Enameled Cast Iron Loaf Pan

[BadRabbit]

I received a Le Crueset loaf pan recently as a gift and was wondering if I can even use it for bread. It seems to me like the heavy dish would take a long time to heat up and therefore leave me with poorly developed crust on the side. Should I preheat it in the oven before trying bread in it or should I just save it for other uses like meatloaf?

[robirdstx]

I received a Le Crueset loaf pan recently as a gift and was wondering if I can even use it for bread. It seems to me like the heavy dish would take a long time to heat up and therefore leave me with poorly developed crust on the side. Should I preheat it in the oven before trying bread in it or should I just save it for other uses like meatloaf?

I bought one recently and tried it for baking bread. The bread was fine, no need to preheat the pan but I did not like the shape of the loaf. The loaf was narrow at the bottom and very wide at the top where it rose above the lip. I'm going to use mine for things other than bread.

[robirdstx]

I bought one recently and tried it for baking bread. The bread was fine, no need to preheat the pan but I did not like the shape of the loaf. The loaf was narrow at the bottom and very wide at the top where it rose above the lip. I'm going to use mine for things other than bread.

BTW, mine is stoneware, not cast iron.

[HungryC]

Enameled cast iron is great for bread (see all of the attention given to Jim Lahey's no-knead loaves, which are baked inside enameled cast iron pots). ECI loaf pans are also great for baked charcuterie, like rolled ham, pate de campagne, terrines, and such. In fact, LC sells a covered cast-iron terrine pan. And, of course, the loaf pan is perfect for meat loaf.

[abooja]

Baking no-knead bread requires that the dutch oven be preheated. For sandwich bread, one would normally do the final proof in the loaf pan. Then again, I don't want a hard crust on my soft sandwich bread, so maybe this pan would work? But would color be affected?

I have this same issue with a stoneware deep dish pizza pan I've owned for years. Not quite sure what to do with the thing.