changing from metal to ceramic loaf pans?

Finally it's time to move away from aluminum loaf pans to something a bit more wholesome.  Ceramic was the only one I could find without non-stick coating, and it's cheaper than the fancy steel ones.  

But it's been ages (15+ years) since I baked in ceramic pans.  What do I need to adjust to account for the extra time the pans take to heat up and cool down?  

We have a couple of Corning Ware bread pans.   We treat them the same as the metal ones … bake time wise.

John F Dean wrote:We have a couple of Corning Ware bread pans.   We treat them the same as the metal ones … bake time wise.

good to know.  Thanks.

I use cast iron covered with ceramics. They are fantastic, since they can be scrubbed. With regular cast iron, the risk of cross contamination of allergens is really big. The ones with the ceramic coating solves that problem.

My loaf pan is pyrex.

A cast iron skillet would work.

There are a lot of creative ways to make bread without using a pan.

Some professional bakers that I have seen might use a wooded box to shape the loaf then the loaf is place into the oven on a sheet pan.

I was using cast iron. When I was leaving bread in it to finish baking in its own heat after removing from the oven, the moisture of the bread would cause the cast iron to give off metallic taste, which I consider to be not acceptable.
Then I was using refractory clay ceramics, but my makeshift wood oven (with uninsulated floor) would leave the bread bottom unbaked.
Then I switched to stainless steel baking pan and it bakes the best and I can also abuse it if I want.
The next (or rather the first) best would be throwing the bread directly on the oven floor.

What type of pan.  Glazed? unglazed.  Glazed correct by watching how things brown as you go as glaze color matters.  Unglazed with which cooking method?  Are you seasoning the pottery first or doing water soak first?  Cook times vary.  There again color of your clay matters.  What color it seasons to matters and that depends on the type of oil you use seasoning the pan.

Another possible is pyrex bread pans.

C. Letellier wrote:What type of pan.  Glazed? unglazed.  Glazed correct by watching how things brown as you go as glaze color matters.  Unglazed with which cooking method?  Are you seasoning the pottery first or doing water soak first?  Cook times vary.  There again color of your clay matters.  What color it seasons to matters and that depends on the type of oil you use seasoning the pan.

Another possible is pyrex bread pans.

I wonder if you are thinking of clay, taracotta, or some earthenware?  Ceramic bakeware is almost always glazed and requires little if any seasoning.   Seasoning is really useful for inconsistent heat like stovetop but many western ceramics are made for the gentle heat of the oven.

https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=ceramic+loaf+pan&crid=2GAFX4OVP5BDC&sprefix=ceramic+loaf+p%2Caps%2C160&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_14

Although there is a way to glaze a nonstick coating, I don't think it will change heat distribution and absorption.

I don't like modern Pyrex as the north american version changed the forumula a few decades ago and now it's prone to shatter.  We had bowl that was only a few years old.  Picked it up and with a mighty sound, it crumbled into shards.  The largest piece was no bigger than a lentel bean.  I don't trust the new stuff after that, although our vintage pyrex bakeware is still going strong.

Cristobal Cristo wrote:I was using cast iron. When I was leaving bread in it to finish baking in its own heat after removing from the oven, the moisture of the bread would cause the cast iron to give off metallic taste, which I consider to be not acceptable.
Then I was using refractory clay ceramics, but my makeshift wood oven (with uninsulated floor) would leave the bread bottom unbaked.
.

I seem to remember having that problem while adjusting.

I wonder if pre warming the pans would make a difference? The pans seemed to insulate the dough until it can absorb enough heat.  Not so good for a quick bread that uses baking soda or powder.

Anne Miller wrote:My loaf pan is pyrex.

A cast iron skillet would work.

There are a lot of creative ways to make bread without using a pan.

Some professional bakers that I have seen might use a wooded box to shape the loaf then the loaf is place into the oven on a sheet pan.

For a regular bread, 100 percent behind the flat pan or baking stone.

Some of the breads I make have runny batter rather than stiff dough.   These need a loaf pan.

I found some of my old notes.

For baking cakes and loaves in ceramic pans, decrease temperature 25 degrees F.  It says nothing about adjusting the time or cooling procedure.

Mre about the difference of baking in aluminum vs ceramic and glass.

https://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/metal-or-glass-for-baking-lets-clear-a-few-things-up/

the slower transfer of heat to the batter means cakes baked in glass (or ceramic) will take longer to cook than those in metal (5 to 8 minutes longer, according to a test with yellow cake done by Cook’s Illustrated).

I wonder if preheating the ceramic would have an advantage?

Some comments.  

My mother had a pair of loaf pans formed as a single  object that were unglazed clay.  If I understood what she taught they had been repeatedly oiled, sort of burned off and scrapped till the inside was the equivalent of the surface of seasoned cast iron.  The loaves usually released really easy from these.  Same basic rules as cast iron,  Never soak, no detergent and oil before putting away.  To use, heat, wipe the removable oil off and drop the loaves in.  She usually tried to rise the loaves so they had a bit of dry to the outside and flip them in so the drier side when against the pan.  The outside where not stained was light redish tan potter with no glaze and the inside was a warm sort of dark caramel brown from the treatment giving what I would guess you would call an oil glaze.  If ever thing worked right you simply let the pan cool a bit and flipped it and the loaf fell out.  Wipe down, oil and put away.

As for the water soaked unglazed pottery it was a roll pan I read about and it was supposed to produce really moist tender rolls.  Don't remember the procedure for it exactly but it was something like heat full of water, pour the water out and put back in heat till surface just barely looks dry and then put the rolls in.

As for pyrex breaking are you aware of the major difference between PYREX and Pyrex  The first with all caps is still borosilicate glass with the expected properties.  The other with small letters is standard flint glass.  Some of it might be treated.  But if you want the real thing you want all caps in the name.

C. Letellier wrote:Some comments.  

My mother had a pair of loaf pans formed as a single  object that were unglazed clay.  If I understood what she taught they had been repeatedly oiled, sort of burned off and scrapped till the inside was the equivalent of the surface of seasoned cast iron.  The loaves usually released really easy from these.  Same basic rules as cast iron,  Never soak, no detergent and oil before putting away.  To use, heat, wipe the removable oil off and drop the loaves in.  She usually tried to rise the loaves so they had a bit of dry to the outside and flip them in so the drier side when against the pan.  The outside where not stained was light redish tan potter with no glaze and the inside was a warm sort of dark caramel brown from the treatment giving what I would guess you would call an oil glaze.  If ever thing worked right you simply let the pan cool a bit and flipped it and the loaf fell out.  Wipe down, oil and put away.

As for the water soaked unglazed pottery it was a roll pan I read about and it was supposed to produce really moist tender rolls.  Don't remember the procedure for it exactly but it was something like heat full of water, pour the water out and put back in heat till surface just barely looks dry and then put the rolls in.

As for pyrex breaking are you aware of the major difference between PYREX and Pyrex  The first with all caps is still borosilicate glass with the expected properties.  The other with small letters is standard flint glass.  Some of it might be treated.  But if you want the real thing you want all caps in the name.

Pyrex would make a great conversation for another thread.  I haven't seen real borosilicate glass sold in canada for decades,  but one can still get PYREX in europe, but it's vintage only here.  They tried to ban it here due to the way it breaks into shards when dropped and legal stuff, makes the companies give up selling here.

Also, I find glass less insulating than ceramics.  I tend to treat it more like metal, but will often use the convection setting if the oven has one.

The terracotta pot you mention sounds lovely.  We had a roasting pan from Germany like that and it was great.  The oils from the cooking quickly made it non stick.  But alas, people seem to think doing the dishes at another persons house is helpful.   It takes a different cultural approach to care for a pan like that.  And we don't have that culture here.

I love unglazed pots for the love and respect their owners heap upon it.  It's more like a relationship than just kitchen equipment.   And with that love, the flavour the pot returns improves with every meal.

For what its worth, I have baked bread in metal (probably aluminum), glass, and glazed ceramic at the same time. I have never really noticed much difference. I'm sure there is a technical difference, but for me, it was small enough I did not notice a significant difference between the same bread being cooked in different kinds of pans.

I really like glass loaf pans. They have lasted longer for me than ceramic ones, make lovely crusts, plus have the benefit of being able to look at the sides of the loaves as they're rising. The ones I use are "O'Cuisine" brand, and are available in many countries.