The Lodge ones work fine and cost under $50. For example, if you don’t mind shopping at Walmart:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lodge-5-Quart-Cast-Iron-Dutch-Oven-with-Cover-L8DOL3/5969631
Ok, question. And what do we do with this pot other than bread? Or camping meals? Really, I mean, considering we may have other covered pots that work similarly, though constructed differently. I can sear roasts in my cast iron skillet, then pop it n the oven covered with foil. Or make cornbread in the skillet. Etc.
And as I yearn for this pot, I remember the recent kitchen clearing thread.
Pot roast, chili, stew…you name it.
Didn’t we establish that kitchen clearing is for people who don’t cook? 
Pot roast, braised lamb shanks or short rib, tajines, to name a few.
While we’re on the topic of cookware, one thing a have always longed for that I don’t have: a fish poacher.
Just bought one off my neighborhood facebook yard sale page for $5. Haven’t used it yet.
Lodge. Braising meat and preparing steak. Soup. Foolproof for any roast.
Thanks for all the suggestions! Good to know that I do not need to get a super expensive dutch oven. Can’t wait to make the bread…I just might have to go ahead and buy the pot and not wait until Christmas 
Again, if you want actual loaves like you see being carried in the arms of Parisians on their way home from their daily market rounds, i highly recommend getting one of the Italian loaf pans from Amazon. (I know it’s not a baguette but I like the bigger/thicker loaves)
This is the one I got b/c I’m cheap. It will not stay pristine but with parchment paper it doesn’t matter. I bought mine over four years ago. Totally worth the ten bucks.
https://www.amazon.com/Fox-Run-4629-Italian-Tin-Plated/dp/B001ET5ZB0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1508616331&sr=8-3&keywords=italian+loaf+tin+pan
The recipe I use (6.5 cups flour, 3 cups water 1.5 tbs salt 1.5 packets yeast) is perfect divided in two for this pan.
@Gatormama , I’ve had one of those since time immemorial and it does NOT produce the kind of crusty loaf I want no matter what I do to introduce steam into the process. I’ve tried ice cubes, brushing the loaves with water, spray bottles, pans of boiling water, you name it.
I mean, yes, the bread is nice. But only the dutch oven method produces the crust I’m looking for.
If you can tell us what method has produced a really crusty baguette for you, I’d be literally ecstatic to hear it!
@doschicos , a fish poacher?!? Envy!!
Hmm. This is what I do every time and it works every time. I live at about 900 feet above sea level. And I have a gas oven. (If either of those things make a difference…)
I put a plain ol’ square metal baking pan on the floor of the oven before I put the oven at 450.
I use parchment paper in the twin-loaf pan. After mixing in my KitchenAid and letting it rise for a few hours, I split the dough into the two halves of the pan. I then let the dough rise for about an hour in the pan. Sometimes, depending on how warm the house is, it can take less time for the dough to rise enough and threaten to spill over the top of the pan’s sides
Then I use kitchen shears and slash the tops of each tube of dough, 3 or 4 times, diagonally.
Just before I pop the bread in the oven, I get out about six ice cubes and put them in a bowl. As soon as I put in the bread, I toss those in the metal baking pan on the bottom and shut the oven door as fast as I can.
Bake for 40 minutes.
I take it out and turn the loaves out immediately onto a cooling rack. The parchment peels away easily but it’s a little bit moist on the bottom because of the trapped steam between dough and parchment paper. It will crust up but not as nicely as the top.
I don’t touch the bread until it’s completely cool
And the top crust is always … crusty…
Does that help at all?
The really annoying thing about my bread, apart from the fact that it’s gone in a day, is just how many crumbs it products - directly because of how crusty it is, and how much flies around when slicing off a piece. The counter looks like a bread homicide took place.
Sounds pretty similar to what I’ve done, but…why do you use parchment paper?
Do your baguettes get as crusty as the dutch oven no-knead?
I use parchment paper because my pan is rusty (see above reference to cheapness)…
I think my baguettes get more crusty with this pan … the dutch oven one was not very crusty at all, but that said, I have other issues with that – plan to tackle again when I next have some free time.
https://thisoldgal.com/instant-pot-yogurt-whey-dutch-oven-crusty-bread/
Love this bread. Made from the strained whey from Instant Pot Greek yogurt. Yummy, protein laden, and dummy proof!
I made this bread today using the 4 quart Wolfgang Puck Bistro Chef Pan that I bought a few years ago at Goodwill for frying. I sprayed it with baking spray (which is a combination of flour and oil) and covered it with heavy duty foil. It came out easily with a very nice crust, moist interior and delicious.
The coarse crumb is great!
I used bread flour instead of all purpose (I have it on hand anyway for my bread machines) and had to add a bit of extra water to compensate (eyeballed it, didn’t measure).
I think I may not need to spray the pan next time. I’m not scrubbing it out-- just wiping it with a dry paper towel.
@Gatormama - may I suggest a certain kind of cutting board to help solve the ‘bread homicide’ problem?
You will likely be very happy with a bread cutting board with a crumb tray. The crumb tray catches most of the crumbs so they don’t go flying everywhere. When I did a google search, I only found wooden ones but the one I have is plastic. What I love about it is that it is very light weight (I have to assume that the wooden ones are heavier). I’ve had mine for about 2 dozen years and I found it at a discount place so I didn’t spend much on it. If I knew then what I know now, I"d have bought several.
Look for something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Woods-Multi-Purpose-Cutting-Board/dp/B00029HBOW
Thanks, and wow, you’re right, the plastic variety is indeed hard to find in the wild.
This one: Betty Crocker Slice N Serve is the only one I can even find, and it’s only randomly on eBay these days.
This thread has me drooling. I so want to make this but must resist as I know I would gobble it all down (I have no willpower if something is there - I have to have it not be there!). Of all things to not be my friend (my doctor’s words when he diagnosed me with type 2 diabetes), why does it have to be carbs :((
I think it will have to be a treat when I hit weight loss goal #2! Keep posting to give me something to drool over.
@Gatormama - the Betty Crocker Slice N Serve is the one I have. If you can find it - I highly recommend getting it. I’ve had mine for ages and it is still in great shape. I only occasionally pop it in the dish washer and it’s good to go.