I don't use aluminum cookware because, while it does heat quickly, it tends to develop "hot spots" and doesn't bake as evenly as glass, steel or silicone.

I don't use stainless steel because it is a relatively poor conductor, when compared to other steel cookware, of heat.

I have those and I love them.  I used to have aluminum pans but I hadn't used them for so long that I don't know what happened to them.

I don't care, I select pans based on their shape, not material they are made of.  My favorite pan is old cheap, beat up, thin uncoated aluminum.  Dimpled pans, those I dislike because of dimples, not aluminum.

Well, if Flournwater likes silicone...maybe I can rethink my attitude.   I have a silicone loaf pan here, staring at me and I don't know why I hang on to it other than to use it as a drawer divider and it's not even good at that. 

A few years back I was given an assortment of cheap silicon bake ware.  I say cheap because not one of the forms can hold it's form when something is in it.  I know, place on a stable cookie sheet or the like, yes, well, a big bother prone to accidents!  The bunt pan (baked a lousy bunt cake)  gets used for funky ice cube blocks but only outside in the winter and the rest are just catching dust in a corner somewhere.  One form might be with the plaster equipment while it cleans so easily.  Almost forgot, the inverted bunt pan makes a wild hat.  Just add a feather duster and make-up and go celebrate carnival!

The flat round, where did I put it? ...found it ...10" ... hey! ... fits just inside my SS bowl cloche for a steam trapping fit.  Interesting.  Can it be preheated and work like my heavy pizza pan?  Silicone just doesn't strike me as a heat transferring material (neither does transparent aluminum for that matter).  Worth a try before I send it sailing into the toy box.  (If only it would look "cool" to throw a round cake pan instead of a frisbee?  It certainly is softer to catch!)  I might cut it up and use the rim as a gasket for my cloche.

That loaf pan... Every loaf ends up wider than taller.  Something tells me I can trim off the outside side supports and plop a round of rye dough in the middle and forget the corners of the pan as it bows out anyway.   (Actually baking in a silicone bowl would make more sense.)   Why not use that, over exaggerate it?   That pan just might hold up a small but heavy WW or rye loaf until oven spring takes the flat out.

I'm up to two experiments with silicone pans.  Is it worth it?  I have other pans that work.  The loaves will test the theories.  

What if the bunt pan  (inverted and pinched to trap steam)  makes a cloche for the round pan?  A silicone steam capsule!  ....Got to go find that thing....

Mini

My rectangular loaf pans are old tin ones inherited from my mother when she died.  I don't know how old they are but she was certainly using them at the end of WWII, so they've lasted a good long time.  I use a square oven tray for baking pavé or free-form round loaves.

I've experimented briefly with covering the dough with a domed Pyrex-type glass bowl when cooking round loaves. There was nothing about the result that I disliked but nevertheless went back to baking loaves uncovered simply because of my presonal preferences.

Top of my 'wish list' is a baking stone for the oven, but this will have to wait until I've enough information to make a more informed decision than it would be at the moment.

Sojourner

Angelia,

When I want to make a large batch of bread, I break out the pans. I can easily bake 4 loaves in my small size wall oven in pans. I started by buying 2 inexpensive silver or gray non stick pans at the grocery store and they work great. Very little pre greasing needed and I like the way they have a nice size tab to handle during rotating. When I got a larger mixer, I started thinking about getting 2 more pans to improve my efficiency. By chance a friend gave me 2 glass pans that she swears by and I started using them.

There is a big difference in the way glass works in the baking process compared to steel. I find that the dough raises faster in glass due to it holding heat better but the crust is far softer after baking. Eventually I bought 2 more non stick steel pans to make sure each pan was done at the same time. The glass pans I have looked at are slightly smaller also but the main consideration for me was wanting a crust that isn't soft when the top is nice and brown. Hope this helps.

Eric

I have used aluminum loaf pans with good success.  Care must be taken with using glass or Pyrex pans. There is a limit on temperature for these. Too high a temp can cause them to shatter. I "believe" the limit is 350 but not sure.

Imho the best quality metal loaf pans are made by Chicago Metallic.  They offer two lines: regular "metal" and those with a nonstick surface.

I have the commercial line loaf pans and bagette pans by Chicago Metallic as well as the large baking sheets and I love them.  I like the weight but mostly they bake everything very nicely and are easy to clean plus they have a 25 yr warranty.  I bought my daughter a set of their commercial bakeware for Christmas at her request and she is very happy with them.  My favorite bread pans tend to be the ones I bought several years ago from Sassafras called the Superstone, one of which I managed to break last night!  I am out to replace it today because I use these so much.  I think they are now sold by Pampered Chef.   I have multigrain English muffins with sunflower seeds proofing on the baking sheets as I write! Melody in Santa Fe