Cloche Clay Baker — Oblong — USA

$68.00

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(28 customer reviews)

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Oblong Cloche Baker — Made in the USA

oblong la cloche

No Knead Sourdough with Breadtopia Select Flour

For all lovers of crispy crusts and moist crumbs, I present to you the USA Oblong Baker.

Along with the rising popularity of the no-knead bread baking technique, the oblong cloche has become our most popular model. The wet no-knead dough tends to flatten out during baking. However, the sides of the oblong cloche shore up the dough, forcing an upward rise and consequently a better shape. You’ll also have a loaf shape more suitable for sandwiches and toasting.

Another big benefit is it will fit inside a standard 30″ oven along with the round cloche (two round cloches will not fit at the same time). Now you can get two hearth oven style loaves in the same baking.

The moist dough within the hot cloche creates the steam needed to produce a delicious bread with crackly, golden crust and a more open crumb. It completely eliminates the need to spritz your bread, pour water in a hot skillet or jump backwards five times at sunrise to achieve the crust you desire. The natural clay baking dish and domed lid will simulate a hearth oven in your kitchen.

We’re elated to now offer this model made exclusively for Breadtopia by Emerson Creek Pottery in Virginia.

“I have been baking breads and yeast pastries for over 50 years. Since moving to the no knead method I have been making a variety of breads the no knead way and using a variety of covered containers from a clay wok to cast-iron. I recently purchased the loaf and boule covered bakers. There is no comparison. These products create a bread that has a perfect crumb and a perfect crust and the taste is sublime.”Elaine Cooper – Breadtopia customer
“I’ve used the bulk dough/refrigerator method, recipes from 4-5 different no-knead books, the stone, broiler pan, ice cubes, but nothing got the crust to crack when cut like the la cloche. Yesterday, I think I made the pefect loaf – used the Cooks Illustrated recipe with KA white flour and added about 10 minutes to the cooking time. Crust crackly, big holes, chewy texture; hubby got out some cheese and we ate half the loaf for supper – never done that in 30+ years of baking bread. Next I’ll try the WW flour, then some seeds…”Linda Rowley – Breadtopia customer

 

Outside dimensions (for determining fit in oven): 15 1/4″ long x 7 1/2″ wide x 4 3/4″ high
Inside baking area: 14″ long x 5 3/8″ wide x 4 1/4″ high

Breadtopia recommends the Oblong Rattan proofing basket to use with this oblong cloche.

One year limited warranty — warranty limited to manufacturing defects.

Note: We’re often asked the difference between this oblong cloche and our other oblong cloche for $19 less. Both are the same dimensions and perform the same. The difference is simply that the USA cloche costs more to make.

 

Cloche Clay Baker — Oblong — USA

  1. Rick Jackofsky (verified owner)

    I love this ceramic baker. I have been using this beautifully made cloche clay baker for a couple of months now. Paired with the oval proofing basket, it’s the perfect size for sandwich bread or an artisan Italian loaf size. This baker is very well made, much sturdier than a Romertopf baker. I leave the lid on for 90% of the bake time and every loaf is nicely browned.

  2. SheilaB54

    I love this baker! I am a relatively new baker of sourdough bread and using my Emerson baker for the first time yielded a beautiful loaf. The sides really do draw the loaf upwards. Of course I worried I might have done something wrong, but no, I made a beautiful loaf of sourdough bread. I can’t share a picture so you have to trust me. This is a clay baker made by an artist who clearly must be a baker!

  3. Tina Chaddick (verified owner)

    This baker is wonderful, it has made all the difference for me in making a successful sourdough loaf. I use the oblong proofing basket and the dough fits the baker perfectly.

  4. Maria

    Love this baker! It really elevated my bread baking, literally! With a 520 gram recipe, and the oblong banneton they sell here, it fills the baker and makes a fat loaf of crusty sourdough Italian bread, perfect to have with soups and salads. I would love to post a photo, but I don’t know how.

  5. Mark (verified owner)

    Great results. I’ve baked a standard, starter-based, no knead loaf of 800g flour that yields 1.5k of dough. I thought that might exceed the capacity, but it fits well, if snugly. The finished bread is beautiful and delicious.

  6. Bee Stoermer (verified owner)

    This cloche oblong baker is fantastic. Not only was it made in the USA, but it has made baking bread for me a whole lot easier. Before purchasing this handy baker I was shuffling a heavy cast iron dutch oven in and out of a hot hot hot oven during the baking process. And also having to put hot water in to another hot hot hot iron pan for steam. Now, I toss my dough from banneton to baker, score, and bake. The bread turns out perfect. I also LOVE the kevlar gloves. A fantastic safe option to clumsy oven mits. My bread baking confidence has gone up exponentially. Put these items on your Mother’s/Father’s Day list. Must have.

  7. Kevin

    I’ve used mine four times so far, and every time I get better results, mainly from adjusting the size of the recipe to better fill the cloche. I was previously using makeshift “cloches” i rigged up with overturned baking pans on top of pizza stones, that sort of thing. They worked OK but were very cumbersome and easy to mess up. This just makes it easy. Highly recommend using with the oblong proofing basket and liner. I made my own proofing basket out of wire mesh and just use the liner, since the Breadtopia ones are out of stock. Works great.

  8. David Renken (verified owner)

    I am glad to be using a cloche now rather than tossing hot water into the bottom of my oven and this long cloche works well. After baking with it several times I did notice a couple of things to comment on. First is what Connie said below, the dough always catches the edge of the narrow cloche on the flip in. Regardless of this, the final product has always been a beautiful loaf. Second and more important to note is baking temperature. I have been slightly burning my loaves and I suspect this narrow shape transmits heat more rapidly to the bread. The next loaf I’ll bake 10-20 degrees lower and I expect this to be the fix.

  9. joestrella

    Here’s the crumb pic.

  10. joestrella

    I have been baking my own bread on a weekly or biweekly basis for over a year now. I first started with four ingredients first (flour, water, salt, yeast). Seven months ago I ventured to create my own leaven (“levain” in French) to make sourdough bread. I tried very different ways to make the best artisan bread I could by creating enough steam in the oven during the baking process. Though the results were somewhat “okay,” my bread would not even come close to those I saw in pictures in both the internet and books.

    Sometime in November 2017, I told my son that I wanted to get this oblong cloche. I read the reviews, plus also saw few YouTube videos on baking bread using a cloche, and became pretty much convinced that I had to try one. Well, he got it for as a Christmas present!

    Well, this cloche is the next best thing to a $25,000 commercial combi oven. I don’t know why I had not gotten this a year ago. The bread bakes evenly and the oven spring is outstanding. The outcome is absolutely beautiful and fulfills my expectations.

    This cloche is worth buying — it is very afordable and the bread looks like those pictured in bread baking books. I am so happy with the results that I ordered the round cloche and the clay batard baker. I want to thank Breadtopia for making these bakers available at an affordable price.

  11. Bill Rice

    Just got mine and used it one time. No problem with bread sticking to it. Just make sure you season it before using it to bake with. I made a loaf with three cups of flour recipe but I think a five or six cup recipe would fit in nicely. I would buy this again should something happen to mine.

  12. Randy (verified owner)

    Just ordered another one. The product results were so good with this model in the past that I just have to give it another go!

  13. Randy Francisco

    I should clarify my previous remarks. Before buying the La Cloche I used small Romertopf bakers with very good results. I liked the shape of the La Cloche and purchased it based on all of the great reviews it received. The finished product from my La Cloche use was excellent. When mine developed cracks, I decided to go back to the Romers, just because I wanted to be cautious about potential breakage at the wrong time. At the time I did find on the internet that other folks had had a similar experience. However, the overwhelming majority of users were delighted with the La Cloche. Since my technique with these products is consistent, I think my experience was simply bad luck. No stoneware or clay product is going to be as durable as metal/cast iron. I have used cast iron. Clay and stoneware produce better crusts in my opinion. I think it is definitely worth the home baker’s while to use one of these products and I will probably give the La Cloche another go.

  14. Aliyah Levestam

    Another brilliant baker – I have this plus the round one and both have never disappointed. My oven is small so I can’t get both in at the same time but by manipulating the rising temperature I can bake one after the other.

  15. Connie

    Does the job – I purchased this oblong La Cloche to complement my round one after reading that they both fit in the oven at the same time. True and both make fantastic bread!!! My only difficulty with the oblong is transferring dough from an oblong brotform – it wants to fall on the side but I think this is user error, not an intrinsic problem with the clay baker. Truly, bread is elevated when baked in these bakers so do yourself a favor and buy one or two!

  16. Nancy McCann

    Fantastic – I purchased from Breadtopia (best price) 6+ months ago and love it. I bake several loafs of sourdough each week. The recipe I use is NOT a KN recipe but a recipe of starter, water, salt and flour. It is kneaded and put into baker to rise and then bake. The loaf is big, beautiful and a crackling crust. Pure perfection!

  17. Rich Robbin

    I have used all shapes and sizes of vessels to bake my breads… and of course, not as happy as I
    was after the first time I used the LaCloche I purchased from Breadtopia. Even got a friend to buy
    one. The bread bakes perfectly and looks better than any grocery store bakery bread!

  18. Anonymous

    wow! I love it – Been using the oblong baker for six weeks -every week-. Never had such great results in 40 years of bread baking. Have used the Jim Lahey formula as well as the Peter Reinhart method. Probably will never buy another loaf of bread at the store or bakery. Mine is so much better. I’d love it if La Cloche came in a shorter and deeper version to make a loaf for sandwich slices. But it’s not a big deal. It just works!!!!!!

  19. Stash

    Love it – Just baked my first loaf in the La Cloche – unbelievable. The bread had risen beautifully with a lovely crust. Can’t wait to try my T65 French Flour in this.

  20. Grace

    A must if you like bread – I own both the round la cloche and the oblong la cloche. They make the most incredible bread. Don’t hesitate to buy both. I like the fact that they both fit in the oven together so I can bake two loaves at the same time. Great for having company over as people couldn’t stop eating the yummy bread. Again, excellent packaging and fast shipping. Thanks, Eric.

  21. Linda Westerschulte

    Buy this! Outstanding. No need to even season the pan. I immediately tried Cooks Illustrated’s Almost No-knead Bread. I always wanted to make this bread in an oblong shape instead of the circle shape of my enameled cast iron Dutch Oven. In the La Cloche baker I got my beautiful long loaf. It rose magnificently (better than in my cast iron pot) and the crust was perfect: toasty brown, shattering deliciously in the mouth, and so much of it! I think this is the best country loaf I’ve baked in my life, and I’ve been at it for forty years.

    I suppose the way the clay cloche concentrates the heat is the secret. I did not think it was possible to get these results at home. Next: sourdough. I can’t wait.

  22. Jason Thompson

    Perfect – I have been looking for a new ‘dutch oven’ style baker for no-knead bread and the the Oblong baker perfect for this type of bread baking. Additionally, customer service is outstanding. I had to place my order over the phone and Eric was friendly and helpful.

  23. JJ BEcker

    Buy it now! Works perfectly, buy it. See how trivial it is to make bread that is better than you can buy.

    I’m not kidding! I’ve been making bread for 30 years, and the crust, crumb etc were always good, but never perfect. Now my lame GE oven is working like a steam oven.

    Do NOT delay, buy this thing.

  24. Esther G.

    The perfect crust – The breads are SO crusty and so delicous! I have been baking bread for almost 40 years, and have never been able to produce a loaf as crusty as the breads that come out of this clay baker. A wonderful investment.

  25. Robert

    This thing is amazing. Nice crispy crust and soft crumb. You can bake all kinds of things in it besides bread too. Breadtopia also has excellent customer service. It arrived broken (bottom had a crack, top was in several pieces), but I was quickly sent a replacement after making a phone call.

  26. David Daniel

    The La Cloche works great! It makes it really easy to adjust the crispyness of the crust. No clean up required, just brush out any crumbs. It is a lot easier than free forming. You end up with a nice sized loaf for sandwiches.

  27. Dean Cole

    I just recently purchased a “La Cloche Clay Baker – Oblong”. It is one of the best purchases I have made online. It has brought joy to my baking.

  28. John Alexander

    I make a NK dough and split it in two –half goes into the fridge for later. I use the baker to proof in and put it in the preheated oven cold. I bake a half loaf for 20 minutes covered and 10 uncovered. Wonderful bread.

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