Does anyone use French bread pans?

[wonky]

The local online auction has a french bread pan listed. It is perforated, and looks brand new. I have never made french bread, but have always wanted to try it. Can this pan be used for other breads, or just strictly French or Italian bread? are there any particular things I need to know before attempting these breads. I did put in a $1.00 bid on the pan, so I wouldn't be out much if it doesn't work out.

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[Mike Nolan]

I have two perforated bread pans, one is the King Arthur Flour hoagie/sandwich roll pan (made for KAF by Chicago Metallic but no longer available), the other is a baguette pan. The former has a flat bottom, the baguette pan has a rounded bottom.

I haven't used them a lot lately, I find the rounded bottom one works well for some gluten-free bread recipes where the dough is more like a stiff batter. I put it in a piping bag with a wide tube and pipe it into the pan. That works better for me than trying to spoon it in.

The main advantage of a perforated pan is that the bottom crust doesn't come out as thick, because air is not as good a conductor of heat as metal or a baking tile.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 5 months ago by Mike Nolan.

[Nina Beyt]

I bought a baguette pan years ago, perforated, double trough, but haven't used it in years. Right now it is a storage device for round things like rolling pins and the immersion blender. If you have made french type breads on a baking stone, you don't really need it, but it may keep your dough from spreading out too flat if you have had that trouble before.

[BakerAunt]

I have the same two pans that Mike mentioned, as well as one that does three small baguettes. I use the double baguette pan for sourdough bread. Usually I would make one at a time, but for bake sales, I've sometimes made two. My sourdough is not a true sourdough in that I use a bit of yeast. I like the shape, and it keeps them from spreading. I also like the dimpled bottom, which produces nice golden color with dimples. I've not done much sourdough since I got married, since my husband says it disagrees with his digestive tract. I also used it once for a sourdough bread with fruits, nuts, and chocolate chips.

I've made the hoagie recipe that came with the sandwich pan, and those are delicious. I've used the 3-pan to make small breads that make nice slices for parties.

[Mike Nolan]

My wife has a similar problem with locally made sourdough, but oddly enough not with sourdough from San Francisco. (A friend brought us a loaf from Acme Bread recently.)

When/if she gets back to the point where she's eating some bread, I may try the Tartine method, which produces a sourdough starter low in lactic acid-producing bacteria, what this article calls a Type I sourdough:
Wiki Sourdough Article

The key appears to be that the Tartine starter is not refrigerated. Refrigeration tends to favor lactic acid-producing bacteria over acetic acid-producing bacteria.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 5 months ago by Mike Nolan.
• This reply was modified 8 years, 5 months ago by Mike Nolan.

[luvpyrpom]

I bought a perforated double one last year and have used it a couple of times. I've made the Vienna bread and sourdough in it. I've also divided the dough into fourths and made hoagie rolls in it too. Good luck with the bidding and hope you get it.

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