These showed up on the local Facebook Marketplace recently
and I decided that I had to have them.
Definitely an impulse buy.
Five pieces of Vintage Guardian Service Ware.
Bought specifically to use as Dutch Ovens for baking bread.
Picked them up last Monday.
Made four batches of dough that night.
Two 500g batches each with 50g of sourdough discard and 1gram of yeast and
one 750g batch with 60g of sourdough discard and 1gram of yeast
and one 1000g gram batch with just 2g of yeast.
They all went into the fridge after the last stretch and folds except for the 1000g batch which I left out on the counter for a slow overnight rise.
It was ready to divide and shape at 4:00 AM Tuesday morning.
Separated the dough into a large boule, and 7 smaller rolls and one slightly larger.
The 7 rolls were baked in the chicken fryer pan,
the slightly larger roll in the 1 quart pan
and the large boule in the roaster.
Two more boules baked in the 2 quart and 3 quart vintage Guardian pots.
50grams of sourdough discard and just one gram of yeast in 500g of flour at 70% Hydration.
This dough was left in the fridge overnight.
thibeaultstable.com 
Did you use the guardian service glass lids to bake? What temperature?
David , I used the lids in the oven. Didn’t seem to have a problem at 500░F. I preheat the pot with lid in the oven as the oven is heating up. Once the pot is hot , I place the loaf of bread in the pot and put the lid back on.
Hello I recently was fortunate to pick up a piece of this guardian ware for purpose of reselling but after looking at the piece over I had to keep it.
Question is did you have a problem with anything sticking? Was the temperature even throughout?
I appreciate your time in responding and congratulations on finding the set, I’m sure that was a once in a life time find😊
I have not had a problem with sticking. So far. I have used the Guardian fryer for a roast chicken. And then made gravy from the drippings in the pan. No problem with sticking. Inside cleans easily. I have found that I’m getting some staining on the outside of the pan. I’ve baked bread in the pans as a test without problems. Although I still prefer to bake my breads on the stone in the oven. I’d never heard of these pots before seeing the set on the local Facebook Market place. But I knew as soon as I saw them I had to have them.
I was gifted several pieces with glass lids recently, and I was hoping they could be used in the oven for sourdough bread! I’ve been nervous because I haven’t been able to find any information on what temperature the glass lids can withstand in the oven, so thank you for sharing this!
Hi Chelsea, glad my post helped.
My mother used to cook with these. I wanted a big roaster for a while but didn’t know the name. Thank goodness for the internet…I found one in good condition and am baking bread as I write this. The old stuff is the Best!
Specifically for the Guardian Cookware, what temperature did you bake your sourdough at, for how long with cover and without?
Hi Beth, I usually bake at 500 F, but wasn’t sure about the glass lids so I went with 475F. Cover for the first 20 minutes, then uncover to finish.
I don’t go by time, I can tell by the colour when they are done. If you like a darker crust, just leave them in a little longer.
I was wondering about using it as a Dutch oven. I have a large collection and would like to use it more. New to baking but love it. So if I could incorporate the guardian that would be amazing.
Michele, yes, definitely as you can see from the photos I posted. The first thing I did was use each of the pots to bake bread in.
I have the chicken fryer with glass lid. I’m glad I came across this page. I’ve been wondering if I could use with lid as a dutch oven to bake my no-knead breads. The temperature I bake with is 425-450 degrees. I’m excited to try it out. Thank you very much.
Beckie, as I showed in that blog post, I used all of them to bake different size loaves and buns. I preheated with the lid on. Can’t remember if I preheated to 450 or my normal temperature of 500°F. But either will work.