Stefan:
I have used the long and the round La Cloche pots for years. They
produce a much better crunchy dark crust than conventional oven
baking. I proof the dough in the pot bottom with the cover off in my
oven. The oven is a steamy 80 - 90 degrees, that I achieve by putting
a low pan of 2 cups of insta hot water under the pot with a plexiglas
cover on top. When risen, I remove water and plexiglas, score dough,
cover with the pot top, and turn on the oven: 400 F for dough
containing a little milk and sugar, 425 F for dough with either, 450
F for dough with neither. Bake for 50 min (may vary depending on how
fast your oven reaches temperature).
To bake on a preheated pot you would be juggling the dough into the
pot bottom and then trying to maneuver a 400 degree top, all the
while your oven is losing its heat. You can't put a cold pot into a
preheated oven because of possible cracking.
Except for the occasional dough flop, I have never been disappointed
by the crust baked in these pots.
Lloyd