Chicago Metallic 69610 Professional Nonstick Perforated French Bread Pan

If you love to bake, you will love this pan. I have two different Baguette pans, this one and a non-stick non-perforated pan. This pan seems to make bread that is a little bit crisper on the exterior.

This pan is very easy to clean by hand I do not bother to use the dishwasher.

The bread is perfectly formed in this pan. No more flat looking loaves that you get when you form the baton on the baking stone.

Suggestions for perfect French bread:
1. Use a French bread pan, instead of placing the bread directly on the baking stone
2. Use a serrated knife sprayed with oil to cut the slashes in the bread
3. Place this pan on top of screaming hot (500 degree) baking stone
4. Mist the dough with water as soon as it is placed in the oven to get the oven spring
5. Turn the bread half way through baking
6. Don't cut the bread for at least 20 minutes after it comes out of the oven

If you love to bake you...Read more

My favorite reason for using this pan is that the loaves of bread come out perfectly shaped every time. If your French bread tends to flatten out and lose it's shape, this pan is just what you need. Clean up is very easy, too.

This pan works great for firmer bread dough but don't try it with soft sourdough without first lining it with parchment paper. I tried it twice and both times it oozed through the tiny holes while rising and then firmly baked to the pan. I had a devil of a time chipping the bread loose after it was baked. It did make a great crust and it kept its shape, but the bread was torn on the bottom from sticking.