, so you can do stuff like this at camp, or use the lid as a griddle.


----------



## M.Schmitz87 (Mar 12, 2013)

Looks great! What’s the Dutch oven all about? Why do you like it?


----------



## motoscoota (Mar 9, 2021)

M.Schmitz87 said:


> Looks great! What’s the Dutch oven all about? Why do you like it?


Sure. It's a big deal to me, so I'm going to share all I know here 

I did not know about baking sourdough in a cast iron vessel until I met my wife, who loves to bake. Apparently to get the best loaf, even heat is required.

A heavy steel or iron vessel, preheated is key to getting that thick, crisp crust, over a fluffy inside; such as batard, French bagget, or artisanal sourdough.

We grew up eating these styles of bread in San Francisco, where it's truly a way-of-life sort of affair. Pairing sourdough with dungeonous crabs at the warf, or with italian red tomato sauce in Northbeach is as quintessential as it gets there.

When we were moving to Michigan, we knew we would miss the bread, so we cultivated a starter before we left.

Now, you asked about the Dutch oven. This particular one is the absolute best for making these breads. This is because of its size and shape, and due to it's having a small vent that can be open or closed by rotating the lid.

It's 12 quarts. As a roaster you can easily prepare enough to feed 12 to 14 people. Which makes it excellent at camp. There's enough room for two whole chickens, with spare room for potatoes and/or vegies. So it's great for one-pot style meals. A whole bone-in leg roast, of lamb, pork, or venison fits no problem also.

The lid is quite large also, so it doubles as a long griddle. The lid can be placed upside down over the pot also, so one can cook over two levels from one heat source (moist ingredients inside, and grilled/exposed ingredients on top). This is handy at camp.

Turns out, a hibachi-style grill, also cast iron, known as The Sportsman Grill interfaces perfectly with this particular Dutch oven. The Sportsman Grill these days is a Lodge product, and unfortunately they stopped production. And thus all these cast iron pieces are becoming more valuable.

You can read all about it here (a great history write-up):


Cast Iron Chaos: Sportsman Grill by Birmingham Stove and Range



During the mid-pandemic shutdowns of 2020 it became almost impossible to buy this stuff. There was a home baked sour dough bread craze happening.

Today Cabela's has a new version, made to original spec for $60. If you want one, today's the day, as I'm sure they'll be gone in days ahead. Older ones have gone for $400 on Ebay!



https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/cabelas-oval-roaster-with-lid



My wife likes trains, so I paid a little more for this one:



https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/camp-chef-golden-spike-oval-cast-iron-roaster


----------



## M.Schmitz87 (Mar 12, 2013)

motoscoota said:


> Sure. It's a big deal to me, so I'm going to share all I know here
> 
> I did not know about baking sourdough in a cast iron vessel until I met my wife, who loves to bake. Apparently to get the best loaf, even heat is required.
> 
> ...


Damn. Thanks for your insight! I grew up in Germany and learned to value a good bread. Looks like I’m getting a Dutch oven. Happy thanksgiving!


----------



## motoscoota (Mar 9, 2021)

I really like this stuff gotta spread the joy!


----------



## MichiFishy (Sep 17, 2019)

motoscoota said:


> I really like this stuff gotta spread the joy!



I wish you wouldn't have posted about this, now I want one. And they're not cheap.


----------

