CuisilandLarge Heavy Duty Pre-seasoned Cast Iron Bread & Loaf Pan - A perfect way for baking

I almost pulled the trigger on the expensive one. I then said ‘what do I have to lose?’ and tried this less-expensive alternative. I think it is a little smaller than that one—but it will hold 2.5 lbs of batard. I produce great loaves and can afford two of these —nearly three!—for the price of the coveted one. It is heavy- just something to keep in mind. Worth every penny.

I started experimenting with bread baking and fell down the rabbit hole and started baking sourdough bread. I first bought an enamel coated cast iron Dutch oven and was a nice pacifier but in hindsight it was an unnecessary purchase. I kept baking and studying how to make sourdough bread and discovered this Dutch oven. OMG! This is the BEST! I had a loaf rising when the box arrived and I quickly removed it from the box! I was prepared to have to season it as noted in the reviews. I quickly turned on my oven and coated the oven inside and out with avocado oil because it is heat resistant. I put the new Dutch oven in the oven and set the timer for 1 hour as directed in the pamphlet that came with it. I left the room and anxiously awaited the timer to sound. Next I heard my smoke alarm! LOL. My kitchen was in a puff of smoke. I checked and the bread oven was just fine so I turned on the exhaust fan (should have done that in the first place) and left the room again anxiously waiting for the bell to ring. When the timer sounded, I took the new bread oven out of the oven and it was sleek and beautifully seasoned. The pamphlet suggested doing it a second time so I let it cool a bit then recoated it. By this time my bread was ready to bake so I put it on a piece of parchment and placed it in the heated bread oven, spritzed the loaf with my trusty spray bottle and closed the lid. In 30 minutes I removed the lid and discovered a perfectly shaped loaf. I continued baking it for 20 minutes and removed it. This pan is wonderful! Yes it’s over $100 but it is also almost $200 less than the similar one. It is about an inch narrower but it is plenty big and roomy. I encourage you to buy this! It is SO worth the money and seasoning effort. It literally produced a perfect loaf!

Perfect size for our sourdough bread

This is a good cast iron loaf pan. Its size is just as described (not sure why some complain it's not, the inner sizes are displayed in one of the pics). Some complained about rusting. Please season your cast iron cookware. What I do is I put a very thin layer of high smoke point oil (avocado would be one of the options) before baking my bread. The 480F preheat is perfect for seasoning as well. I will season it once in a while or after washing (but I doubt I will ever wash it). For cleaning I just wipe it with damp cloth when it's warm (not totally cooled down yet).

The media could not be loaded. I’m a baking enthusiast, but I don’t bake often enough or enough volume to justify the ultra fabulous, coveted and costly Challenger pan however much I wanted to. Lodge makes a 3.2 quart LCC3 combo cooker that’s beyond aces, and under $50, it’s round 10.25", 4" tall, 13 lbs, pre-seasoned, made in USA… alas it’s got a skillet handle, leans too small for medium-large batards, large boules or average sized batches of rolls, but I luv it and I adore Lodge.Pan storage space is premium real estate in my kitchen, so my cast iron multi had to be versatile for multiple uses and to earn its shelf rent.I knew what I wanted.I sought a 460-500°F+, large, deep dome lidded, shallow base ‘2 in 1' cast iron pan in oblong , oval or rectangular shape for obvious reasons: batards and boules with enough pan size for rolls or the occasional galette, possibly short baguettes, a party sized Dutch Baby or possibly a stovetop to oven roast and braise… maybe an included focaccia or deep pan pizza - you know, deeper than a sheet pan, but more shallow than a casserole? I’ve just always needed it, ok?! 🤣I knew what I didn’t want:I didn’t want to craze, stain or stress my enameled cast iron collection with empty preheats at extreme temps required for IG worthy sourdough results. I didn’t want to pay a fortune or be shape and space limited. I didn’t want to risk injury making artisan sourdough. I mean, baking is therapy for me - hopefully that’s not physical therapy or visits to a burn unit.Then I found this Cuisiland cast iron pan.It fit all my criteria, except I wasn’t thrilled that this one was unseasoned. I’ve seasoned it 6 times with avocado oil (until the smoking stopped) and it has a great coating, but that took an eon. Baked 3 loaves and 2 stovetop bacon/potato or comal style tortilla things (mostly to build the seasoning and to ‘learn’ the pan). Unseasoned can be a plus since I control that, with my first choice oil - avocado, so I guess that’s the silver lining.Here’s what I’ve learned:* It heats up and cools down faster than my other cast iron pieces. The build isn’t as thick or heavy. That’s a plus here. It’s lighter weight than other cast iron pans I looked at in this size range - by 10 lbs or similar. I have to admit, a full 22 lb. pan (the competition) near this size but smaller, at 450°F or higher is a potential hazard for my physiology. I can see how a lady could easily burn her bits going much heavier than this (without a loader).*Side note to NSF rated long arm mitts or oven loaders: Ri ruv ru (see above), but I want to be independent too. I want to bake by myself, in my zone - not be reliant on extra staff to wrangle my extras (or spinal meds to recover).* The seasoning (even 6+ times - stop looking at me like that, lol) has coated well, but the surface is… still a bit bumpy in a few areas (from sand used in the mold casting?). This may be good for bread and starches because they benefit from this texture that provides extra micro surface area, a little air channeling and easier crust releases. Proteins, not so much. To make this non-stick-like to the extent well seasoned cast iron can be, then it’d need to be seasoned with more coats to fill in those surface pores until they’re more level. How much seasoning is 6+ you ask? So many that it takes a weekend of coat-wipe-bake-cool and repeat shifts, the entire piece appears dark, not sticky and matte to eggshell black finish, the logo on top is no longer visible, your neighbors kind of side eye you with a passive aggressive ‘hello’ for the taint of polymerized avocado oil VOCs in the air, you don’t get cast iron splinter rash when petting it like a kitten and it’s beginning to behave like a baby version of my great grandma’s Griswold ERIE: quick-ish release-esque (except for proteins: eggs, meat, cheese).* It’s an incredible value - because I bought it ‘used,’ ‘like new,' opened box. To explain, mine came in its branded box, unused, but I’m guessing it was looked at and returned? It was reduced price, a modest $10, lol. It seemed ok, no pitting, no warping, well fitted lid (crucial for moisture control/steam/crusts), no visible cracks, no dull thud sounds when spanking it for a resonant ‘bell’ test, no noticeable irregularities beyond a ‘slightly rougher surface’ in one quadrant of the exterior dome (sand molding, go figure, sigh). However, gasp, there were these little 1 inch long rust streaks - like a few shallow scuffs on one side - très normale, easily removed and diligently armored with seasoning against occurring in future, but it caught some moisture before landing at my Prime free shipping doorstep. One of the otherwise comfortable handles was molded or finished in a grind differently - a little sharper on the grip than the other. The grips are ample and comfy overall - great design choice to angle them apart, but not too far apart. A less experienced cast iron user would probably return it. I called and Amazon was great about it: either return/replace OR receive modest compensation for the miles of restorative labor on unseasoned cast iron this required. I paid 3/4 at the end of this experience and most of the seasoning labor I was going to have to do anyway.* The bakes in Cuisiland are great so far and improving with use.* I don’t think you’d regret this pan, just the seasoning labor. But they’re ALL going to make you season them. The only way around it is to inherit one already seasoned.* At full price, this Challenger-style cast iron dome is nothing to cough at. It costs half of the ideal, it’s lighter weight, with slightly more generous dimensions. Note the different handle design. Instead of large grab handles on top, that also stabilize the dome side, Cuisiland tapered the top dome a little flatter so it reasonably ‘sits’ and the side handles angle away from each other for ease of grip and dome removal and increased oven or storage clearance space. The dome on its flattened taper side seems secure, I can’t reliably comment on how much because I haven’t used the dome side solo yet (for a roast or challah or whatever). Dome only, on a flat surface, handles up, it behaves like a deep roasting ‘bowl’ - not tippy lengthwise at all but it takes some force to tip the unhandled sides, meaning it could, but I doubt it would tip. I have a trivet that I could add if I felt insecure about it, but I don’t and I doubt I’ll be using the dome side solo as much.* I can’t express enough how convenient it is to do a final proof right in the baking vessel. Yes, cast iron leans cool and conductive - so I put shaped dough over a 10 x 20 inch seedling heat mat and heat the dome on the stovetop a little before lidding and proofing in the Cuisiland with a parchment liner. You must be thinking, ‘Isn’t that clever?’ You’re welcome, lol. There’s also a theory/method that proves a cold start sourdough loaf has similar results and oven spring to a preheated cast iron vessel method. So, I’ll try this with a sourdough Pain de Campagna boule (both: Tartine preheat style and Cold start method) and let you know. Basically you’re final proofing right in the Cuisiland cast iron and baking in it without a preheat for 55 minutes instead of 40 (20 lid on - 20 lid off). The reason I’m blathering on about this: the application for all yeast dough shape-proof-bakes utilizing the lid as a cover - all in one quasi-affordable pan. Total boom.💥* The only thing this pan won’t do for me so far is to inject steam. But, I just liberally apply the spray bottle and mist loaves with water or egg wash rolls just before closing the lid - adding a little boiling water and an ice cube misshaped a batard on one side (slightly lopsided, spray bottle mist doesn’t do that).* Made in China. That’s a deal breaker for many. I mean, at 1/3rd price, go with Lodge LCC3 and reduce your loaf size. A similar price point gets you 7 quart oval enameled cast iron Dutch oven (you might prefer that even if sourdough baking tends to depreciate them a lot faster - or they become less attractive). Add $25 and you can get a cast iron multi cloche from Brazil, or $20 less an enameled cast iron cloche (as a knockoff to the Le Creuset version). Double the price is the Challenger (cue the sound of bread angels trumpeting here). Or, write a lot of emails to Lodge Foundry in Tennessee with your ideas and cross your fingers (like me, lol). I’m still waiting for their response to my woodland creature, pinecone, tree branch stainless knob on enameled cast iron series ideas and an expansion of the multi cookers in larger or rectangular size, a carbon steel insert in a cast iron loaf pan to drain fat on meatloaf as it bakes… and deep brioche bun pans plus square English muffin or Lamington pans in cast iron, but, I digress. NASA never answered my letters as a child either. In NASA’s defense, I didn’t understand letters needed an address and fungible stamp at the age of 5 and mistakenly used my brothers’ Bruce Lee Kung Fu limited edition stickers trying to save My Pretty Pony stickers for something important, like asking Sean Cassidy to the school dance or requesting Bonne Belle Lipsmackers in Salted Watermelon and Praline flavors. I write a lot of unanswered letters, hee. Jusayin.’* Cuisiland pan, keeps seasoning with every bake - especially if you massage every surface with avocado oil (thinly, wiping away excess). I’m really glad I bought it. There is a cookware price point that feels daunting, like I can’t use the cookware without worrying because the replacement cost is too high. If something happens - like an ‘if I hurt it I would cry threshold.’ Challenger is that. Cuisiland is below that price range for me - which means I’ll use it stress free. I’ll be hawking and update any bizarre experiences with it in future. Like you, I thought some reviews were disturbing (yeah I’m talking about the snapped handle photo, yikes, wtf?!). Rust, in new or inexperienced cast iron user photos. I understand those though. Rust is not a problem with proper care. I’m on handle fissure patrol, lol.• it’s a pleasing and sleek enough design that it doubles as serveware - rustic charm of cast iron on the table. Granted no wheat stalk embossed, but no cumbersome top handles either. I mostly luv it.Giggle, thanks for the memory lane therapy sesh. Sorry about this review overshare, but I mean well and think this could turn out to be a truly great and often used pan. At least 2 generations of great with proper use and care. If you’re seeking USA manufacture, longer heirloom or bragging rights - get Lodge or the Challenger. If you seek tremendous value and performance with sleek but rustic design like me - buy this, it’s a find!Update: Still rocking it. I use it more than I thought I would. It’s made gorgeous roasts too. I noticed another brand has similar at $109 with charming embossed wheat stalks in the dome? A few more cloche domes for hatards available now too compared to when I bought this. But I still feel thrills using this and have no issues.

Just what I needed

Very good for baking bread

I couldn’t be happier with the Cuisiland Large Heavy Duty Pre-seasoned Cast Iron Bread & Loaf Pan. The quality is exceptional, and the pre-seasoning is spot on, requiring no extra prep before use. Its generous size provides plenty of room, and I’ve noticed a significant improvement in both the taste and texture of my bread. The perfectly engineered handles are a game-changer, making it incredibly easy and convenient to handle, even in a hot oven. All of this comes at a great price—truly a must-have for any baker!