this Dutch oven is the best choice. The Le Creuset has the highest heat retention when baking bread. This 5.5-quart size is heavy at 12.7 pounds and ideal for baking a variety of bread recipes.

When it’s ready, the dough will have doubled in size and will not readily spring ... until the loaf is beautifully browned. Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool on a rack for ...