Best pan type for bread baking

[rockymtngirl]

Metal or glass? If you use metal do you use the new non stick type or the older versions?

Thanks!

RMG

[Shamrock1121]

The "best" pan is the one that is the correct size for the amount of dough. This is the first mistake commonly made in bread making. After that, it's just a matter of personal preference.

When I give classes, this is an area of instruction I spend a lot of time.

Personally, I like heavy metal (just like the music I listen to ;)). Dark metal absorbs heat and shiney metal reflects heat.

There is a new brand of metal pan that is a light gold color that I haven't seen or tried, but I understand they perform exceptionally well.

I personally don't use glass because it CAN shatter and I'd hate to see all that work down the drain just because I used glass that decided to break. But for all that, I have friends who will ONLY use glass.

I have a huge selection of types and sizes of loaf pans after many years as a homemaker. The ones I use the most are heavy, professional-grade, pans like Calaphone and Chicago Metallic.

I have shiney stainless steel loaf pans that I like a lot, but "professionals" generally don't like these.

I have some with non-stick surface that are needed for a certain type of bread I make.

I have black pans that are necessary for use in the Solar Ovens.

A number of 7-1/2x3-1/3-inch pans are used for small loaves of yeast bread or small quick breads for gift giving. I also use them for making two hot dog buns in. They are the perfect size for that. They are the old thin Bake King, that have served me well for many years.

I also use Covered Clay Bakers:

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/detail.jsp?select=C74&byCategory=C86&id=5705

and

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/detail.jsp?select=C74&byCategory=C86&id=5147

9x5-inch pans are designed for quick breads (or yeast breads that yield 2# of dough or use approx. 4-cups of flour in the recipe), but I don't like the huge loaves because the slices of quick breads tend to fall apart after they are cut, so I use a Danish Loaf Pan. This holds the same amount of batter, but the loaf is longer and a perfect size for slicing without falling apart. It also makes a nice size yeast bread for cutting into thin slices when you are cutting carbs.

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/landing.jsp?go=DetailDefault&id=5131&pv=1126880574 731

For making the fine texture and crustless loaves of sandwich breads, I use Pullman Pans. I have one that holds a 1# loaf and another that holds a 2# loaf.

http://cp32.heritagewebdesign.com/~chr818/cart/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_ in_description=1&keyword=Bread+Pan

Pan sizes - Flour Amounts - Dough Amounts.....

Jumbo - 10x4-1/2-inches - 4-5-cups flour - 2#+ dough

Quick Bread - 9x5 - 4-cups flour - 2# dough

Standard - 8-1/2x4-1/2 - 3-cups flour - 1.5# dough

Medium - 7-1/2x3-1/2 - 2-1/2 c. flour - 1# dough

Small - 5-3/4x3-3/4 - 1-1/2 c. flour - 8 oz. dough

Miniature - 4-1/2x2-1/2 - 3/4 c. flour - 6 oz. dough

-Karen

[rockymtngirl]

Very helpful Karen - thanks!

[Umbriel]

I use my cast iron dutch ovens. I get really crusty loaves that way, artisan-style.

[cinok]

Is there a prayer for first ime bread bakers, I have decided it time to work on some baking from scratch / cooking from scratch. I will be baking my first loaf bread this weekend. Fiqured thats a good place to start I will be using store bought flour and such I'm not ready to start grinding my own yet. ;D

[rockymtngirl]

HI Cinok - not sure if you are of this persuasion ( iwas just looking up 'patron saints') - Elizabeth of Hungary is considered a patron saint for bakers. So that's one thought.

My personal thought - imagine in your mind that your bread will be as you see it - crusty, sweet and light on the inside. Smell the bread as it rises and bakes. Envision your results. (ok well this is not a perfect solution - but I think a positive outlook does wonders myself!)

RMG

[Shamrock1121]

Is there a prayer for first ime bread bakers, I have decided it time to work on some baking from scratch / cooking from scratch. I will be baking my first loaf bread this weekend. Fiqured thats a good place to start I will be using store bought flour and such I'm not ready to start grinding my own yet. ;D



Bread is one of the most humbling things I make. Even after baking all our breads for years and years, I'm still learning all the time about the process, and I still produce a "brick" every now and again.

How about a few hints and tips for you...

1. Get an instant read thermometer (a stick probe type with a dial on the top will work fine). You'll use this to accurately gauge the temperature of the water for proofing the yeast/sugar mixture. It's also the most accurate way to judge if the loaf is done baking. Most loaves are done somewhere between 190-195°F. Free-form loaves may go up to 205°F.

2. Respect the type of yeast called for in a recipe. I keep SAF-Instant (a fast-rising type of yeast that can be mixed dry with the flour) AND Active Dry Yeast (I purchase both in bulk amounts and keep them in the freezer.) They each work a little differently, and until you know how to substitute them, I'd suggest sticking to the type called for.

3. Rather than guessing if the dough has "doubled" while resting inside that slant-sided bowl with a cloth over it, use a Dough Rising Bucket. It's a plastic, straight-sided food container with a tight-fitting lid. It can be square or round, and will have graduated measurements on the side. If you pat dough into it and it measures 1-quart, then you'll know it's doubled when it rises to 2-quarts. No more guessing.

Handle the kneaded dough with oiled hands and pat it into the container and stick the lid on. It's the perfect environment for rising bread. You could also use a recycled ice cream tub for the purpose, just measure where the dough is with a ruler and double that amount and put a piece of masking tape where it should be when it's "doubled". Just remember if the top of the tape, or the bottom of the tape was the measurement. Restaurant supply stores carry the food storage containers in a variety of sizes. I normally use a 2-quart size, but I have them in sizes larger than that for larger amounts of dough.

Why go to all this trouble? Over-proofing the dough (allowing it to proof past "double") will be one good way to get a failure.

Cover your loaves of rising dough with plastic wrap (you can spray it with Pam to keep it from sticking to the dough) rather than a cloth.

4. Dough does NOT rise to the clock. The rise time in the recipe is just a good (or bad) guess. Dough rises according to the strength and type of yeast used, the ambient temperature and the humidity. It will take longer to rise in a cold kitchen than it does in a warm temperature.

5. The amount of flour needed in a recipe is also only a good guess because flour types and brands differ in protein (gluten) and moisture from storage. Hold back 1/2-3/4-cup. It may not be needed. But don't worry if you need to add more flour than the recipe calls for. You'll learn to add enough flour and will go by the "feel" of the dough. It's better to err on the side of a wet dough because a dry dough will guarantee a baked "brick".

Best of luck, and don't give up. There are as many recipes and methods for bread making as there are people. You'll fail at one, but another will work well for you. A good way to get your hands doughy is to get one of those Pillsbury hot roll mixes and make it. They are almost fail-proof. Consider it your bread baking training wheels.

-Karen

[theresehirko]

I use a baking stone for my weekly bread baking. We don't care about shape too much since the challah is braided anyway. We have gotten good results. Now when i am baking a quick bread, I use a pyrex glass loaf pan.

[kldickinson1]

I am all in favor of the gold-coated non-stick loaf pans available from Williams-Sonoma. Yes, they're stupidly expensive for a loaf pan, and yes, they come from the yuppiest kitchenware store around. But I have just bought and used one, and it's ingenious. Not a lick of sticking (no oil, cornmeal, or flour necessary), and the browning on the bottom was perfect - not too dark, not too light.

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/sku7081524/index.cfm?pkey=cbread-pans-loaf-pans&ckey=bread-pans-loaf-pans

This link is for a one-pound pan; they also carry minis and 1 1/2-pound pans.

[harvester]

wow, you all know more about bread baking than i do. Ive been making bread once a week, (sometimes on the weekends when we are expecting company and extra mouths to feed) since I was about 14.
I just make the dough, raise it, beat it up, knead it, pant it out raid it again to the size i want it and bake it..done..bread..lol
Ive never used anything fancy to make my bread and Ive even just plopped the leftover dough down on a cookie sheet and baked it as is..
its bread, its got a wonderful taste and it fills the tummy.

[momma_to_seven_chi]

I use my cast iron dutch ovens. *I get really crusty loaves that way, artisan-style.


I do too. *The loaves are round, but I just make them in my cast iron skillets. If you don't mind round loaves, they work the best.

And in the last couple of years, I have been getting lazy, so I just do one rise. Mix, kneed, shape, put in pan, one rise, then bake. The holes in the bread are smaller, but it tastes just fine with one rise.

[EarthMama]

Karen, you're a wealth and treasure of information. Thank you so much for sharing!! :)