The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Loaf pan size

VonildaBakesBread's picture
VonildaBakesBread

Loaf pan size

Why do all my recipes call for an 8" (or 8-1/2") by 4" loaf pan, when I could only find one in that size at a yard sale? I'm using my bigger loaf pans, and simply living with the resultant smaller oven rise. No biggie, but is there any way to make an  adjustment in the recipes? (I'm using Laurel's Kitchen, soon to try recipes from Reinhardt's Whole Wheat)

Blessings,

Voni

ananda's picture
ananda

Hi Voni,

Yes, you can workout the volume of the bread pan specified to be used for the recipe you mention.   The ratio between the volume of pan and the dough weight should be the same for any recipe.   For the volume, either fill the pan with water, then check using a jug, or, scale...or multiply the length by the height by the width.

Purely for illustration, if the volume of pan is 120 cubic inches and your recipe is 600g dough, then a 240 cubic inch pan requires 1200g dough.   Sorry, I know I have mixed Imperial and Metric here, which I normally don't do.   However, you have specified pan dimensions in old money.   I used dough weight in grams as that really is so much easier to use in formulae like these.

Best wishes

Andy

suave's picture
suave

Do you have a scale?  Then put your preferred loaf pan on it, tare, and fill with water to the rim.   Note the weight.   For whole wheat bread I would say use about 60% of that number in dough, that is if your pan fits 1800 g of water start with 1000-1100 g of dough.   Although I guess Laurel's kitchen probably does not use weight in its recipes to begin with?

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

a metric scales.  Then record the dough weight on the recipe. 

aloomis's picture
aloomis

Although, it uses mL for oil and honey and such.  I don't know about the original printing.  In any event, making a batch and a half of dough works nicely to fill two 9x5 pans in my experience.

- Amy

VonildaBakesBread's picture
VonildaBakesBread

I'm going to see how "technical" I can get and try this, though I love Amy's idea of simplydoing a batch and a half. And, of course, there's the option of buying the pan size I want. LOL. But first to experiment with the technical suggestions. How fun! Thanks for teaching me.

--Voni