Thanks to a great comment I realised I have changed to a new tin recently. It was bought in a moment of opportunity, as I wanted two tins in-case I should need to bake two loaves at a time. It wasn't the same brand as my first one, it was slightly different too. Can you spot the difference?
Although the one on the right with the silicon handles, looks bigger, both tins have the same width and length in volume (13 cm x 24 cm). In fact, the one on the left was actually 13.5 cm! So where's the difference then?
It's all in the depth! The newer tin was 1 cm taller at 7cm (the other, 6cm). Do you want to know the really amazing bit. The one with the silicon handles cost three times as much as the other one. It doesn't get used for baking bread much nowadays, because it's shallowness did produce a denser loaf. Still used for cakes though.
So to answer your comment about size difference when it comes to baking (or rather, rising) bread; I'd have to say it all depends on the depth! The volume of the new tin actually holds more than the old one, so technically it should take more ingredients to fill. But it also has an extra centimeter of height in which it can climb without spilling over the sides.
I hope a new (deeper) pan, helps you rise to new heights too, LOL.
This is a great series Chris, I am going to get a starter going when I get back from my Christmas break, I have a month at home then to get into the habit of looking after it before I go back to work.
ReplyDeleteYour bread does look fabulous.
Thanks for the comments. The bread is getting better the more I practice, LOL.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy your month holiday. Well earned no doubt too. Let us know how you go with your sourdough starter. It's a good time of year to make it, as the leavens respond well to the warmth. :)
Now that makes sense. I have to check out my newer pans and compare them. I was using glass pans and the edges were burning so I went to tin. Shape differs but they look like yours. Thanks for the tip:)
ReplyDeleteForgot to add that I think you are right about the depth. I have no issue whatsoever when I use the large round juice tins. I fill those half full then let the dough rise part way. The rest of rise is in the oven and the dough comes over the top by 2 inches on average.
ReplyDeleteI can remember you saying you had success with recycling large food cans for cooking.
ReplyDeleteThe more dough has the opportunity to muliply its mass, the lighter its texture in the final bake. Yet there's all these little things which can go wrong in the process. And not just the tin size, LOL.
In my experience in the bakery, they had formulas for everything so nothing could go wrong. Everything was big - the bags of flour, the dough hooks and the bread tins, LOL. Yes, they were very deep, unless they were designed to give a more natural loaf (ie: vienna loaves).
Of course I missed a lot of explanations as to why things were so, and so I'm working them out now at home, LOL.
I'm glad you're all contributing to this discussion (everyone's welcome to) because addressing these issues, contributes greatly to the taste and texture of the final product. :)