The Fresh Loaf

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Bread baking tin sizes

You'syourloaf's picture
You'syourloaf

Bread baking tin sizes

I'm new to bread baking (UK based) and I'm just collecting some kit together.  I'm proofing/baking in tins and want some guidance, please.  I've found some small tins that I guess are around the one-pound mark but I want to make larger loaves. 

Many recipes work around the 500g of flour amount or a multiple of it.  After the shaping and proofing (sometimes using proofing baskets), they end up in tins.  The local shops around here sell tins as one-pound or two-pound tins or have the tin dimensions in centimeters on the label.  

Having had a look at the tins, the two-pound tin looks about right and the  one-pound tins maybe a little too small.  It is difficult to guess about the tins on sale marked in centimeters.

Using the 500g of flour type of recipe (or a multiple of this), what might be a good tin size to use for a final loaf that will be good for sandwiches etc?  Does a dough made with 500g of flour nicely fill a two-pound tin?

Any thoughts, guidance or experience would be great.

aroma's picture
aroma

...you want to buy.  If you assume 70% hydration then the dough weight will be around 850g  - you want a tin with room to prove and so the dough weight (850g) needs to be around two thirds of the tin volume 

Cheers

You'syourloaf's picture
You'syourloaf

Many thanks for the post.  I've found a tin with a volume of about 1,500 square centimeters (22 X 6 X 12) and my mix is about 935g, all in including the starter so I hope I have it about right!  It's on its proofing now so I'll see how it works.

mwilson's picture
mwilson

The idea is that a 1lb loaf tin will take a pound of dough and so a 2lb tin holds 2 pounds of dough. With weight loss from baking the loaves will weigh around 400g and 800g respectively.

Those typical recipes that use 500g of flour are aimed towards making an 800 gram loaf which would sit in a 2lb tin. However I find 500g of flour is not quite enough to make two pounds of dough, so I use 550g of flour.

There's seems to be quite some variation on the shapes and sizes of tins available, however the ones aimed at commercial use are more standardised and are typically larger in volume.

The dimensions you describe sound far too small (really 6CM?) for that amount of dough.

My 800g / 2lb loaf tin has dimensions of roughly 25X12X12 CM, holding about 3.3 litres of water. This is a commercial tin and if I take a supermarket pan loaf it fits right in, with a little poking out the top.

EDIT:

Loaves I have made with that tin: http://staffoflife.wordpress.com/category/bakers-yeast/

You'syourloaf's picture
You'syourloaf

Many thanks for the post.  I've just re-checked the dimensions of the tin I've just used and I wasn't far out.  The tin sides are slanted so the measurements are taken at a mid point to represent an average.  The were:

Length, 22 cm, width 12 cm and height 6.5 cm.

I measured the volume with water and came out as 1.8 L so some way short of your tin size.

I wish that I had kept the label to recall the manufacturer but alas, no.  However, my 500g flour mix, with 285g of water, 150g of 100% starter and 8g salt, sort-of worked in this tin but upping the percentages to achieve 550g of flour as you have done would probably fill the tin better.  The dough, sitting centrally, only just reached the ends after proofing so more dough mix would give a better shape.  On baking, unsurprisingly, the loaf is very rounded at each end and didn't fill the tin (but just lunching on the bread recently, it tasted great!).  To achieve a more standard shop size of loaf, I'm going to need to re-visit the overall quantities and tin sizes, I think.

A quick Google has resulted in the following links:

Tala https://www.talacooking.com/catalogue/kitchen/bakeware/tala_performance_1lb_loaf_tin.htm only appear to do a 1lb tin, which is disappointing.  Invicta http://www.invictabakeware.co.uk/bread-tins-3/invicta-bakeware-ltd-bread-793.htm appear to do a range of what they call 800g pans. 

P.S. Many thanks for the recipe link.  There's another recipe to try!  Is the low hydration Italian sourdough starter what they call a biga, do you know?

mwilson's picture
mwilson

To achieve a "Shop size" loaf is something I spent much time over. There is much you may need to know with regards to dough development. Don't be afraid to work gluten to it's maximum potential and using lemon juice as an oxidiser is a good start!

A biga is strictly a commercial yeast pre-ferment. Lievito madre is the Italian equivalent of sourdough but is typically firm and kept in a way that meets certain technological parameters.

You'syourloaf's picture
You'syourloaf

Thanks for the reply.  I'm feeling my way with baking and getting to know processes.  If I need to get the maximum potential out of gluten, then I've been advised that  an autolyse stage offers a good opportunity to do this?  The right amount of kneading/folding supports and improves the gluten benefits in the dough as well.  At what point would a lemon juice oxidation boost be used?

...and yes, I'll keep working on the tin size thing using the advice given and some experimentation!

drogon's picture
drogon

I switched to Whitleys Bread Matters tins some time back for most of the tin loaves I make:

http://www.breadmatters.com/bread-tins

He gives the dough weights for starting points - 450-550g for small loaves and 850-950 for the large ones - and my scaling is more or less in the middle of that range and I get good results from them. The tin sizes are on the "More Information" tab so you can get an idea of volume from that to compare to others.

Not the cheapest tins about but my oldest ones are now over a year old and have seen 5-days a week usage with no signs of any damage/wear, etc. He suggests 650g of sourdough rye dough, but I use about 560g for my small rye loaves which rise almost to the top of the tin (really don't want it going over as it wouldn't be supported!)

I also have some "Silverwood" farmhouse loaf tins - 1lb./453g but they take nearer to 700g of dough in it to produce a good result.

-Gordon

You'syourloaf's picture
You'syourloaf

Thanks for the post Gordon,

The Whitley tins look very good but as you say, they command an expected higher price for a tin that's going to survive in a commercial bakery.  I guess I'm aiming for the large loaf size but will only use this once a week (or twice a week, at least, when the vultures return from university!).

Hope to chat soon.

Aidan

Alicgmood10's picture
Alicgmood10

Hello! Is anybody bake a bread in bread maker? Which of these (https://www.bestadvisers.co.uk/bread-makers ) are good?