So what exactly is this bread oven? Don’t worry — it’s not a whole new appliance you’ll have to install in your kitchen. Rather, this cast-iron bakeware device simply sits in your existing oven, creating the perfect environment for you to make artisan bread at home. Baking bread with the Forneau is straightforward — simply place the device in your oven to preheat, and when it’s at the correct temperature, place your bread dough onto the peel and slide it in. The cast-iron walls promise to heat the dough thoroughly and evenly, and because it’s in an enclosed space, it will trap the steam from the bake. That means you’ll end up with a golden-brown, crisp crust, just like you do at professional bakeries.
And because the Forneau comes with a bread peel, you can easily slide loaves in and out of the oven, rather than attempting to deal with a hot pan or mold. Indeed, with the 2.0 redesign, the team has minimized the amount of “hot and heavy lifting” required, so the hatch of the Forneau works with a removable handle.
The new version of the Forneau also promises to make it easier than ever to get your baked goods in and out of the oven — the redesigned baking tray can stay in the chamber, and can be easily manipulated using the same removable handle you can apply to the hatch. There’s also a silicone baking mat in the Forneau 2.0, whose perforated mesh sheet allows moisture from the bottom of a loaf to wick away. That means no more soggy bottom.
Sure, this may not be bread from outer space, but it promises to be delicious.
You can get the Forneau 2.0 from Kickstarter now for the early bird price of $215, with an estimated delivery date in October 2017.