Baking bread in a tin vs freeform
Many tutorials show bread formed & baked freeform resulting in a round loaf.
What is the advantage of baking freeform, if any (other than aesthetics)?
When I began baking bread I didn’t have a tin & I produced many pancake-shaped loaves. I tried numerous techniques to avoid the dough flattening. Many didn’t work & the few that did were very inconsistent.
One day a friend bought me a bread tin. I tried it out & from that day forward my loaves have been successful.
They always have great spring with a decent crust & the slices are of uniform size & shape.
I occasionally try a freeform loaf but 9 times out of 10 they always fall flat so I return to my tin.
Other than aesthetics (yes, they look great) I can think of no advantages to baking freeform. In fact, for sandwiches & toast a tinned loaf is better inasmuch as the slices are the same shape & size whereas the middle slice of a freeform loaf is bigger than the others & won’t fit in the toaster.
As you may have gathered, I want to eat the bread, not look at.
Your thoughts?