Toast in the Shell

Brod & Taylor's new bread vessels

(Note: all of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning I will get a small commission for purchases made using them. You are under no obligation to use the links if you’d rather not, of course. Also, I am sending this out a day early in case it’s helpful for last-minute gift-giving ideas.)

I’ve never “reviewed” my Challenger Bread Pan here, but given the number of times I have spoken lovingly of it and shown it in action, I think it is safe to say that most people are aware that’s long been my favorite Dutch oven-style baking vessel. Here’s what I said about it back in December of 2020, on my post on Dutch-oven baking:

I love my Challenger Pan and use it pretty much all the time, since it is long enough to accommodate the bâtards that are my preferred style of loaf. It is very heavy, and the “lid” forms a very tight seal, so nary a wisp of steam escapes. Moreover, unlike most Dutch ovens, most of the mass of the pot is contained in the lid and not the base, so it pumps more heat toward the top and sides of the loaf. Both of which means that loaves spring up very quickly, usually within 15 minutes at 475˚F.

I still use my Challenger all the time, but there is another baking vessel that has taken its place alongside it that I like nearly as much, the Brod & Taylor Baking Shell and Steel, which comes in two flavors, a rectangular one for long loaves, and a round one for boules (or loaves of any shape, more on which later).

Like the Challenger, the B&T Baking Shell consists of two pieces, a “base” on which the bread sits and which pumps heat into the underside to get the loaf to spring quickly, and a “lid” (or cloche) which keeps the bread enclosed during the first half of the bake, to provide steam, in order to maximize oven spring and promote a crisp, thin crust. The base—the B&T Bread Steel—is a 14” x 14” (35.5cm x 35.5cm) square of lightweight steel that is 0.1” (0.25cm) thick:

The lids are made of thin-gauge, blackened aluminum, and have a heatproof knob on one end for ease of placement and removal. The round “boule” version is 13” (33cm) in diameter and 5.5” (14cm) tall, making it large enough to accommodate both long bâtards and round loaves, including larger miche-style loaves up to 1.5kg or so:

The rectangular version is 12.5” x 8” x 5.5” (32cm x 20cm x 14cm), which gives it internal dimensions very similar to that of the Challenger pan:

The Baking Shells might be lighter than the Challenger, but despite this, they seem to form a good seal against the Steel, trapping more than enough moisture to provide steam for the bread. I’ve now baked many loaves in the B&T Shells and a Challenger side-by-side, and the difference in crust texture and appearance and oven spring between them is insignificant:

Challenger (left) vs. rectangular Baking Shell (right).

The Challenger pan is made of cast iron, and the lid and base combined weigh 20 pounds (9kg). Meanwhile, the Baking Shell and Steel together weigh a mere 6.59 pounds (3kg), nearly a third of the weight of the Challenger. More importantly, the Steel sits in the oven the entire time, so only the Shells—which weigh ~1.1 pounds (500g) each—need moving around during the bake, making the B&T a lot easier to manipulate, especially for those lacking ripped biceps and strong shoulders.

You’d think that the weight and density of the Challenger would give it the advantage over the B&T Shell in terms of its ability to generate steam¹ and pump heat into the loaf. But I think that the light weight of the Shell more than makes up for its minimal mass: Instead of storing loads of heat the way that the Challenger does, the Steel and Shell transmit it more quickly, providing more or less the same effect.

Perhaps best of all, for the same reason, the B&T Shell and Steel do not need preheating. As soon as the oven has come up to temperature, the Steel is ready to go; meanwhile, the thin aluminum Shell heats up within minutes of being set over the loaf. This means no longer needing to give your bread vessel at least 30 minutes of extra time to saturate it with heat before use. Not only does this save time and energy, it means you can begin the baking process minutes before your breads are fully proofed. (It also means less risk of burning your hands on the lid, which goes over the loaf cold, not hot.)

And then there is the price: The Shell and Steel (which must be purchased separately) come to $148 as a set, which is half the cost of a Challenger. (You could even purchase both versions of the shell and a single Steel and still come out ahead.)

As for which version to get, that depends on what kinds of loaves you bake most often. Like the Challenger, the rectangular Shell can accommodate both round and long loaves up to 7 inches in width. It is more compact to store, and because its internal volume is much smaller than the round Shell, it probably does a slightly better job of keeping loaves jacketed with steam.

But if you have ever wanted to bake miches or other oversized loaves² at home, then the round Shell is the way to go, since it can easily accommodate loaves of up to 12 inches in diameter or length (and it steams large loaves beautifully, since they fill its cavity more fully). Since the round Shell works well enough to steam smaller loaves of all sizes, it can really do everything. (It is a little more awkward to store, however.)

The Bread Steel is currently sold out at B&T, unfortunately, but both of the Shells are in stock here and here. You could use a baking stone or thicker steel in place of the B&T one while you wait for theirs to restock, though you’d have to preheat the former for an hour or so to get decent oven spring. As for whether you could use a thicker baking steel exclusively with the Shells, I wouldn’t myself. I find a thick, heavy steel too conductive for breads, which means they can burn on the underside before the top crust is fully browned; I only use my thick steel for flatbreads and pizza, where I want that intensity of heat transfer.

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The performance of the B&T Baking Shell is as absolutely good as a Challenger; In terms of price, ease of use, and ergonomics, however, the B&T absolutely wins the day. As much as it pains me to say it, it now may replace the Challenger as the baking vessel I’d recommend to most bakers looking to go beyond their Dutch oven.

—Andrew

1. One way that the Challenger is unique is in how it allows you to use the “ice-cube” trick, in which you toss a small cube of ice into the pan just before closing it up. I do this whenever I use my Challenger, because it supercharges the steam, giving the loaf a super glossy, extremely crisp crust. I’ve it with the B&T Shells, but without a rim on the base to contain the water as it melts, it just runs out from beneath the shell.

2. You could even use the round Shell to bake a single demi-baguette, though I have been encouraging B&T to consider creating a larger “turkey roasting pan”-sized shell and steel that could accommodate two or three demi-baguettes, something I have dreamed of owning for ages.