Do you love bread? We’re sure you’ll be able to tell the difference between homemade bread and store read. The extra delicacy and sweetness, along with the perfect crust you can achieve at home, is unbeatable. To bake delicious bread at home, you will need a bread cloche.
A bread cloche is a dome-shaped ceramic pot used to bake the tastiest loaves of bread. The cloche’s quality itself plays a vital role in determining how well your bread is going to turn out to be. Therefore, you must continue reading this article to find out about the best bread cloches.
Table of Contents
Best Bread Cloches
| Image | Best Bread Cloches | Rating |
|---|---|---|
 | 1. Emile Henry Bread Cloche | 99% |
 | 2. Sassafras Superstone La Cloche Bread Baker | 96% |
 | 3. Sassafras Superstone Covered Baker | 92% |
 | 4. Lekue Silicone Bread Maker | 89% |
 | 5. Reston Lloyd Classic Series Large Roaster | 85% |
Want to learn more?
Here are our Bread Cloche reviews.
1. Emile Henry Bread Cloche
There is a reason why bread cloches are called so. A cloche signifies a bell or dome shape. If you’ve ever baked bread at home, you’ll know how significant the shape is to the end product. A good quality cloche’s dome shape is what sets it apart from other products.
The Emile Henry Bread Cloche has been regarded as the best bread cloche by several experienced bakers. It is perfect for mimicking the shape of a traditional bread oven. When closed, this shape allows moisture and heat to flow steadily throughout the bread for even baking.
This cloche creates the steam injected oven’s environment in a natural manner through its superior construction. Therefore, you are sure to receive some extremely high-quality bread with a crunchy crust.
One of the most remarkable things about this bread cloche is that it is made from natural ceramic materials. Therefore, the resulting bread is representative of the potter and baker’s superior craftsmanship.
This lightweight cloche is not the easiest to clean because of its bottom grooves. Another issue is that its construction limits your creativity to bread. However, you can experiment a lot with bread, as proven by the instructions manual that comes with the cloche.
If you’re looking for a top-grade bread cloche liked by professionals, you cannot miss the Emile Henry Bread Cloche.
Why do we like it?
- Come with a 10-year guarantee for full investment satisfaction.
- Hand made in France from the clay to the pot.
- Allows you to make bread as well-cooked as in a steam-injected oven.
2. Sassafras Superstone La Cloche Bread Baker
Much like the Emile Henry Bread Cloche, the Superstone Sassafras La Cloche Bread Maker is also dome-shaped. Therefore, it has the same structural advantages and disadvantages. However, the product is unique on its own.
This cloche has a deeper bottom lid. Therefore, you can cook things other than loaves of bread in it as well. This versatility comes in handy, primarily because of the dome-shaped product’s adequate heat and moisture retention.
One of the nicest things about this bread cloche is the superior baking process involved in its construction. The resulting bread looks much thicker and fuller because of the employment of the bread lame.
If you’ve been searching for a good quality bread lame and clay cloche, you’ll know the challenging process involved. However, since the product has both things, it is an incredible purchase.
Whether you place bread cloche in a bakery, a rustic kitchen, or a modern one, you will love how it will accentuate the surroundings. Not only is the dome shape perfect for baking, but also for great aesthetic appeal.
The cloche is unglazed and has grooves all over it. Therefore, it might not be easier to clean. However, the structure is similar to a brick-lined oven, and the bread you get from the cloche is of similar quality as well.
Why do we like it?
- Comes with a professional-grade bread lame.
- Safe to easy baking.
- Unglazed clay surfaces allow for the baking process to be as authentic and rustic as possible.
3. Sassafras Superstone Covered Baker
Sassafras is a great company manufacturing the highest grade of clay products. The fact that this is the second product from the company to feature on our list is proof of that. The company used the safest and high-grade materials to bake its products.
Do you like how when you buy bread loaves from top-grade professionals, their bread has a shine on them? You can achieve that shine on your bread at home as well with the Superstone Covered Baker.
The elongated bread cloche allows you to experiment with several bread shapes and types. Therefore, it is unique and versatile. You can bake not only bread but also roast light-skinned potatoes to perfection in this baker.
The narrow design also allows for perfect air circulation and heat distribution, allowing the bread to get crunchy and chewy at the same time. The bread quality is similar to the one baked in a brick-lined oven.
This cloche’s surface is unglazed and completely natural. Therefore, your bread will have a unique earthy taste, making it all the more delicious. We also like how the product is microwave and oven safe. It can be heated up to 500o F without any problems.
Why do we like it?
- Easy to operate handle allows you to grab the product even when it is hot.
- Allows authentic taste and aroma into the bread.
- Produces oblong bread loaves along with allowing you to roast other food items.
4. Lekue Silicone Bread Maker
As you can see from our above two choices, bread cloches seem to be pretty space-consuming. When you’re trying to bake bread in a small kitchen, using most products is not easy since they are too bulky to store. On top of that, if you’re clumsy, handling a ceramic or clay pot is a nightmare.
If you want a low space consuming bread cloche that will not bread if you drop it, you might want to have a look at the Lekue Silicone Bread Maker. This cloche is an extremely versatile, user-friendly, and easy to store compact product.
A huge concern about most silicone products is their likely toxicity. However, the Lekue Silicone Bread maker is made of food-grade non-toxic silicone to produce safe to consume fresh bread at home. The platinum silicone can withstand heat up to 428o F.
The partially closed bowl-like shape of this bread maker allows the steam to stay inside and circulate effectively. Therefore, the bread dough stays warm and moist, allowing t to develop a soft and chewy texture. Since the sides are partially open, your kitchen will be filled with the delicate and delicious aroma of fresh bread.
This is one of the easiest to clean bread makers you will ever come across owing to the silicone construction. It is also dishwasher and microwave safe for cooking and maintaining incredibly convenient.
Why do we like it?
- Comes with a handy recipe book to allow for easy cooking.
- One of the most affordable options of high-quality bread makers.
- Easy to clean, maintain, and store.
5. Reston Lloyd Classic Series Large Roaster
Most modern bread cloches are made of ceramic materials to keep the temperature steady. However, when the art of baking bread was new and elite, bakers used to use clay pots and pans for baking delicious bread.
The Reston Lloyd Classic Series Large Roaster is reminiscent of those times. This bread cloche is made of pure clay to bake bread to perfection and add a rustic look to your kitchen. The elongated and deep design is perfect for you if you prefer country bread.
Clay has excellent heat retention properties, allowing the bread to be baked to have a chewy crumb. The natural moisture absorbent properties accentuate this texture in the bread while creating an effortlessly shattering crust.
The bread baked in this cloche matches the quality and expectation of a professional steam oven’s products. In fact, when you use this cloche for baking bread at home, you will never want to buy store bread again.
You can bake not only bread but also soups, chicken, desserts, fish, and other things due to its excellent cooling capacity. Since the bottom side of the cloche is glass glazed, it is easy to clean. The cloche is also oven, microwave, and dishwasher safe.
What sets the deal is the beautiful motifs embedded to the surface. Its sets a nice touch to the surroundings and the bread as well.
Why do we like it?
- Extremely easy to maintain with dishwasher compatibility and glazed surfaces.
- The shape is perfect for cooking several items other than bread.
- Devoid of any harmful chemicals; completely safe to use
Bread Cloche Buyer’s Guide
You can buy bread cloches in a huge variety of sizes, shapes, and functions. Therefore, choosing the best option is not as easy as it seems. The bread cloche itself is the most significant influence on your bread’s quality.
To help you make a prudent buying decision, we have made this buyer’s guide. When you buy a bread cloche, you must consider all of the following things to get the perfect cloche according to your needs.
Material
Whatever material you choose to get your bread cloche in makes a difference in how heat is distributed to bake your bread. The cloche’s material also influences the bread’s taste and aroma.
The best cloches are the ones made of clay or ceramic materials. However, they can be very delicate and hard to maintain. You can also get wrought iron pans, but they are generally reserved for professionals. Silicone cloches are also great if you want an unbreakable product.
Shape
Bread cloches come in two shapes – round and oblong. The shape influences not only the bread’s shape but also the heat and moisture distribution. The deeper a cloche, the better it will be at circulating moisture throughout the bread.
There is no right or wrong cloche shape. While round cloches are more traditional, they are not necessarily better than oblong ones. You can choose whichever shape you like better for your loaves of bread.
Moisture and Heat Retention
The way a cloche can retain steam is the biggest factor that should influence your buying decision. You want a cloche with the capability to retain as much moisture as possible from the bead. You do not want soggy bread.
Heat retention influences the bread’s crust. The better the heat retention, the crunchier the crust is likely to be. The crunchier the crust, the chewier the crumb is going to be. Therefore, you must only invest in cloches with excellent moisture and heat retention properties, such as the ones made of clay.
High Heat Withstanding Capacity
It is obvious that you’ll have to heat the cloche to bake bread. Therefore, you should always invest in a cloche that has the highest heat withstanding capacity. Some low-quality products can withstand only up to 200o F heat, and they are sure to break as you get to serious baking.
It is always advisable to invest in a bread cloche with heat withstanding capacity over 350o F. However, it is worth noting how many good-quality products can withstand heat up to 500o F.
Oven and Microwave Compatibility
Heating a cloche over a stove is not always the most convenient option. Getting a cloche that is oven and microwave compatible will save you a lot of time and give you higher versatility options.
Not only do oven or microwave compatible cloches allow you to bake easily, but they also allow you to heat bread whenever you like.
Cleaning Ease
If you’ve ever baked bread, you’ll know how sticky the dough can be. While the perfect loaf should not leave much stickiness behind, more likely than not, you will have to deal with a difficult cleaning job.
Some excellent bread cloches are dishwasher compatible or are glazed for easy cleaning. They will save you a lot of time and effort and will make the cooking process more enjoyable.
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