I recently received a clay cloche from a non-bread-baking friend who found
it somewhere. It is shaped like a rectangular loaf pan with a good fitting
top and would accommodate a 3 cup loaf. It has never been used.
My questions: 1. Does bread baked in the cloche stick to the clay or do you
grease or oil-spray the cloche before putting the dough in to rise or bake
? This would keep the bread from sticking but would soon saturate the
porous clay with grease. 2. Do you spray with or dip the cloche in water
to obtain the chewy crust similar to that obtained in steamed ovens ? 3.
Are there any precacutions to take not to crack the clay etc. ? 4. How do
you clean the cloche not to harm the clay ?
I would appreciate it if anyone with some cloche recipes and baking
procedures would send them to me.