Tim W wrote:
> I have a book which gives instructions for baking small brown loaves in
clay
> flowerpots. The novelty appeals to me but what is the effect of baking
bread
> in cold heavy clay pots? Isn't metal better for conductivity - maximum
heat
> and minimum cooking time was what I thought was required.
>
> I would try it but the unglazed pots apparently need to be bought new,
> washed, dried then tempered with oil on the inside several times so it
isn't
> quick and easy. I would be slightly concerned about chemicals or metals
from
> non food grade vessels entering the bread too.
>
> Any experience? Any thoughts?
>
> Tim W
>
>
The typical "bread" so baked is a Boston Brown Bread, which is more of a
baked pudding than a true bread, and which thus benefits from long, low
bake used with these pots. Quick breads (banana bread, zucchini bread,
carrot cake, date-nut bread, etc.) do fine, too. I suppose that if you
preheat them thoroughly, you could also use them for popovers, although
that seems ***bersome and a bit weird.
Standard unglazed red clay pots do not present a safety hazard that I'm
aware of. Safety issues with pottery are associated with certain glazes
that can leach metals into acid foods. Clay by itself is pretty safe.
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