There's a new arrival in my kitchen.
Last week, I went out and bought a brand spankin' new 9x5 inch loaf pan from Williams Sonoma. In case you're wondering, this purchase was funded by my birthday money. While we are indeed working hard at saving our money for our emergency fund, birthday money is exempt from that, and it's set aside for me to spend however I want (I do have a track record of letting this money sit in my personal spending account for quite some time, though!).
I bought my first Williams-Sonoma loaf pan a few years ago, after I read that Cook's (you knew that was coming, didn't you?) had give them a top rating. The $25 price tag put me off a bit, so I only bought one. I've been very happy with its performance, though, happy enough that I bought a second pan last year. These pans are very heavy and sturdy, and the non-stick finish is far more durable than the finish on any other bread pan I've owned, and I've owned quite a few!. My only complaint is that they don't have a handle on them, so you really do need to use two hands to get them out of the oven. Well, and it's also mildly annoying that they're only available from Williams-Sonoma, because you'll have to pay shipping if you're not fortunate enough to have a Williams-Sonoma store in your area.
Non-stick finishes do tend to wear off after a while so I'm slightly nervous that these pans won't last a lifetime, but my original pan has already outlasted the cheaper types I have, and the finish on it shows no signs of wear. And since I hate using glass for yeast breads (I grease and grease, but the bread still sticks), and I'm not a big fan of stoneware loaf pans either, these have been a good alternative for me.
At any rate, now that I have three of these,
I can make three of these at a time,
which is perfect, because three is precisely the number of loaves that fit neatly into my oven.
Now I just need two more of the Gold-touch 4x6 pans (I only have one), and I'll be in good shape. 😉 I do have some more birthday money left...
There's nothing like using good quality cookware. I could use more loaf pans, myself.
BTW, I noticed that you don't use spaces before parentheses(like this), but it's actually easier to read if you insert once space (like this). 🙂
Thanks for an excellent blog.
Ack, it is also easier to read if you spell "one" correctly. *facepalm*
Thanks for all your great posts! Why don't you like stoneware? I find my bread somes out great with a stoneware pan. Why are the non-stick ones from William Sonoma so good?
Lol, Elizabeth! Maybe I should just try to stop using so stinking many parenthesis. I changed the ones in this post...at least I think I got them all!
Linda, I mostly hate how bulky they are. Since they don't nest well, three stoneware loaf pans would take up a lot of my precious cabinet space. The Williams-Sonoma pans nest, so three of them takes up almost no more space than one does.
Other than that, I think they're fairly decent bread pans.
I should add that I do ADORE my stoneware pizza stone....I couldn't live without that thing.
OK...that bread looks too good! I used to make bread all the time in my younger days with small children, but then we sat down and ate it! I could never keep it away from everyone. And my downfall is really bread and pasta...how do you manage staying away from a nice loaf warm from the oven with butter?? Oh, I can taste it now!
I haven't thought of Williams Sonoma or been in one of their stores in ages (even though there is one 15 minutes from here!) but man, I used to salivate over that catalog every time it came...
Good to know their quality is still high. I don't need anything right now (I'm glad I can honestly say that!) but always keep them in mind if I want something that will last a long time. Enjoy your birthday present! The ones we buy ourselves are the best.
How do you keep track of all of your 'accounts'? Are they physically there own accounts or is it one and you track it somehow? What is your bookkeeping method? 🙂
Kristen I'm not really commenting on your bread pans but on the photos of your bread pans and bread. They're REALLY lovely!!
Jinger-I find that having fresh bread around all the time makes it much less tempting to eat too much of it. If you know there will be more in a day or two, you relax a bit. lol
Jill, I have it all in separate savings accounts at ING. I'll do a more detailed post about it at some point if you'd like.
Tammy, thanks. 🙂 I am a bit of a photography nut. lol My favorite subjects are people, but I have fun photographing food too.
I wonder why you have so much trouble with glass pans. I make bread on a regular basis, and I always bake it in tempered glass pans that I bought very cheaply at a local grocery store. The dough itself has no fat in it. I oil my counter top and rolling pin prior to shaping the loaf (I put the risen dough on the oiled countertop, roll it out into a rectangle, then roll it up from one end). I grease the inside of the glass pan with butter using cold butter, a room-temp pan, and my fingers. I discovered I end up wasting a lot of butter if I use a papertowel or something, and my fingers work just fine. I grease the entire interior or the pan.
Is this any different from how you've treated glass pans? I never use cooking spray as I discovered it leaves an unpleasantly sticky residue on the cooking surface.
Your loaves look devine- is that recipe posted in your blog somewhere?
I just bought an 8" gold touch square pan and I love it. I have more than a few of the other pans. They're the best and have a lifetime warranty in case the finish wares off.
How do they stack up compared to your standard restaurant supply models?
I am thinking of getting some Williams Sonoma bread pans. What size should I start with? And how many of them should I get? I like "the regular size bread loaves" but I don't know what that size is. Since the cost is so prohibitive to get the whole collection all at one time, I would like to know what is a good starting point.
The "regular" loaf size in my mind is the normal 9x5 size, but WS's are a little differently shaped...they're 10xsomething, but a loaf of 9x5 bread works fine in them.
They also offer a 4x6 inch loaf pan, which I do use fairly often too (mostly for quick breads, but also for some yeast breads).
What loaf pan do you most-used recipes call for? I'd go with that size first and then add more as you get funds. 🙂
The only bread recipes that I have are off your site, just started baking, great site btw, I like the looks of the pulled garlic bread and the sandwich bread. I think I'm more addicted to the "smell" of bread baking in the house than to the eating of it, which means "I'm home" after being gone all week. I will stop at a WS sometime soon, just to look at sizes. What is a "quick bread"? I also noticed you make your own yogurt, great idea. Have you ever made your own cheeses? I just took a class and it is so easy. Thanks for the website,it is my go to site for the homemade bread smell. ha ha!
I would really like to buy the WS pans but have a hard time figuring out if the 1 lb size would work for quick breads and regular breads since its not a standard 9x5 pan. Here is what it says on the website :1 lb. pan: 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" x 2 3/4" high. Since you have used them could you give me some advice on that. Thanks so much.
I use the 1.5 pound in place of 9x5 inch loaf pans, and the 1 pound pan is similar to the 4x8 pan so many quick bread recipes call for.
If you want something like a 9x5, I'd get the 1.5 pound pan.