I remember as a young girl going to a friend's home of our family and the loaves of bread were so large. I remember the bread pans our friend had but have never been successful in finding that size.

My bread pans are 8 inches long and 2 inches high. That doesn't make a very large bread loaf.

What size are yours?

I like the smaller loaf pans. Mine are 4½ x 8½. You can't buy that size anymore! I've been looking and can only find them used. I have some of the larger pans, 5 x 9 but I don't make bread in them, I use them for meatloaf. Can you fit a slice of the larger bread in the toaster?

I'm not sure Margret. It just seems that with the smaller loaves, you have to use way more bread, kwim.

Mine are aluminum, just regular bread pans. Until I read this post I didn't know there was any other size than what I use! Mine are probably 8x4 and they seem to hold true to recipes and bake times. When a recipe says that it makes 2 loaves, that's what I get - so I'm guessing mine are average sized. The toaster thing IS an issue. I love making free-form loaves of bread and especially braided breads, but then it doesn't always fit in the toaster. I cut the slices in half, but they just don't look the same! Hasn't stopped me from eating so much though!!! :hurray:

CJ, with the type of bread you are making, are the loaves filling the bread pans when they rise? Mine rise up quite high but aren't whole wheat (about 50%). Maybe if you put more dough per bread pan? Say if your recipe makes 4 loaves, try making 3 instead?
If you switched to larger pans, you'll have to adjust your time and/or temp. I wouldn't know how to adjust except by trial and error.

I just have the average ones too. I didn't know there was any other size.

How about muffin pans?

I use the regular size ones that make 12 muffins but keep saying I'm going to get some that make the little muffins. I think they are cute to serve as cupcakes or muffins to guests. We wolf down the 12 muffins in the regular size so quick I wouldn't dare make small ones for us.

Margret, they are filling up, just not rising as much as I'd like. And when they do rise higher, they immediately fall over the pan once in the oven.

I'm in Winnipeg on Friday, I'm going to the kitchen store near Polo Park and I'm going to see what they have.

Pat, I have a pan that makes the tiny little loaves of bread. Sort of like a muffin pan. My kids love it when I serve them these tiny little loaves, but the problem with that - they eat them so fast I can't keep up with them.

Did I make sense last post? I meant make the same recipe but divide the dough into 3 loaves instead of 4. Not sure if that made sense. If your recipe makes 2 loaves, you could make 1 loaf and 6 buns. Just an idea. I can see how whole wheat bread would be small in those loaf pans. I think they are ok for the bread I make but it's a different type of bread. The 5x9 pans are everywhere!! You won't have trouble finding them. It's just a matter of what you want to pay. Walmart has them too or any department store.

Drive safe. I was out today and it's nasty. In my area, anyway. Not sure what it's doing where you are.

Thanks Margret, I had heard there was black ice from Winnipeg to Headingly and on a number of the side roads as well, with lots of roll overs. If the weather is bad, I'll wait a bit. Not a hurry to get bread pans if the roads are bad. Beautiful weather though!!

My recipe calls for 4 loaves, so I usually make 3 loaves and then a 9 buns. If I can get the bigger pans though, I'll make 4 loaves. I have sure had to experiment with bread make from freshly ground grain, but thats the fun of baking.