“The description doesn't promise too much. This pan will improve your results in bread baking and is made for eternity.
I am enthusiastic and do not regret the investment.”
“Lockdown has really given me the opportunity to perfect my sourdough like I could’ve have hoped for. I have a great double oven electric range, and was getting great results, but in the hot summer weather heating both ovens was undesirable. Unfortunately achieving the necessary steam meant that the oven I wasn’t baking in became very wet as the two ovens are joined with a common steam vent (which needed to be closed to retain the steam in the baking oven to achieve good oven spring).
Enter the Challenger pan. Not only do I not have to heat both ovens (as the steam created with a simple ice cube placed in the pan before putting the lid on is retained just where it is needed - right next to the bread in the pan), but I don’t have to fiddle with pans and kettles of boiling water before quickly adding the dough onto the bake stone with a peel. As well as this, there is zero mess on the oven floor with semolina (to avoid the dough sticking to the peel), and more importantly the oven spring achieved is fantastic and reliable.
Also, the addition of the convenient side handles on the lid is genius - no more burns, and slashing the dough after it is placed in the pan is so easy!
This pan is a bit pricey, but that shouldn’t put you off if you want a bread pan that will last forever (it really is built like a tank) and will give you consistently well baked bread every time! I love it!”
“I was wracked with indecision about whether to spend such a hefty sum on a pan. I’m delighted that I did. This pan oozes quality being made of thick cast iron made to shine by the hand seasoning. It’s designed from the inside out for us - home bakers on an endless quest for the perfect sourdough.
I’ve just baked my first loaf in this beautiful bit of kit and the oven spring was awesome. I added an ice cube for extra steam as suggested and this gives a boost of steam, resulting in a wonderfully caramelise crust.
In short, if you’re dithering but afford it, just do it!”
“After a lot of consideration of the Challenger Bread Pan vs other cast iron dishes such as Le Creuset I finally decided that I wanted a pan that was designed specifcally for bread. I recieved this pan a week ago and have had by far my best bakes yet. The oven spring was outstanding and the crust was so beautifully blistered. I would recommend to any serious bakers out there!”
“Sourdough I found has so many variables this pan design can allow one to have more control over baking,thanks to BakeryBits team for making available quality equipment for baking and the extra shift to full fill our orders.”
