The History of the La Cloche® and Its Many Uses

If you've taken a stroll around our website, you are probably familiar with our original La Cloche®. The La Cloche® was designed, created and brought to market almost 30 years ago, back in 1982. It is a classic Sassafras product that is a customer favorite. 

I love the La Cloche®, and I especially love the historic inspiration for it. If you aren’t yet familiar with it, buckle down and get comfortable. This story is intriguing!

The History of the La Cloche®

The design of the La Cloche® was inspired by the Etruscans (an ancient nomadic people). Thanks to drawings left behind by ancient Egyptians, we know that the Etruscans are known to have created the earliest known stone baking oven. 

The Etruscans would place dough on rocks in the sun and would then cover said dough with a stoneware bell that they often carried with them. The rocks that they chose for their dough had been baking in the sun and the heat it held, in addition to the heat on the bell itself would radiate through and bake the bread.

As mentioned, this is the earliest known stone baking oven. The top bakeries and pizzerias throughout the world use this basic design in their own ovens. The knowledge learned by the Etruscans all those years ago has been perfected generation after generation to provide us with the delicious breads, pizzas and more that we have today.

Back in the early 80s when it was introduced, the La Cloche® became a massive hit with gourmet chefs. This list of chefs included the late, great James Beard. Mr. Beard once wrote about La Cloche® in his syndicated column. In this column he stated “The bread I have been baking in it is nothing short of sensational.”

Yes, there are other similar products out there, but make no mistake, the Superstone® La Cloche is the original and is still the best on the market. In addition to this classic, our product line now includes some other customer favorites, such as the oblong Superstone® Covered Baker as well as the Superstone® Bread Dome. The full line is great to have for a well stocked kitchen. The La Cloche® is simply a must-have for any lover of homemade baked bread.

The Many Uses of the La Cloche®

The Superstone® La Cloche® is the original cloche bread baker, lauded by fine chefs and bakers the world over! the Superstone® La Cloche® mimics a professional brick-lined oven right in your own kitchen to make an artisan, country bread loaf. Superstone® Stoneware material heats evenly, producing a perfectly browned bread crust. The unglazed interior pulls moisture from the dough, producing bread with a crackly crust and light interior crumb just like breads from your favorite artisan bakery!

Delicious Foods That You Can Make in the La Cloche®

What will you make with your La Cloche®? While there are thousands and thousands of recipes out there, there are a couple of recipes that I especially love making in it. Here are some of my favorite breads and meals to make using our La Cloche®:

Country Kitchen Loaf - There is nothing quite like a delicious batch of homemade bread, and nothing says homemade bread quite like this Country Kitchen Loaf.

Spanish Chicken Pot Roast recipe - Want to spice up your chicken dinner a little bit? This Spanish Chicken Pot Roast Recipe is just the way to do it!.

Basic French Bread - French bread is one of those sides that are required for the best dinners and our basic french bread recipe is delicious, uncomplicated, yet tastes like it took hours to prepare.

Cracked Wheat Sourdough Bread - With all of this time at home, I have been seeing tons of recipes for sourdough bread. If you are going to give sourdough a shot, check out this recipe!

Creamy Peach Deep Dish Pie - Umm, hello! It’s pie! This is one of my favorite pie recipes and oh my goodness does it taste amazing when made in the La Cloche®!

Superstone® La Cloche in Bright New Colors

Along with the classic Superstone® model, the La Cloche® comes in six bright glazed colors: red, blue, grey, green, tangerine, and aquamarine. They sell pretty fast-- so if they're not in stock, you can always preorder them.

After reading up on all of these delicious recipes, are you ready to order your La Cloche® yet? I am so excited for you to enjoy the delicious meals made with the La Cloche®! Well, I’ve got to go, I’m feeling hungry now, it’s time to go bake some delicious food for my family!