Hi Annamarie, yes, the Emile Henry Dutch oven is suitable for preheating empty, but if you prefer the cold start method, that's also a good option. You can also put your pot/dough in a preheated oven. The big difference between these methods is when you talk the lid off. When I preheat my pot empty I usually remove the lid after 20 minutes. For a cold start, more like 30 minutes, and when I put the pot/dough in a preheated oven I'll take the lid off about 25 minutes into the bake. I also take a little more care greasing the pot or line it with greased parchment paper when I'm going to let the shaped rise occur in the pot, since this method tends to give the dough more opportunity to stick to the pot. 

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