Hi, Eileen. It sounds like you've tried the two basic methods for baking bread in a Dutch oven: preheating the pot and starting the bread in a cold oven. The first is to put the empty pot in the oven, preheat the oven to 450°F, and then add the bread dough to the hot pot once it's fully preheated. The second is to put the pot with the dough into a cold oven, and preheat it to 450°F, which is described in this post here. You can use either method with your Emile Henry Dutch oven or the potato pot. The potato pot is quite spherical so it helps give loaves a better rise and shape. If you'd like to talk through these processes with one of our friendly bakers, give our Baker's Hotline a call at 855-371-BAKE(2253). 

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