The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

my parchment paper turned black...

pcake's picture
pcake

my parchment paper turned black...

i put in two loaves that i've made several times at the exact same temperature (and yes, i use an oven thermometer) on this very same roll of kirkland parchment paper.  only this time during the short 20 minute bake, i started to smell something burning, not food, something a little bitter that was hurting my throat.  i look in and the parchment paper is mostly black, not dark brown but black, and it's smoking.

i didn't feel good about eating bread that had been absorbing that smoke, so i turned off the oven and am letting it air out.  opened all the windows, too - it smells of burned parchment paper a lot in here, and that's while the fan over the oven was running the entire time the oven was on!

my oven thermometer read 450, the same as last time, but it's not digital.  could 1 or 2 degrees higher have caused the parchment paper to burn?

 

 

DanAyo's picture
DanAyo

I’d give the company a call to let them know. 

Dan

Lechem's picture
Lechem (not verified)

I've been wary of using parchment paper ever since. The only thing I can think of is was the parchment paper touching, or very close to, an oven element? It can take high temperatures but not sure about direct contact to the heat source. 

DesigningWoman's picture
DesigningWoman

I was thinking of using my current parchment as a sling to lower a loaf into a hot DO; checked the box and said it was good to 220°C which is a bit dicey. So, will be looking at higher-temp baking sheets on Amazon; some go up to 260° or even 280°C, but are Teflon-treated.

I seem to remember that King Arthur's parchment takes high temps; if you're in the States, that might be an option…

Happy baking.

bikeprof's picture
bikeprof

There is quite a bit of variability in parchment.

I use Bagcraft Papercon Ecocraft Bake 'N' Reuse (non-coated) parchment with good results, and this was highly recommended to me from the head baker at a shop I worked at for a while.

It is "officially" rate for use up to 425F, but I have used it up to 500F.  At 500F it will get pretty dark around the edges, but I don't get any smoke.  I can typically get 2 uses with each sheet.

 

Lazy Loafer's picture
Lazy Loafer

Huh, I use Kirkland parchment all the time (and I mean all the time, as I bake about five days a week). I've used it on granite stones heated to 475F, to line perforated baking sheets and inside pre-heated cast iron pots. I also re-use it as long as it's not too stained or dark. The only time I've incinerated a piece was when I tried to bake a loaf in a cast iron pot inside my wood-burning stove, and didn't realize how hot it was inside there (must have been about 800F!). The parchment turned to black ash that time, as did the outside 1/4" of the loaf. :)

Perhaps, as Abe said, it was touching an element?

pcake's picture
pcake

i've been using this roll of kirkland six days a week with no problems.

it wasn't touching an element or anywhere near flame (i have a gas oven) - it was on the same rack on the same baking sheets i always use.

but i think the reason it burned is i didn't trim it.  it didn't burn under the bread or within an inch of it - only several inches away.  lesson learned - always trim the parchment paper.  btw, the soot from parchment paper and silicone so far won't come off of the baking sheets.  hopefully my husband's mightier arms can get the stuff off.

BurntToast's picture
BurntToast

Now I know why I'm the only one who has to use a spray bottle and scrape the parchment paper off the bottom of a loaf. I'm using regular parchment paper (for wrapping butter), not the new-fangled baking parchment paper...sigh.

I can see I'm going to learn a lot from you guys! Thanks.

djcushing's picture
djcushing

I am brand new to TFL, and really looking forward to the experience.  This is an old thread, but still relevant . . 

I am new to baking bread, started six months ago and have been "binge baking" ever since.  I preheat an oblong dutch oven (with high sides) to 500 degrees, use parchment as a sling to lower the loaf into the DO without burning my hands, then bake at 450.  Was using an old roll of Kirkland parchment paper, and it worked perfectly for about 50-60 loaves.  My parchment ran out and I bought a new roll at my local Safeway, assuming one paper as good as another.  Not so.  The Safeway Signature paper is thinner, sticks to the bottom of every loaf, and leaves a residue of black dust in the DO after each bake.  Very different stuff.  There is not enough information on parchment paper packages for me to tell the differences, but for now going back to the Kirkland paper.

 

Hope this helps someone.

DanAyo's picture
DanAyo

Thanks DJ! I will be placing an order soon. A timely reminder.

By the way, what temperature do you bake your breads? Hotter temperature will darken and make brittle parchment paper. I bake hot 500-550F so parchment may last a couple of bakes only.

I see there are at least a couple types of Kirkland Parchment. Which one are you using?

Danny

Zione's picture
Zione

I've been using Kirkland for a couple months, and it burns EVERY single time I make bread.  I bake at 425, so temperature should not be an issue, but I'm constantly scraping charred flakes of paper off my bread and my baking sheets.  I'm always careful not to let the paper overhang or touch the inner elements.  I don't understand why the paper is coming out black each and every time I bake, but I can guarantee I will never purchase Kirkland again.

Benito's picture
Benito

I've been using Kirkland parchment for over a year, I bake my bread pre-heating the oven at 500-550*f (550 most recently for baguettes, so usually 500*f).  I turn the temperature down to 450*F when the dough goes in.  I've not had my parchment paper turn black so far with a single bake whether it is done in a dutch oven or on a baking steel.  I wonder why it is burning for you, sorry to hear you're having that problem.

Benny

pcake's picture
pcake

i just went to the kitchen and checked a box of kirkland parchment paper for something i seemed to remember, and there it was - and it says on the box "oven safe to 420° F / 216° C".

i'm the person who started this thread, and i never noticed that at the time.

btw, i find that cutting the parchment paper to be much smaller under a loaf makes it less likely to burn or darken, and i haven't had the problem at all if at least half the bake time is inside a dutch oven or casserole.

Benito's picture
Benito

I wonder if it is all the extra water I spray into the dutch oven on the parchment that has prevented my Kirkland parchment from burning then?  

pcake's picture
pcake

i expect that that's why you're not experiencing any burning.  when i bake my bread in a casserole with the lid on for half the bake, i also spray in a little extra water in it before putting on the lid, and no problem.

Benito's picture
Benito

When I baked baguettes for the first time yesterday, they baked on the same parchment for the whole of baking time again preheat to 550ºF and then baked at 450ºF for a total of over 20 mins (I forget now).  I did steam my oven and I also spritz extra water on the dough which would of course dampen the parchment. The parchment is still in good enough condition that I have kept it for the next bake.

Benny

ciabatta's picture
ciabatta

my parchment paper, if any of it is hanging over the baking stone gets pretty dark pretty fast.  oven temp set to 450.  i normally pull the parchment after steaming ends where i rotate the loaves.   i do not like the smell of burnt silicone.  i also trim off excess paper after loading the dough if i'm doing a few loaves.  the parts that the dough sits on will not get that hot