I recently hosted a Pampered Chef party and received the Deep Covered Baker from the Stoneware line for 60% off. I just got it a few days ago and did some research and found out that I can bake artisan bread in it. I found this link a week ago for "Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes A Day". You mix up the ingredients, let it rise, and then put in the fridge for up to two weeks. It is a no-knead bread and will make 4 one pound loaves.
My first loaf was done on a cast iron skillet and turned out ok. Kind of dry, wasn't impressed. I did it in the Deep Covered Baker today. The result is the picture above. It turned out so much better than on the cast iron! I followed the directions on the ABin5 site, but baked it for 30 minutes with the lid on, 10 with it off. It was sizzling when I took the lid off.
Over time, the nice creamy inside of the stone baker will get seasoned and turn a dark color. Since this was the first time using it, I just brushed a bit of olive oil on the inside. I also got the stoneware pizza stone. I made Grands biscuits on it and the bottoms didn't get hard and nearly burned like they do on a sheet pan.
Back to the ABin5, I need to get the book soon. There are variations for this master recipe, including a brioche dough and pizza dough.
Oh, yes, the link... Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day Master Recipe !
