I bake in cast iron all the time. I don't have a Romertopf . My cast iron is a Le Creuset and also a very old plain cast iron pot . Both have lids. Both go into the oven at 500 for 30 min. and then I remove them and lower the bread into the preheated pot. I replace the cover, place them back in the oven and lower the oven to 460. Bake 15 min with lid on and 15 min with lid off. I will link pics below. To get your bread into the pot, either hot or cold , simply place a piece of parchment paper over the basket that the bread is rising in and let the bread come out onto the paper. Then I tear off the extra to make a shape with handles and simply lower into the pot. I have been doing this for years...way longer than Chad at the bakery that become famous for baking in cast iron :) Here are some pics. I will be glad to answer any questions. You can look on The Fresh Loaf and do a search for info on this type of baking as well as using your clay pot. I know there are folks on there that have done so. c bread dough rises in cloth lined baskets ( old napkins that are heavily floured with rice/white flour 1/2 and 1/2 combination) dough turned out onto parchment and parchment then torn to make handles dough lowered in to preheated 500 degree pots using the parchment finished loaf still in pot loaves cooling ...I usually bake 6 loaves...just keep placing pots back in oven and reheating with lids on and removing loaves from fridge where they have retarded...turning out onto parchment and lowering into hot pot

Shambo, on Amazon's home page--at the very top of the screen next to where it will say 'Shambo's Amazon.com', click on 'Today's Deals'. The first set of 'deals' will be the 'Gold Box Deal of the Day.' Just below the Gold Box Deal will be the Lightning Deals. There will be a bunch of these limited time deals...scroll across to see all the current ones and upcoming ones. They have a time limit on claiming the deal & completing the purchase. I think it's a couple of hours but you'll see that when you click on an item & add it to your cart. Another tip...when you get to the Lightning Deals, look over on the right hand side of the screen--Click on 'Sort by Category' to hone in on your area of interest (vs having to scan thru a bunch of junk you have zero interest in.) Yesterday, there were a bunch of small appliance deals (Zo, Panasonic, Cuisanart, etc.)--not so much today. :-( Anyway, happy hunting.

The only method i found successful for mock panko is to take a fresh day old boule, or half a leftover one, remove the crust with enough "meat' to make some croutons, (for soups)....and cube the white crustless middles and toast low and slow and not brown. When cool and dry, pulse in the cuisinart to a crumb. Then back in the oven at a low 225, turn oven off and let rest in the oven for an hour...very dry but not toasted. A white bread, from a bbq white purchased bun left over, might be better but i rarely have that. (kids like a hot dog white bun)..... Just removing the crust from bread will make a good panko. When i make crab cakes or cod cakes, i don't want the crust flavor. i just want the simple white 'panko'...that does not gives a brown dried crust intrusion. I think of panko as texture and not a flavor. DH bought whole wheat panko by mistake over the holidays and it would have ruined my crab cakes. SO strong and odd. I used a smashed/crushed matzo instead. (always good in a pinch) The panko style works so well because they stick AND stay crisp. Neutral, non-toasted flavor.

Hi Nancyjane, There are a few sourdough bread bakers here (I'm not one of them). I bake bread but I don't like the taste of sourdough. Here's a link to a conversation by Ann_T, in case she doesn't chime in. Sourdough