Baking Sourdough in a Dutch Oven — Why It Works and How to Do It

A Dutch oven (cast iron pot with a lid) is widely considered the most reliable way to bake sourdough at home. Professional bakeries use deck ovens with steam injection — a Dutch oven replicates that environment in a domestic oven. Understanding why it works helps you use it more effectively and troubleshoot problems when they arise.

Why a Dutch Oven Produces Better Sourdough

Two things happen in the first 20 minutes of baking that determine how much the loaf opens up:

1. Steam keeps the crust soft so the loaf can expand. Without steam, the crust sets hard too quickly and traps the loaf before it can fully spring.
2. Intense heat from the preheated cast iron drives rapid expansion (oven spring) from all sides.

A Dutch oven traps the steam that the dough itself releases in the first few minutes of baking. The loaf is essentially steaming inside the pot. After 20 minutes, you remove the lid — the steam escapes, the crust dries and browns, and the Maillard reaction develops colour and flavour.

What Size Dutch Oven Do You Need?

For a standard home sourdough (700g–1kg dough):

• Round Dutch oven: 24–26cm diameter. A 24cm pot is the most common and versatile size.
• Oval Dutch oven: For batard-shaped loaves from an oval banneton — match to your loaf shape.

The pot should be large enough that the loaf doesn't press against the sides when it expands, but not so large that steam disperses too quickly.

How to Use a Dutch Oven for Sourdough

1. Preheat the pot: Place the Dutch oven (lid on) in the oven while it preheats to 250°C. Preheat for at least 30–45 minutes — the pot needs to be extremely hot. This is the most important step.
2. Load the dough: Working quickly, remove the pot from the oven. Score your loaf, then lower it into the pot on a piece of baking paper (the paper makes lifting easy and prevents sticking). Replace the lid.
3. Bake covered: 20 minutes with the lid on. Don't peek — you need to maintain the steam.
4. Bake uncovered: Remove the lid and bake for a further 20–25 minutes until deep brown. For a thicker, crunchier crust, leave it in for 25–30 minutes.
5. Cool on a rack: Remove from the pot immediately and cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before cutting. Cutting too early gives a gummy crumb.

Safety When Working With a Preheated Dutch Oven

A 250°C cast iron pot is extremely dangerous. Always use thick oven gloves, move slowly and deliberately, and put the pot down on a trivet or heatproof surface while loading the dough. Never touch the pot without protection.

Baking Without a Dutch Oven

If you don't have a Dutch oven, you can create steam another way:

• Place a deep tray on the oven floor while preheating. When you load the loaf (on a hot baking stone or inverted baking tray), pour a cup of boiling water into the tray. Close the oven quickly.
• Alternatively, cover the loaf with a large metal bowl for the first 20 minutes to trap steam from the dough itself.

Neither method is quite as reliable as a Dutch oven, but both produce significantly better results than baking uncovered. Our Classic Sourdough recipe includes instructions for both methods.

Common Dutch Oven Baking Problems

• Flat loaf, no oven spring: Pot wasn't preheated enough, or dough was over-proofed
• Bread sticks to the pot: Use baking paper — never skip it
• Crust too pale after uncovering: Turn up the oven slightly or extend uncovered time by 5 minutes
• Crust too dark or burning: Reduce temperature by 10°C for the uncovered portion

For a starter to bake with, browse our sourdough starter kits. For proofing baskets and baking tools, see our baker sets.