I'm considering buying a cast-iron pot just for this

Dare I believe the hype? The good folks at Metafilter are frothing at the mouth over a shockingly easy, supposedly foolproof breadmaking method recently covered in this New York Times story. Cliff's Notes version: Very, very wet dough; a long proofing stage; no kneading at all; and baking in a heavy enamel or cast-iron pot with a lid.

Why the covered pot? As you probably know, the type of oven most of us have in our homes just can't produce that elusive crackling crust of a great loaf. I've tried spraying the oven walls with water during baking, but to no avail. The covered pot apparently supplies the moisture that the pros' fancy ovens do. So as soon as I can find the appropriate cookware, I'm giving this a shot.