Metal loaf pans for baking: your views?

[rotuts]

Im thinking of starting to bake again. ive done this in the distant past, and would like your views on

metal loaf pans, 'non-stick' or not. Especially the William-Sonoma Gold pans, now on sale.

I have my mothers pyrex glass loaf pans ( 6 with lids !!! ) that are older than I am.

I plan to bake bread ( this give me time to get the rise in a cold kitchen -- mine is cold in the winter ! )

and fruit cake which Ive done in the past in aluminum pans lined with parchment that ive like with

baking paper then boozed up and kept for 6 M to mature.

the Test Kitchen in the past ( esp their oat bread from a few year ago ) loves these from Bill Sonoma:

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/usa-pan-goldtouch-nonstick-loaf-pan/?pkey=e%7Cloaf%2Bpan%7C14%7Cbest%7C0%7C1%7C24%7C%7C1&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-NoMerchRules-_-

I looked at them at the time and thought they were pretty pricy . at that time I recall they had a texture to the gold inner

surface. the current ones do not. Senior Moment ? thinking about something else perhaps at the time.

maybe. I attest that that they changed the pans at Bill's not to imply that's bad.

so are these Gold Pans worth the 20 bucks???

looking forward to your views.

Edited April 10, 2013 by rotuts (log)

[annabelle]

I have never seen these Gold Pans. I have many metal baking pans of different sizes from 'regular' loaf size to tiny six-pack type loaf pans for baking nut breads and other rich holiday breads. I've purchased them over the course of many years. I also have glass loaf pans that I use for meatloaf and banana bread.

So, in my opinion $20 is too much for a baking pan.

[rotuts]

good advice. what sort of metal pans to you have and most important how do you prevent sticking to the pan?

maybe that same parchment paper? Im reluctant to add oil or a spay as it might effect the 'crust-tyness' of the loaf

thanks for your thoughts!

[HungryC]

I have a motley collection of loaf pans: fairly flimsy tinned steel pans from Dollar Tree, inexpensive Wilton nonstick from WalMart, unglazed stoneware, plain "sticky" metal, enameled cast iron...they're all useful in various ways. I probably use the unglazed stoneware most frequently of all. You can buy heavyweight commercial metal loaf pans for around $10-$12 each at a restaurant supply house. I think $20 is a bit steep, but King Arthur sells a similar heavyweight pan w/texture for $15.

If you're always going to line the pans w/parchment, then the cheap, tinned steel pans at the dollar store will yield the same results as a $20 pan. The tiny amount of oil or spray used to lubricate a pan will not have a noticeable effect on the crust of yeast breads.

I do not like glass loaf pans....everything takes longer in glass.

[annabelle]

good advice. what sort of metal pans to you have and most important how do you prevent sticking to the pan?

maybe that same parchment paper? Im reluctant to add oil or a spay as it might effect the 'crust-tyness' of the loaf

thanks for your thoughts!

Well, I just looked and there are no identifying marks on them, but I think they are mostly Echo or however it's spelled. Like Hungry C, I bought them everywhere: WalMart, Target, CostPlus, the Dollar Store and the tiny pans are from Wilton and I think I bought them on Amazon.

As far as keeping bread from sticking, I usually grease the pans with shortening. For cake, I'll use parchment. Parchment is pretty expensive, so I save it for cake or really delicate cookies.

[Mjx]

I had to leave pretty much all my cooking and baking things behind when I last moved, and now only have two kind-of-cheapo 'non-stick' springform pans for cakes, and a lidless tinned Pullman pan, for bread (I also use the oval Le Creuset for large loaves of bread). My preference is for tinned steel, probably because it's what I used growing up, and what I'm used to using (I have it on good authority that for pies, clear glass is the way to go, however).

I got hold of some silicone baking sheets that have a much finer weave then the Matfers (a bit like the ones made by Regency), and cut those into rounds that I put in the bottoms the springforms, when I bake cakes (I butter the sides and dust with flour or cacao; these pans are non-stick in name only). These do an excellent job of keeping the cake from sticking, and I've been reusing them for about half a dozen years; they're still good. The pans are not shedding their coatings, either, since they're protected.

For the loaf pan, I fold up a piece of silicon baking paper into a shape that fits right inside the pan, and am usually able to reuse that a couple dozen times before I need to replace it, but I'm planning on switching with a similar solution to the one I use for the springforms (I like having solutions that don't involve the possibility of suddenly running out of the key material).

[Panaderia Canadiense]

I have an assortment of metal loaf pans, in lead-free tinned steel, non-stick coated aluminium, and black steel (these last are my great gran's). And I'm with everybody else - $20 is way too much to spend on them. I generally won't lay out more than $3 unless I'm having one custom made for some specific purpose.

I have never had an issue with leavened bread sticking to any of them - the trick in everything but nonstick is baker's grease (a paste mixture of butter and flour) and in the non-sticks it's simply butter. For fruitcakes and fruit breads I line with parchment regardless of the pan type.

[rotuts]

thanks for all these ideas. those gold pans did seem pretty $$$$

Ill go with Chicago Metallic from BB&B

is there a difference for loafs in the shiny vs the dark finish? does the dark really brown better? get hotter?

[lindag]

I can attest to the W-S GoldTouch pans. They truly are the best pans available. If you want to invest in pans that will last a lifetime, these are the ones to buy. They need NO greasing. And they stay looking brand-new. They are heavy and very well constructed.

I got rid of all my others and use only these; I bake bread on a regular basis.

I also got the square pans and the quarter-sheet pans and the regular sheet pans. They are the gold standard.

[annabelle]

They had better be the Gold Standard since they cost a Denver Mint.

My pans (and I have tons of them) are nothing special, but they don't stick and some of them were my grandmother's. They have sentimental value for me.

[judiu]

I had to leave pretty much all my cooking and baking things behind when I last moved, and now only have two kind-of-cheapo 'non-stick' springform pans for cakes, and a lidless tinned Pullman pan, for bread (I also use the oval Le Creuset for large loaves of bread). My preference is for tinned steel, probably because it's what I used growing up, and what I'm used to using (I have it on good authority that for pies, clear glass is the way to go, however).

I got hold of some silicone baking sheets that have a much finer weave then the Matfers (a bit like the ones made by Regency), and cut those into rounds that I put in the bottoms the springforms, when I bake cakes (I butter the sides and dust with flour or cacao; these pans are non-stick in name only). These do an excellent job of keeping the cake from sticking, and I've been reusing them for about half a dozen years; they're still good. The pans are not shedding their coatings, either, since they're protected.

Mjx, I always thought that cutting a fibreglass sheet like a Silpat was a no-no. You're saying it's o.k.?

For the loaf pan, I fold up a piece of silicon baking paper into a shape that fits right inside the pan, and am usually able to reuse that a couple dozen times before I need to replace it, but I'm planning on switching with a similar solution to the one I use for the springforms (I like having solutions that don't involve the possibility of suddenly running out of the key material).

[Mjx]

I had to leave pretty much all my cooking and baking things behind when I last moved, and now only have two kind-of-cheapo 'non-stick' springform pans for cakes, and a lidless tinned Pullman pan, for bread (I also use the oval Le Creuset for large loaves of bread). My preference is for tinned steel, probably because it's what I used growing up, and what I'm used to using (I have it on good authority that for pies, clear glass is the way to go, however).

>>>Mjx, I always thought that cutting a fibreglass sheet like a Silpat was a no-no. You're saying it's o.k.?

I've heard that too, and I'm pretty sure that's correct, but these have no fibreglass in them.

ETA, I took a closer look, and they're not silicone, either, but Teflon-coated. I'm not enthusiastic about Teflon, but since these aren't exposed to temperatures at which the stuff degrades, and using them doesn't involve scraping (the way it does in a pan), I'm not enormously concerned about it.

[Mjx]

thanks for all these ideas. those gold pans did seem pretty $$$$

Ill go with Chicago Metallic from BB&B

is there a difference for loafs in the shiny vs the dark finish? does the dark really brown better? get hotter?

I've found that baking on/in darker surfaces gives better browning (you might not want that with cake pans).

[annabelle]

I believe that's true, Michaela. I baked a sponge cake yesterday in a shiny tinned springform pan and it had a lovely golden bloom that was uniform on all sides. When I have baked this sponge cake in a non-stick, dark finished pan, it has a much darker crust on the pansides and needs to be trimmed before serving.

Rotuts, what kind of breads are you planning to bake? Some crusty breads may be baked in a cast iron Dutch oven. If you have one of those, you're good to go!

[rotuts]

in the distant past I make SourDough basted on this book which is now out of print:

http://www.amazon.com/Best-Bread-Ever-Homemade-Processor/dp/0767900324/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366050150&sr=1-1&keywords=best+bread+ever

these were free form and delicious, not air-y delicious though

so Ill re start with 'various breads dough' in a pan where I can control the time of the rise then bake.

I did try the Dutch oven and have one but did not spend the time to do it right.

as New England warms up, well there might be a pause on baking.

maybe in the Weber! Ive noticed over time I get interested in perfecting things that are way out of 'Season'

Baking Bread in New England """"""""""""" in the summer ??????? """""""""""

I appreciate all your suggestions. but that sourdough that I used to make had the most stunning flavor and as toast ......

it was too dense for dinner.

[annabelle]

Julia Child's "From Julia Child's Kitchen" has a number of bread recipes that experiment with rising times and discuss how kneading, shaping and slowing or speeding up the rise effects the taste and texture of the breads. She has a section on making puff pastry and croissants, too. I draw the line at puff pastry. It is fantastic when homemade, but I don't have the patience for it anymore.

Baking on the Weber? I say give it a whirl!

Edited April 15, 2013 by annabelle (log)

[rotuts]

This is what my 'free form' sourdough used to look like based completely on "best bread ever" mentioned above:

I hope to get back to this this Fall!

[annabelle]

Gorgeous! My sourdough was always full of fail.