What type of pan and how greased?

I use generic Pam on my loaf pans (which are already nonstick), and parchment on my sheet pans

I always grease my bread pans with shortening, as I think it gives a really good crust.

It's one that many pro bakers use and it's been successful for me with bread as well.

I suppose it depends a bit on what you're baking in the pan, but here's the recipe, it's extremely easy to make and will keep for ages and ages at room temp. You can make as little or as much as you think you'll use in the next couple of months.

Homemade Pan Release Recipe

As an aside:

I read in a baking book (sorry can't recall which) that using Pam type sprays on non-stick/Teflon pans is a bad idea as it builds up on the non-stick surface when baked and basically negates the whole point of the non-stick coating. They said to just use veggie type oil if you want to coat a non-stick pan (and asked why you'd need to anyways if it's already non-stick).

In the past I use just Crisco on my bread pans.  Worked OK with some sticking from time to time.  But based on suggestions here on TFL I made my own bake release using 1 part Crisco, 1 part oil and 1 part flour (by volume).  Perfect measurement not important here.  I keep this in a plastic contain that I happen to keep in the fridge, but most likely would work just as well stored at room temperature.  I use my hands to put it on the bread pans, hamburger pans etc.  Adding the flour seems to help the release from the pan.  My spouse tells me that she has done something similar for years with her quick breads etc. -- she puts Crisco on the pan and then dusts it with flour.  Works for her.  (We try not to work in the kitchen on the same day -- keeps us married.)

Dave

I currently use 4 pans about 24X13X8cm. They are all heavy, deep drawn, anodised (plain dark grey) aluminium. 2 are by Tefal (sadly no longer made) and 2 by Avanti and I rarely bother to grease or oil them. I recently baked a batch of sourdough that was very sticky - I had a real problem shaping them, and all the loaves just fell out of the pans once they were done - no oil at all.

I also have a Tefal "Jamie Oliver" silicon pan of the same size and that doesn't need oiling either, although I don't use it much as it is a heat insulator (!) and the bread takes 10 minutes longer to cook.

Finally I have a pair of smaller Tefal 21X10X5.5cm deep drawn aluminium pans with a fine polka-dot grey-on-black anodising. Needless to say they don't get oiled either.

In the past I've used thin, folded steel pans of unknown manufacture (about the same size as the big ones) and despite some being Teflon coated, they all needed oiling and the bread still stuck.

I mix a little liquid lecithin with a slightly larger amount of vegetable oil (1 tsp lecithin to 3 TBSP vegetable oil) (actually I never measure it-this is a guess)in a small jar and use a pastry brush to apply to any container or cook pan. Nothing EVER sticks and everything tumbles right out of the pan-it will only stick to the spot you missed brushing the lecithin on.

Liquid lecithin is about $6/pint in the midwest USA and is available in some baking sections of large grocery stores or at  Health Food stores.Well worth the price.Never fails!

I'm with you!  I use liquid lecithin and light olive oil (a bit more lecithin than you use) and put it in my mister.  I pump and spray for baking and cooking and it works great!

Nancy

I have read that using a solid grease will result in less of the fat being incorporated into the dough whereas liquid oils will be absorbed more easily. 

When I am making my country loaf in a lodge loaf pan (I used two, one as a lid) I let the dough proof in an ungreased pan but did sprinkle a bit of 50/50 rice and AP flour in the bottom. The crust browned nicely and the bread released easily.