Customer Reviews

Camp Chef Home Seasoned Cast Iron Bread Pan

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have several pieces of cast iron cookware, mostly Lodge brand. But since Lodge doesn't make their loaf pans anymore, I went with this brand. I love cooking with cast iron because it distributes heat evenly and will last you a lifetime with proper care & seasoning. I thought I was making good banana bread in my regular teflon pans until I started using this new cast iron loaf pan. WOW, now my banana bread isn't just good, it's wonderful! Cooked evenly, moist inside with a nice brown outer crust. Just like banana bread should be. For the price it's a steal, because you will have this pan forever. Whereas teflon pans scratch and wear out over time. The only downfall some people have with cast iron is the heavy weight, but I don't have a problem with it. Not only am I cooking, im getting an arm workout at the same time!

I own a LOT of cast iron..in fact, I probably own most of what Lodge has put out including everything from the cast iron hibachi grill to wok, pans, kettles and much (much) more. I LOVE the durability, ease and convenience of cooking and baking with cast iron.

Recently I needed some additional bread pans and since cannot find Lodge brand any longer I purchased 2 from Sante Cabin and 2 from Old Mountain. Old Mountain arrived quickly, well wrapped/packaged and completely treated. Washed and used to encounter bread that dropped effortlessly from the pan without need for barely any prompting. After a few more uses the finish was even better...perfect.

The Sante Cabin cast iron arrived a few days later, washed to prepare for use and pan immediately began to rust. Description indicates "true seasoned" and "ready to use right out of the box" but also denotes "non-seasoned". This pan is NON_SEASONED despite a superficial appearance to the contrary. While seasoning is not a big deal for those experienced with it (and some may prefer their own seasoning to factory treated seasoniing), it is worth mentioning for those that are searching for a TRUE pre-seasoned loaf/bread pan. If so, go with the Old Mountain bread pan instead. There is a shape difference - Old Mountain has a rather odd angled shape whereas Sante Cabin provides a more traditional "bread loaf" shape.

I make my own bread for my family and have used many bread pans but this one is the best. I only have one of the cast iron bread pans so when I make more than one loaf I still have to use my old pans. I have both aluminum -which is terrible and a stainless steel. The loaf in the cast iron has a much higher more even rise. I don't know the physics behind this but I am going to be getting another of these pans. It also has a really nice solid feel and is very easy to clean. Just slather it up with oil (I use extra virgin coconut oil - since it has so much saturated fat and doesn't easily go rancid it seasons the pan really well) before I put the bread in and it comes out clean with no mess. If you are looking to invest in a great bread pan that will last a long time, this is the one for you. I am seriously considering a cast iron muffin pan now since this one has been so great.

I purchased 2 pans a year ago. I was not pleased to see that they were made in China but they are heavy and appear to be of good quality. (I have seen many other China cast iron pieces which do not seem to be pure... color off, weight is very light, and have poor heat distribution.)
(See last paragraph!)

Based on my experience with cast iron, I would recommend these pans because they appear to be of pure cast iron, cook very very well and are a breeze to clean up.
I make bread every couple of days and they make such lovely loaves. I have also made non yeast breads and they too are magnificent! I have even tried meat loaf in them and have been so very pleased with the results.
Everything cooks evenly, never sticks (if lightly oiled before use) and has a truly delicious taste.
They are far superior to my glass loaf pans. I am going to replace those with more cast iron.

All of this said, I have decided not to purchase more Sante Cabin pans. The product info says "new pans" which has me suspicious of their quality. I have decided to order pans directly through Lodge of TN. I can purchase them with a phone call to a number of their factory stores. (If the one you call does not ship them, ask who does and get the phone number). They will ship UPS and their cost is comparative.
If you too are concerned about quality (no lead in your pans!) order USA made!

The pan seems a little shallow; but if used properly my bread comes out proper sandwich loaf shaped, just as store bought bread. It's also seasoned as well as any other cast iron cookware (i.e. Lodge), which means you'll want to re-season it: rub down with Crisco vegetable shortening and pass with a paper towel to massage the shortening into it (and make the layer thin), then bake for an hour at 450F. Apply at least two coats of seasoning.

This is not a glass or aluminum-Teflon loaf pan; therefor, if you use it as such, your bread will come out horribly.

Cast iron has a huge heat capacity, and thus poor heat conduction; in other words, it tends to retain temperature, but develop hot spots. The second isn't an issue in baking; the first is, and should be attended to. Overall, however, this gives cast iron pans a huge advantage for baking if used properly.

When using this pan, keep it in your rising environment: let the pan warm to rising temperatures, for example in a gas oven with a pilot light or in a warmed oven. In this way, the whole pan will be warm during the final rising; when you shape the dough into the pan to rise, it will rise quickly and evenly from all sides. Using a cold pan will cause an extremely dense region to form along a one-inch thick U shaped area following the bottom and sides.

I also tend to pre-heat my oven with the pans inside. The black, high-heat-capacity cast iron cooks faster, so the cook time doesn't lengthen by doing this; indeed, I also tend to remove the bread 5-10 minutes early and place it directly on the oven rack to finish.

In any case, due to the high heat capacity of cast iron, you must remove the bread from the pans immediately when finished cooking; otherwise the bread will continue to cook for another half hour. Sometimes you can get away with cooling in a pan in Teflon pans (you shouldn't), but NOT with cast iron.

Once you've learned to use these pans properly, they will enable you to rise and bake your bread much better than thin aluminum pans.

I asked for some of these pans for Mother's Day and received them. I love them. They really do bake evenly. The bread I have made has turned out wonderfully. On the box they have the Camp Chef label. I also noticed the Sante Cookware company is located in Utah, where I also reside. The phone number is on the literature that is included. I had a few questions and called them. They said that they and Camp Chef are owned by the same parent company. I asked them about the issue that has been raised in a few reviews about their being made in China and the possibility of containing lead. They said that there is strict monitoring of the factory in China and that they constantly test. They affirmed that there is no lead in their products. They ARE pans to enyoy!

I was looking for a loaf pan to bake cornbread in. This one is perfect. It was ready to use when it arrived and did not need seasoning. I have not had any problems with it. I love it and am considering purchasing a second one for times when I need extra cornbread.

I love cooking in cast iron! So when I discovered that there was a cast iron loaf pan, I was thrilled and bought it immediately. It hasn't disappointed in the baking department, I just wish the handles were a bit bigger. With the tiny handles on it, given it's heft, it can be awkward to try to pull out of the oven, so just take some extra care and time when you do so. The heft itself is fantastic, and it makes a delicious loaf of bread, with a wonderfully evenly-cooked crust that's exactly the right kind of "crusty" that a bread crust should be. It's completely changed the way my family does bread.

I bake a lot of bread, every week for 40 years. I love this pan, it's my favorite. I wanted to use the Lodge but it's so small. This is better, and I'm a big Lodge fan. I preheat the pan when I do the rise of the dough. I turn the oven on BROIL for 1 minute, turn the oven off and put my dough in a bowl and the cast iron pan then in the turned off oven. It's perfect to warm the pan and provide a good temp for the dough to rise.

Punch the dough down at the right time and shape, place in this fine iron pan that has been greased and let it rise again. If need be, turn the oven on BROIL for 1 minute and turn the oven off, let the dough in the cast iron rise the last time.

After the bake take the bread out of the pan quickly as the pan will continue to cook as it retains the heat. I brush out any crumbs and re-grease the pan and put it back into the hot oven to season more.

A loaf lasts me all week. I make bread every Tuesday so I call this MY TUESDAY PAN. I bought another just in case of company and need two loaves. it's worth every penny. This is my only piece of Sante cast iron and I'm impressed. I'll use it for the rest of my life.

Get on some of the good bread baking groups and learn to make bread, noting like it on earth.

I am very happy with this product and I bought two of them. I am now cooking bread and other foods with them better than ever before. I have no regrets and will not be returning anything. Foods that I have cooked with this product come right out of the pan without sticking so far. Very little cleaning was needed for me. My bread is better than ever. Very happy.