Brod & TaylorUltralight Baking Shell for Sourdough Bread (Batard) – No Preheating Needed for Crispy Crust and Even Baking

We were looking for something bigger than our 4.5 quart le Creuset Dutch over for baking our oval sour dough bread, which would have ended up weighing at least 15 lbs. Further research and we found this shell dome. We are very satisfied with the ease and lightness of this baking method. Our first loaf came out big, beautiful and perfectly baked. Never again will I use cast iron.

Works as described. It’s light weight and easy to use. The handle on the side instead of on top helps to place it over the boule with little effort. It heated up quickly and produced a nice crispy crust. Also, it’s very easy to clean.

Like the title says, it works as advertised. I bake bâtards, and the shell encourages oven spring. I've baked two loaves with it, and the results are consistent so far.

First loaf of bread had great oven spring and the bottom crust was thinner and easier to cut through than with the preheated cast iron dutch oven I have been using. I baked it on a stone with parchment underneath and launched it with a peel. It was so much easier than using the heavy and hot dutch oven. The boule size is plenty big for a batard and check the dimensions of your stone or steel to make sure it will fit. I took one star off because I think it is overpriced for what it is, but I am very happy with the function so far.

Overall I would say this is a great product if you make a lot of sourdough. The dome is lightweight and you get a good rise with it. It heats up fast and the knob in the front makes it very easy to grab out of the oven.

Perfect! Just wished they would make it in a longer size

I'm not a beginner baker.I was very excited about getting this shell, I mulled about expending that much money but I finally gave in and ordered one. Up to now I have been baking sourdough for many years in the Romertopft clay bakers with amazing and consistent results. However, they are very heavy and cumbersome to take in and out of the oven when you bake frequently as I do. So I was hoping this shell would solve that problem.I prepared my usual dough and split in 3 loafs. I baked the first one using the shell and the results were not good (photo below) it came out flattened and burnt around the sides, same result with the second one so for the third loaf I went back to my trusty Romertopft and you can see the huge difference in the spring and even colored crust.I still have it and I'll give it another try before deciding to sent it back, but honestly I don't have high hopes of better results.Talking to other bakers I've gotten to the conclusion that the Romertopft shields the sides of the dough a lot better than the shell. I'll update after the second try**UPDATE AFTER SECOND TRY**I have decided to keep it and tweak the way I bake the bread. Not having to lift heavy vessels in and out of the oven has convinced me to put a bit more effort into finding how to make it work.The second time I used it I decreased the time in the oven to 20 mins after I uncovered the dough and also I lowered down the temperature. The third loaf looks much better I think. We'll see.

Works fantastic it’s perfect for single loaf baking