Norpro 12 Inch Nonstick Bread Pan

I wanted a longer bread pan so that I could make a two pound loaf that would provide more bread slices for essentially the same amount of work. I could not readily find the dimensions of this bread pan (other than its 12" length"), but after a search I found it stated to be 4.5" wide. I thought it would be the same width as the 10" pan I had been using, which I found to be 4.5" wide also: at its bottom. So when it arrived I had an unpleasant surprise: the bottom of this Norpro pan measures only 3.5" wide across its bottom, and 4.5" across its top. My old pan is 5.5" across its top. So what ever bread I gain in length, I lose in width. And so my search for the holy grail, a 12" pan with a 5.5" top, continues...

I have this pan in both the tin-plated and this no-stick version. I really like these pans. This size works much better for baking quick breads, producing a superior, more even bake and a nicer finished product. For most quick breads, I find I can use 1 1/2 times the recipe getting more baking done for my effort. For yeast breads, this pan size produces a nice smaller, sandwich sized slice that fits in the generic zipper sandwich bags, easily. This pan is easy to clean and releases bread well. I think I slightly prefer the tin-plated version, as it browns just a little bit nicer and is not so easily scratched. (Amazon does not carry it, I wish they did.) On the no-stick version, I turn the heat down a little to try to compensate. I believe this no-stick version would be good for a nice sized meatloaf, as well. These are fairly inexpensive, last a long time with minimal effort and I would buy again.

As a mom of 10 and an avid cook, I'm always looking for gear that lets me to easily cook on a large scale. Other bread pans I own make short wide loaves of bread that yield slices too huge for the average 'kid' serving. I can get 24 well-proportioned slices from ONE loaf made in these pans-- that's a dozen sandwiches from one loaf. So far I've made two kinds of yeast bread in these pans, and both have released effortlessly. The pans wash up easily as well. I'm very satisfied with these pans, and am very glad I bought three.