June 11, 2008 - 9:38am
Parchment cost
Well, since I baked my first ciabatta w/o parchment, with decent success but the second loaf stuck to the baking sheet and slightly malformed, I went looking at my local Cash & Carry where I get my flour for some parchment. All they had was 'pan liners' that are the full size steam table pan size. Sorry, I didn't look at the measurements but it's about 18-20" by 10-12" by wild guess, and a 1000 sheets for less than $34. I don't know about you but I don't really have a lot of need for 1000 sheets in this lifetime; at least until I retire and open a bakery... So does someone have another source at a reasonable price or do I need to go into the parchment supply business and sell small quantities to you folks?
Lee
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I just buy mine at the grocery store. It comes in rolls like waxed paper or plastic wrap. The brand I find locally is Reynolds and I pay less than $3 for a 30 square foot roll that is 15"x24' long. I buy mine at Walmart.
I purchased 50 full sheets of parchment at my local restaurant supply store for about $3.50. That gives me 100 half sheets. They're flat so I don't have to deal with curling parchment. I use parchment for all my breads. It's good stuff!
No idea where you live, Lee, but I do recommend you try to find a restaurant supply store in your area.
Costco's price was actually better than my bakers supply store last time I bought it, three roll pack, unfortunately I forget the price.
Lee, what state are you in? Are Cash & Carry nationwide or just in some states? I would love to buy that 1000 pack! :)
Good luck. Another idea for you for saving costs, is to transfer things like boules and miches without parchment, but for something wet and flat like a ciabatta, use the parchment.
This seems to be the parent company: http://www.smartandfinal.com.
I have bought the Reynolds parchment at Target for about $2.50 or so. Smart and Final also sells it. S&F is a bit more money, but the difference is small. I go through a roll just about every other week. I love parchment for almost all my baking- cookies, bread, pizza...
Marni
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/detail.jsp?id=5854
While I love and use KA flours, I believe their parchment is a rip-off. You will pay $20 for 100 half-sheets of parchment, plus another $8 for shipping.
That's $28 for the same size and amount of parchment I purchased for $3.50.
I find that a remarkable mark-up.
I had to go searching online to find the deal that you just passed up. Then again, I know that I'll go through the 1000 sheets in a year or two, and don't mind having that much around.
You can always look on ebay for smaller amounts, some people buy the big packages and divide them up for reselling.
and, yes, I pay that mark-up from KAF because I have yet to find the quality that they offer, elsewhere. When baking cookies, one sheet will get me through three separate bakes, but due to the high heat of bread baking, one sheet and then it's time for file 13.
I've tried the rolls, yet I find that I go through them too quickly. The KAF come packaged in a heavy-duty cyclinder that sits nicely above the fridge until needed. I never fumble with a package or a tear-off strip, but reach to the center to grab and remove.
Right now, KAF has a free shipping offer on purchases of $75. or greater. I'll take advantage and order my next round of paper along with the specialty items I need for baking.
:)
does no one use the silpat kind of reusable woven glass based sheet?
I've been thinking of tring them just because paper seems such a waste.
give me liberty and a 5lb bag of flour
I use a silpat with different breads. I always use them when making Ciabatta bread. They give the bread a nice crust. They let my bread do its final rise on a cookie sheet, so I don't risk degassing it when putting it into the oven. Terry
I wouldn't expect silpat to transfer heat well... and how do you get it onto a baking stone? I would expect it not to slide well, on or off the peel.
Lee