Good article. I came across this article from googling for cold and hot ovens for sourdough bread. I have had results similar for both hot and cold. In seeing what others are doing it gets interesting indeed. It does depend on the pot to some degree, be it a cast iron DO or clay cloche or an enamel or granite pot. The latter are having great results from cold and my theory, is that it does not take so long to heat up inside as the others. It is only a theory however. I have one on the way from ebay so time will tell. It is lighter by far and easier to handle than the other two. I also think it has to do with the timing of the proof and where it is in its journey. To soon or too late will give you a flat loaf for sure. The oven temp has to do with it also. For a cold pot I would leave it hot longer. I normally preheat at 500 and bake at 470 for 20 minutes but I am going to play with that also. Finally I think baking hot will give more consistent results if all else is NOT even. I think....key word here is think....a hot pan will do better if in doubt about where your loaf is in the proofing cycle. This is a great hobby and mostly the loaves that are not great to look at are good to eat. We all do it different to some degree but consistency is the key.

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