Chicken bricks are a traditional form of unglazed cookware. Used in Spain and throughout Europe for cooking stews, casseroles of any meat or whole chicken, the dish enhances the flavour of the meat and keeps it moist in its own juices.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Prices

There are 2 sizes of  baking dish:

Medium dish: $120 plus $30 postage.
17cm wide x 24 cm long   or  18 cm wide x 23 cm long,
Depth of base 9 cm
Total Height 15.5 cm

Larger Dish : $140 plus $30 postage.
18.5cm wide x 24.5cm long  or  19cm wide x 24 cm long
Depth of Base 9.5 cm
Total height 16.5 to 17.5 cm

The dimensions vary a little, depending on shrinkage of the clay and each piece is a slightly different shape.  The lid and base are shaped together after removal from the mould to get a good fit. The lids fit on one way, as indicated by the decoration around the side of the dish. Cards with cleaning instructions and cooking suggestions accompany the dish. There is a card for a Chicken Baking Dish and one for a Vege Baking Dish.

Bread Baking Dishes

These terracotta bakers are very satisfying to use. They feel solid in your hands. No more metallic flavour from crusts that have sweated in metal tins!  Use the heat holding qualities of terracotta and warm the dish before you put your dough in to speed up the rising. They distribute  heat evenly during cooking and allow the dough to steam a bit.  They’re great for sourdough batter breads and kneaded doughs.

There is 2 sizes (approx- to within 0.5 cm depending on shrinkage of the clay)

Large: 16.5 cm W x 28.5 cm L  $50 plus postage

Small: 14.2cm W x 13.5cm L    $40 plus postage

Dishes come with recipes and instructions.

Here’s one of my seasoned dishes with freshly baked Banana Loaf.

Pizza/ Flan/Pie dishes

You can use these un-glazed terracotta dishes like pizza stones or a pie dishes.

For Pizza, place your dough on the preheated dish very hot, after sprinkling with fine cornmeal, or alternatively you can place you dough on it cold and put in a hot oven. Either way works fine.

Flans can be made using a pastry base with filling or a batter cake mixture (Clafoutis style) over fruit perhaps. Dust a new dish with a little flour before pouring a batter but once the dish is seasoned you can skip this step . Serve your flan or pizza straight from the dish, as it won’t ‘sweat’ as the food cools down and the pastry/cake base will have formed a soft crust.

Bake a pie in a deeper sided dish- shepherds pies, lentil bake, using pastry to line it with, or not.

To clean: wash your dish with hot water, soaking if necessary. There’s no need to use soap or detergent and this will soak in to the lightly porous walls of the dish. Dry it thoroughly, in the oven if necessary, before storing.

Prices range from $58 to $95 depending on diameter and depth.