On Thu 10 Feb 2005 02:50:24p, Terrel wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> My sweet husband just brought me home a Braided Loaf Pan (11 1/2 x 5
> 1/2 x 3), but it doesn't have a recipe or directions on how to use it.
> I've seen similar bread pans advertised as "the look of braided bread
> without all the work," so I'm assuming I can use it for a yeast bread
> recipe. However, I'm not sure quite how to do so.
>
> My regular yeast bread recipe is for two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pans. The
> bread rises quite a bit over the tops of the pans.
>
> Does anyone know how to make a yeast bread in a Braided Loaf Pan? The
> braided part, quite obviously, is on the bottom of the pan, so when I
> take the bread out I'll be flipping it over so that the braided part
> is on the top. But what happens when the bread bakes? Does the top
> (which then becomes the bottom of the finished bread) rise so much
> that the bread won't sit flat when I flip it over? Am I supposed to
> cut off the excess, or perhaps put something on top of the pan to keep
> the bread from rising too much during the baking? Do I use a full
> recipe of batter, or less?
>
> I hope this isn't a silly question. I tried looking up Braided Loaf
> Pan recipes on the Internet, but didn't come up with anything.
>
> Any help will be much appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Terrel

The total volume of your 2 older bread pans is about 20% greater than the
volume of your new pan. Obviously, less dough will be needed for the new
pan, especially considering that your recipe yields enough dough to rise
considerably above the 2 pans.

Arriving at just the right amount of dough will clearly be trial and error,
but you might start with using only enough of the dough to slightly less
than half fill your new pan. Allow it to rise, but still remain perhaps an
inch below the top of the new pan, before baking.

Comments on your other questions... I don't think the answer is cutting
off the excess. It won't be as attractive and the loaf will dry out much
more quickly. You actually could cover the pan with something flat and put
a weight on it. There is a type of breadpan called a "pullman pan" which
is used to make those perfectly square loaves like sandwich bread. It has
a sliding or clamp on cover for exactly the purpose of making a flat top.

If it were mine, I think my first attempt would be using exactly 1/2 your
usual recipe. Allow it to nearly double in the new pan, then bake. The
bread doesn't necessarily have to reach the very top of the pan to be
successful, and a bit of underkill would be far better than overkill.

Good luck!
Wayne