If you thought the Challenger Bread Pan was only good for baking bread, think again! Vegetables, desserts, roast meats and more can all be cooked to perfection in the Challenger. This cast iron pan is very versitile. Since you likely paid a lot of money for it, why not use it to its full potential and cook up some other great dishes in your Challenger Bread Pan! In this post, I’ll show you exactly how to make Brussels sprouts in the Challenger Bread Pan.
To make Brussels sprouts in your Challenger Bread Pan, pre-heat the base of the pan in the oven for 30 minutes. Season your sliced Brussels sprouts with oil, salt, and pepper before placing on the hot Challenger Bread Pan base that has been lined with parchment paper. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 400°F until fully baked and charred on the edges.
That’s the short explanation of what to do. Baking on the Challenger Bread Pan is a little more challenging than just using a sheet pan. Keep on reading for more specific suggestions and my step-by-step recipe.
Why Brussels Sprouts Are Great for the Challenger Bread Pan
Roasted Brussels sprouts cooked on a sheet pan are great, but what makes them even more delicious is if they’re cooked on a high heat surface, like cast iron. That’s why frying or sauteeing Brussels sprouts in a cast iron pan is such a popular option. The Challenger Bread Pan provides the best of both worlds – you get a high heat, cast iron surface on which to cook your Brussels sprouts, and you get the convenience of just throwing everything in the oven, like with a sheet pan. It’s a win-win!
Recommended Reading: I actually wrote a post about 9 different things you can make in the Challenger Bread Pan besides bread. Check out that post here!
Sheet Pan vs. Challenger Bread Pan – What to Do Differently
Pre-heating the pan
If you’ve ever made a sheet pan dinner, baking vegetables on the Challenger Bread Pan will be easy – but there’s on extra step involved: you’ll need to pre-heat the pan. Pre-heating the base of the Challenger Bread Pan will give you a sizzling hot surface to cook your Brussels sprouts on, which will give them deliciously charred edges.
A half hour before you’re ready to cook your Brussels sprouts, place the base of your Challenger Bread Pan on the middle rack of your oven to pre-heat. Turn the oven to 400dF (204dC) and let it warm up for 30 minutes.
Lining the pan with parchment paper
Just like with a sheet pan dinner, it might be a good idea to line the base of your Challenger Bread Pan with parchment paper before baking. I like to do this so that I can keep my pan clean for bread baking. To do this, I pre-heat the base of the Challenger without parchement paper. Then, I mix the vegetables in a bowl with all the seasonings. When I’m ready to bake, I carefully place a small sheet of parchment paper on the hot base of the Challenger Bread Pan and I spread the vegetables on top. Ready to bake!
Cooking without parchment paper
Since the Challenger is made of cast iron, you are definitely able to go without parchment if you want to. In that case, just grease the surface of the pan with some oil before adding in the vegetables. In this case, just like with any cast iron pan, you’ll want to make sure that you thoroughly clean the pan with a sponge after using it, and then season it well with oil before you bake anything else. Here’s a link to the Challenger Bread Pan “Cast Iron Care and Use page” on their website.
Here’s my step-by-step process for making Brussels sprouts in the Challenger Bread Pan.
Video Tutorial
Recipe – Brussels Sprouts in the Challenger Bread Pan
Ingredients
- Brussels sprouts – 1 lb
- Vegetable oil – 4 tbsp
- Salt – 1 tsp
- Black pepper – 1/2 tsp
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 400°F (204°C) with the base of the Challenger Bread Pan on the middle rack of the oven. Let the oven pre-heat for 30 minutes before baking.
- Slice all of the Brussels sprouts down the middle length-wise so that each one is cut in half.
- Mix Brussels sprouts in a mixing bowl with oil, salt, and pepper and stir to completely cover the sprouts with the seasoning.
- When the oven is pre-heated, line the bottom of the base of the Challenger Bread Pan with a sheet of parchment paper. Turn out the Brussels sprouts from the mixing bowl and pour them into the hot pan. Spread them out into a thin layer so that they bake evenly. Bake for 30-35 minutes total, stirring the Brussels sprouts once after about 15 minutes so that they brown evenly.
- Remove Brussels sprouts from the oven and enjoy!
Brussels Sprouts in the Challenger Bread Pan
The Challenger Bread Pan isn't only for bread. You can also make great oven roasted Brussels sprouts in your favorite cast-iron bread pan.
Ingredients
- Brussels sprouts - 1 lb
- Vegetable oil - 4 tbsp
- Salt - 1 tsp
- Black pepper - 1/2 tsp
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 400°F (204°C) with the base of the Challenger Bread Pan on the middle rack of the oven. Let the oven pre-heat for 30 minutes before baking.
- Slice all of the Brussels sprouts down the middle length-wise so that each one is cut in half.
- Mix Brussels sprouts in a mixing bowl with oil, salt, and pepper and stir to completely cover the sprouts with the seasoning.
- When the oven is pre-heated, line the bottom of the base of the Challenger Bread Pan with a sheet of parchment paper. Turn out the Brussels sprouts from the mixing bowl and pour them into the hot pan. Spread them out into a thin layer so that they bake evenly. Bake for 30-35 minutes total, stirring the Brussels sprouts once after about 15 minutes so that they brown evenly.
- Remove Brussels sprouts from the oven and enjoy!
Still looking to buy your own Challenger Bread Pan, get yours directly from the Challenger Breadware website here with my affiliate link!
What else can you make in the Challenger Bread Pan?
If you like the idea of making Brussels sprouts in your Challenger Bread Pan, there are a bunch of other unique dishes you can make in this pan as well! Roast chicken, cinnamon rolls, cobblers, and any other sheet pan dinner can all be cooked to perfection in this pan.
I actually wrote a post about 9 different things you can make in the Challenger Bread Pan besides bread. Check out that post here!