The more I bake, the more I am surprised by just how forgiving the whole process is. It is so easy to obsess over the countless variables, but the fact is, whatever you do, you will probably end up with a good loaf in the end - certainly better than a supermarket loaf.

Thanks for your easy-to-understand videos. And the humor is the best!

Love the visual of glass, love storing in it, and baking with glass. I have been raised using glassware. We usually refer them a by their use: a casserole, a loaf, with or without lids. Sometimes referred to by it's size, as a 2 quart or a 4 quart. When baking in pie glassware, the rule of thumb was to reduce the baking temperature by 25° and increase bake time by up to 10 mins. They all looked lovely, Jack!!

I have a dozen of Pyrex bread pans. I stack them with a paper towel between them. My mom and grandma both used them and I still use grandma's huge recipe that uses them all for one baking.

I bought almost the same glass “Dutch oven” as the little one you showed, which I chose because it was so much cheaper than regular Dutch oven and isn’t that big so I won’t need that much space to store it. Works perfectly for my sourdough bread with your recipe of course for bread and starter!

I use my Pyrex dishes to store oven ready leftover most of the time.

Been using the round one as my baking cloche for my sourdough for years and it's been a gamechanger for me. I luckily had the vintage pyrex original.

I have 2 of the old round Pyrex bowls with lids, both were found (a few years apart) at Goodwill thrift stores for dirt cheap, under $5. I use only stainless steel or glass cookware - tossed every non-stick coated pot and pan in the trash ... because PFAS. Yes I know they're inescapable, but we can mitigate as much as possible.

I often proof my dough in my glass casserole to enjoy the slow satisfaction of watching the bubbles grow against the transparent sides. Keeping the lid on keeps things nice n' moist, and it scoops out well for shaping.

I’ve been baking my bread in a Corning Ware casserole for about a year now. Works for me!

Thank you Jack!

I think the guideline for baking with glass or ceramic, at least with the topless models, is to reduce the oven temp by 25 degrees (f). That might have helped your open loaves not get too brown on top before the sides and bottoms. Also, I sometimes put my bread out of the loaf pan (I do bake my bread with metal) back into the oven for 5 min or so if they're pale and not quite "there." So glad you did this experiment for us! I have a covered glass dish and have always wondered how it would work as a "Dutch oven" for my bread. Now I have to try it! Cheers!!

It makes sense to not use glass dishes in a bakery, but as a home baker I think it’s absolutely fine. I have been baking bread in glass dishes for nearly 25 years now and always had great results. I bought my favourite glass dish dirt cheap at a second hand shop and I still use it today. It’s amazing 🤩

I use a lidded glass dish for my sausage pasta bake, but now I'll have to try it as a Dutch oven. Thanks for all the videos, great to have you back. You've been missed during the KZfaq hiatus.

Lidded Pyrex and Corelle ware what I used for great bread (in the’80’s). Or when using the glass loaf pans, a high tent of aluminum foil was needed until ready for browning the top. The foil was a hassle and the lidded pans easier to use (except for portioning the dough into various sized pans). The final proof was directly in the baking dish, slashing & brushing with liquid before adding the lid and popping it into a hot oven. The trick was perfect portioning & timing so the bread didn’t end up stuck on the lid! The Laurel’s Kitchen Bread Book was my valuable companion.

This is exactly how I do all my loafs. I love it that I can see the bread rise inside - better than a telly.

I use a pyrex dish to mix the dough and then pop on the lid for the bulk ferment. I don't use cling film in my kitchen.

Your exploding/cracking fear isn’t misplaced: the new “Pyrex” glassware isn’t like the good old fridge-to-oven-to-counter stuff our mums used for making casseroles etc. I’ve seen a load of shattered dishes and jugs, mostly in the US.

Ikea do a great large glass dutch oven -= for just £12.00 (when I bought mine) - does great sourdough bread.

Awesome Jack! I inherited a covered glass baking dish that I never use, and now am excited to bake bread in it tomorrow!! Thanks.