I Tested 6 Bread Ovens (Plus a Dutch Oven) to Find Out Which Made the Best Sourdough

Creating a gorgeously crusty loaf requires a bit of gear: a proofing basket, a bread lame, and, of course, a pan to bake it in. Many home bakers, including myself, bake bread using a Dutch oven. Here’s why: As bread bakes, the water in the dough turns to steam. The steam becomes trapped in the enclosed space and helps to keep the surface of the bread from drying out too quickly, delaying the formation of a crust. This allows the bread to continue expanding, making for a loftier loaf, because once a crust begins to form, the bread can’t grow much further. Partway through the baking time, you can remove the lid of the Dutch oven to let excess moisture evaporate and encourage a deep golden brown color.  

As sourdough baking has exploded in popularity in recent years, a slew of specially designated bread ovens have hit the market. Many of these are essentially upside-down Dutch ovens: a shallow or flat base with a domed cloche that is placed over the top. When the cloche is removed partway into the bake time, the entire loaf of bread is directly exposed to the heat of the oven, rather than tucked inside a deep Dutch oven, which allows for more even browning. A purpose-built bread oven can also help to minimize the risk of burning yourself—I occasionally singe a wrist or knuckle on the edge of the preheated pan when adding dough. To find out if bread ovens are truly better, I put my old, reliable Lodge Dutch oven head-to-head with six popular bread ovens. To my surprise, they all produced beautiful loaves of bread, but there were a few key design elements that made the winners worthy investments. 

The Winners, at a Glance

The Brod & Taylor bread oven features a flat, sturdy baking steel and an aluminum cloche. While the steel itself is on the heavier side, it can live in the oven, like a pizza stone. The only piece that needs to be handled while hot is the cloche, which is incredibly lightweight, especially compared to any other bread oven I tested. The cloche has a large knob at the front, which is easy to grasp while wearing oven mitts, meaning it can be removed with just one hand. This is also the only bread oven I tested that is big enough for making both round boules and oblong bâtards. If you already own a baking steel, you can just buy the cloche.

The Le Creuset bread oven blew me away with its compact, user-friendly design. The base features generous, easy-to-grip handles with a ridged, enamel glaze that prevents sticking. The cloche has a knob at the top and is light enough to remove with one hand. Both pieces combined weigh 10 pounds, making it one of the lightest models I tried, which is especially impressive considering its cast-iron construction. While this bread oven comes with a steep price tag, it includes a lifetime warranty, making it a great investment piece for devoted bread bakers.

I loved pretty much everything about this round bread oven from Tramontina. The design is very similar to the Le Creuset model—the base has large, looped handles and the cloche is topped with a sturdy metal knob. At 11.8 pounds, it’s just a touch heavier than the Le Creuset, but the cloche is still light enough to maneuver one-handed. The best part? This bread oven is one of the most affordable models I tried. 

If you love making oblong bâtards rather than round loaves, the Challenger bread pan is for you. The base is generously sized and has six well-positioned, looped handles. This major caveat is that this pan is seriously heavy.  Even with its many handles, it’s still a, well, challenge to maneuver the Challenger in and out of a hot oven. It’s also quite expensive. That said, it’s a nearly indestructible piece of cookware that will last for generations— plus, it makes a gorgeous loaf of bread. 

The Tests

• Dutch Oven Test: This test was intended to give a baseline for comparison, since a Dutch oven is a common vessel for baking bread at home. I used my trusty Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven to bake one round boule of pain au levain. I noted how easy it was to handle the Dutch oven while hot and also observed how evenly the bread baked. 
• Bread Oven Test: I used each bread oven to make one loaf of pain au levain. I made either round boules or oblong bâtards, depending on the shape of the pan. I took note of how easy it was to maneuver each pan while hot and also observed the quality of the baked bread—I looked for even browning and a decent oven spring.

What I Learned

Easy-to-Grasp, Thoughtfully Placed Handles Were Essential

At the end of the day, all of the bread ovens I tested produced beautiful loaves of bread; the real differences came down to how easy they were to handle. Factors like weight and convenient handle placement put the winners in a class of their own. The best bread ovens were a joy to use, while my least favorites felt awkward, or even worse, downright dangerous to handle when hot. 

The most important feature of a bread oven is handles that are easy to hold, even while wearing oven mitts. Bread is baked in a super hot oven—450°F or even higher—so getting a confident grip on the pan or cloche is important for safety. And burns aren’t the only concern; some of these pans are heavy enough that muscle strain or back injury is also a risk. Two of my favorite models, the Le Creuset and the Tramontina, have bases with wide, looped handles and cloches with knobs attached at the top, making for safe and easy handling. The winning Brod & Taylor Baking Shell has a knob positioned at the front, which felt odd at first, but is actually easier to reach when the cloche is in the oven. While the Pit Boss and Lodge Double Dutch ovens both produced gorgeous loaves of bread, their small and poorly placed handles made for a nerve-wracking user experience. In both cases, the handles of the base align perfectly with the handles of the cloche, which made it extremely difficult to remove the cloche while it was hot. 

Lightweight Pans Were Significantly Easier to Move

Many bread ovens are made from cast iron, which retains heat exceptionally well and contributes to even browning plus lots of oven spring. That said, cast iron is notoriously heavy. My favorite bread ovens were relatively light, and even I (someone who is not very physically strong) was surprised at how easy it was to move them from point A to point B. The Brod & Taylor bread oven features a lightweight cloche—a shocking one pound, 1.8 ounces—that can be easily lifted with just two fingers. While the steel base is on the heavier side, it’s not meant to be maneuvered while hot. Rather, it remains inside the oven and can be treated like a pizza stone. The Le Creuset model is made from enamel-coated cast iron (like the brand’s Dutch oven and braiser), but the cloche is still light enough to maneuver with one hand. The same is also true of the Tramontina model, which is slightly heavier. While I do recommend the Challenger Bread Pan, its heft is a significant drawback. Luckily, the thoughtful handle placement helps to improve its usability. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the Pit Boss and Lodge Double Dutch models, which were heavy and awkward to carry.  

A Good Dutch Oven Works Just as Well in Most Cases

Prior to writing this review, I had used my Lodge Dutch oven to bake many loaves of bread. I like how its cast iron construction makes the pan virtually indestructible, and that I’m also able to use it for other tasks, like deep frying and making soup. It produces neat, round loaves of bread with golden, crispy crusts. Because of the pan’s depth, however, I suffer the occasional burn on my wrist while placing the bread dough inside. (I use a parchment sling for lowering the dough into the pan.) When compared to a designated bread oven, the loaves made in my Dutch oven tend to brown less evenly, particularly in areas where the parchment comes into contact with the outer crust, but it’s hardly a major issue. For the baker who makes only the occasional loaf of bread, a Dutch oven works just as well. That said, those who bake lots of bread will enjoy the ease and convenience of using a purpose-built bread oven. My favorites were lighter than my Dutch oven and a joy to use. 

Two-in-One Bread Ovens Were a Disappointment 

It may be tempting to buy a two-in-one bread oven like the Lodge Double Dutch Oven, which can double as a Dutch oven when flipped upside down, but I found them awkward to use. Invertable pans require both the top and the bottom to be flat (so that either side can be used as a base), which means there’s only space for handles on the sides of the pan. Typically, these pans have handles that sit flat against each other, which makes the pan easy to maneuver as a whole, but very tricky to remove from each other, especially when hot. Both the Lodge Double Dutch oven and the Pit Boss bread oven were made in this design, but I had an easier time with the round Lodge model. I found that if I rotated the cloche so that the handles were offset, it was more manageable to remove. Since the Pit Boss model is an oblong, oval shape, and not a perfect circle, the top cannot be set askew from the bottom, so this trick didn't apply.

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Bread Oven

A great bread oven should be of a manageable weight with generous, easy-to-grasp handles—and it’s even better if the cloche is light enough to move with one hand. Two-in-one Dutch oven bread ovens were more trouble than they're worth.

My Favorite Bread Ovens

What I liked: The lightweight Brod & Taylor baking shell was by far the easiest to maneuver. It effectively trapped steam, making for a chewy crust and impressive oven spring. The cloche is available in options for making boules or bâtards, but the round boule cloche is large enough for either shape (this was the only bread oven I tested that allows for both options). I also loved that the sturdy baking steel can be used for pizza or other baking projects. This set produced bread that baked ever so slightly faster than other models I tried—likely because the completely flat surface of the baking steel exposes more of the loaf to the hot air of the oven.  You can just buy the cloche if you already own a baking steel.

What I didn’t like: The knob positioned at the front of the cloche feels awkward at first, mostly because you don’t expect it to be there. That said, I got used to it and ultimately loved how easy it made removing the cloche (no need to pull the oven rack out far).

Key Specs

• Materials: Steel base with an aluminum cloche
• Weight: 9.2 pounds
• Dimensions: Base: 14 inches, cloche: 13 inches
• Handle dimensions: 2-inch knob
• Loaf shape: Boule or bâtard

What I liked: I didn’t expect to love the Le Crueset bread oven as much as I did. It’s surprisingly lightweight despite its cast iron construction, and the wide, looped handles helped me confidently move it in and out of the oven. When it comes time to uncover your bread, the large knob on top of the cloche makes it easy to remove with one hand. I also loved how compact this bread oven is. It’s smaller than my Dutch oven but plenty big enough to fit a generous boule of sourdough bread. 

What I didn’t like: This bread oven is only good for making round boules of bread—it’s too small for a bâtard. (Nearly all of the bread ovens I tried were only intended for making one shape or the other, not both.) This bread oven is also quite expensive, considering it’s a unitasker. That said, it’s a worthwhile investment for bread-making enthusiasts. 

Key Specs

• Materials: Enamel-coated cast iron
• Weight: 10 pounds
• Dimensions: 9.75 inches
• Handle dimensions: Handles: 4 x 1.5 inches, knob: 2.25 inches
• Loaf shape: Boule

What I liked: The Tramontina bread oven is similar in design to the Le Creuset, but a quarter of the price. Like the Le Creuset, the base has wide, looped handles that are easy to hold while wearing oven mitts, and the cloche features an easy-to-grasp metal knob. While this bread oven is slightly heavier than the Le Creuset, the cloche is still light enough to lift with one hand.

What I didn’t like: While the handles of this bread oven were wide and generous, they weren’t quite as comfortable to hold onto as the handles on the Le Creuset model.

Key Specs

• Materials: Enamel-coated cast iron
• Weight: 11.8 pounds
• Dimensions: 10 inches
• Handle dimensions: Handles: 4 x 1.75 inches, knob: 2 inches
• Loaf shape: Boule

What I liked: The Challenger bread pan is one of the few bread ovens available intended for making oblong bâtards rather than round boules, and it’s big enough to make a fairly large loaf of bread. While the cloche is heavy, it has four handles that make it easier to maneuver—two that align with the handles of the base, which come in handy for moving the bread oven while assembled, and two on the sides that are set at an angle, which are useful for removing the cloche from the base. I’ve owned this particular bread oven for several months (since writing our bread lames review), and it has consistently made beautiful, evenly browned loaves of bread. 

What I didn’t like: Bread baked in the Challenger gets slightly dark on the bottom (though most models had this issue to some degree, thanks to heat-retaining cast iron). The biggest downside, however, is its weight: At 21 pounds, it's seriously heavy. I avoid moving the bread oven around while it’s fully assembled, instead moving the base and cloche separately. It’s also the most expensive model I tried. Luckily, it's sturdy enough to last forever.

Key Specs

• Materials: Cast iron
• Weight: 21 pounds
• Dimensions: 13.5 x 10 inches
• Handle dimensions: 4.5 x 1.25 inches, side handles: 4.5 x 1.5 inches
• Loaf shape: Bâtard

The Competition

• Lodge Cast Iron Double Dutch Oven: While I loved the affordable price, as well as the two-in-one aspect of this sturdy bread oven, it was heavier than my winners, and I found the small, flat handles to be poorly positioned for confident gripping. Overall, this model was less user-friendly than my tried and true Dutch oven, though it still produced a beautiful loaf of bread. 
• Pit Boss 6-Quart Cast Iron Roaster with Lid: I had hoped that this bread oven would be a more affordable version of the Challenger, since it was the only other model I tried that was intended for making bâtards. While it made a gorgeous loaf of bread, it felt dangerously difficult to remove the cloche from the base. At a whopping 21 pounds, it was also just as heavy as the Challenger.

FAQs

Why should you use a bread oven or Dutch oven to bake bread?

The reason behind baking bread in a closed vessel (such as a  Dutch oven, bread oven, or cloche/baking steel combo) is to trap steam. Once in the oven, the water within the bread dough begins to evaporate and turn to steam. If the bread is inside a relatively small, closed baking vessel, the steam will become trapped. The steam helps to keep the exterior of the bread moist, which in turn delays the formation of a crust, allowing the bread to rise taller. Steam also contributes to starch gelatinization on the exterior of the bread, which results in the signature, crispy, chewy crust associated with artisan breads. 

What type of oven do professional bakers use?

Professional bakers typically cook bread in a deck oven, which can reach higher temperatures than a home oven and fit several loaves of bread at a time. Many modern deck ovens have a function that allows the baker to inject steam into the oven during baking to help encourage oven spring and a chewy crust. We've tested a home-friendly steam-injection oven from Anova and liked it.

Can you use a Dutch oven to bake bread?

Yes, a Dutch oven works well for bread baking, since it is a closed vessel in which steam can become trapped, and makes for lofty loaves with a crisp crust. In general, a Dutch oven works just as well as a designated bread oven when it comes to baking bread—just remember to be careful of the tall sides when lowering bread dough inside. A Dutch oven is a great choice for those who are just beginning their bread-making journey and aren’t ready to invest in a bread oven. Many home cooks already own a five- to six-quart Dutch oven, which is a great size for bread (and also cooking, braising, and stewing). 

What is oven spring?

The term “oven spring” refers to how much a loaf of bread rises in the oven. When bread first goes into the oven, the yeast begins to rapidly release carbon dioxide before it reaches a temperature at which it can no longer survive. This rapid growth typically occurs during the first 10 to 15 minutes of baking, before a crust begins to form around the outside. Once a crust forms, the bread is unable to expand much further.

What are boules and bâtards?

Boules and bâtards are two different shapes of bread loaves. Boules are round, while bâtards are oblong. Our winning Brod and Taylor Baking Steel and Shell set can bake both shapes of loaves, while other models are intended for making one or the other. 

Why We’re the Experts

• Zola Gregory is a writer, recipe developer, and product reviewer for Serious Eats and other publications. 
• Before she worked in food media, Zola worked as a baking instructor, teaching bread and pastry classes both in-person and online.  
• For this review, Zola baked loaves of sourdough bread in six bread ovens and one Dutch oven, comparing the loaves for spring, crust, and color.