Let's be honest: If you're in the market for a cast iron bread pan/oven and you want only the best, the American-made Challenger Bread Pan is what you're after. That thing is a coveted heirloom in waiting.

But if you don't have $300 to drop on your baking hobby — or if US manufacture isn't a point of contention for you — you'll likely be perfectly happy with the Cuisiland BBC139. This generous-sized oblong bread pan works as well for cranking out bâtards and boules to your heart's content, with a well-fitted lid to seal in that all-important baking factor: steam.

Whereas the Challenger has cleverly placed handles atop the lid for easy grabbing, the Cuisiland makes use of slightly bent handles on each end of the lid and base (curved upward and downward, respectively), which achieves much the same effect.

The cast iron makes it perfectly suitable for use in your home oven of course, but you can also bake on a stove top with it if you like, even on an induction cooktop. It does come pre-seasoned, but I'd recommend putting it through several stages of your own seasoning process for best results.

This Amazon reviewer (who I found an enjoyable read) applied six layers of avocado oil seasoning from the get-go, so you can expect this to be a bit of a weekend project prior to any real baking.

But look at the potential results!

At $140, this cast iron bread oven should be a worthwhile addition to your kitchen that will see much use for decades to come.