Challenger Bread Pan for sourdough

I have had one for 3 months now. I like it a lot. It does give a better crust imho than the Dutch oven. It retains heat well being that it weighs 22lbs. I have found using parchment paper will keep the bottom of the bread from getting to dark. The price was an issue a first, but when you think about a good enameled cloche cost $120 and they can break. Cast iron is a good choice. The biggest draw back for me is I can only bake one loaf at a time.

hope that helps.

IMO it’s not worth it at all. You can get other Dutch ovens that are multi purpose (le cruset, staub, etc.) and are the same price or cheaper if you want to make more standard shaped loaves. It’s all relative though if you’ve got $250 to burn.

I have and use several old creuset pots I've used over the years. Then I bought one one of these Lodge combo cookers last year. I think it's better than the pots. It's hard to beat and can't imagine the challenger pan will make much difference on a side by side comparison. I could be wrong.. I got it on sale for about 50$. In the picture they show a baked loaf in the deep side of the pan - but you actually place the dough on the pre-heated shallow side when baking.

 https://www.wired.com/story/rave-lodge-3-quart-cast-iron-combo-cooker/

The answer is Yes!!  I had previously been working with my clay baker. I also have a cast iron dutch oven. Just to note; The Challenger Bread Pan definitely cooks hotter than my cast iron dutch oven. It is thicker and holds more heat.  I have been making sourdough bread for about 2 years. Been through all the ups and downs. Over the last 6 months I have arrived at a place where I can consistently make very good open and airy loaves. But there was always some kind of X factor that was missing. They never looked as gorgeous as the best out there. It is as if I was professional baseball player on a farm team, still considered an excellent ball player, but haven't made it to the major leagues.  The challenger pan has brought me there. I have gotten the basics of sourdough down, but in my oven with my baking vessels, it was good enough but not exceptional baking conditions. So I used my Challenger Bread Pan for the first time. I followed my usual bread skills and produced what I considered a typical loaf ready for baking that I expected to be successful. I loaded the bread onto the preheated baker base. I added a couple of ice cubes onto the very hot plate as recommended. The amount of sizzle and steam was more than I had ever seen with my other vessels or stones because of the increased heat retention. I covered it with the hot lid quickly to catch the steam. Also because I expected it to cook hotter, I lowered my usual baking temperature a bit. Was definitely needed. When I opened the lid after 20 minutes I was so happy at what I saw. Best oven spring ever, lightest loaf ever, and blistering that I had never been able to achieve before. The pics speak for themselves. 

I have heard some people complain that their loaves come out a bit flat in the Challenger. They claim that they need the support from the sides of of a baker. My answer is that their loaves may be lacking the strength to begin with. Many of the best bakers I see use just a stone or a steel with a roasting pan lid, and they introduce steam via wet rags, stones, etc... They don't have any support either, and their loaves are not coming out flat. In conclusion what I can say is that if loaves are coming out flat in this baker, there is a strength, or shaping issue. I highly recommend it and it was money well spent if you are a serious sourdough fan.