Chicago Metallic Professional Nonstick Perforated Baguette Pan

Mindful of the recommendations in other reviews, I sprayed the pan with cooking oil before using it. I also tossed some corn meal on it. (What can I say? I like its effect on the crust.) I laid the dough in the pan's "troughs," let it rise, then moved it to a preheated oven to bake. Unable to part with the stone entirely, I placed the pan on top of it. The loaves turned out beautifully. They're almost perfectly round, about 2" in diameter; the crust was even crispier than when I used my stone, and it's fairly even all around--slightly more brown on top than on the bottom, perhaps because of the stone being underneath.

Since my kids ate them all, I had to make more the next day. This time, I didn't stretch the dough as much so they came out as 3" baguettes. I also reduced the heat a little, as the pan's instructions recommend. The loaves touched when they rose, so I pulled them apart after about ten minutes of baking. That wasn't a problem though, and they came out even better than before.

Cleanup is easy, especially if you spray the pan, but the perforations are a bit harsh on a sponge, so you might want to use the recommended nylon scrub or a paper towel instead. (Cleaning corn meal out of those holes is a little difficult, however, so I'm reconsidering using corn meal.)

If you bake baguettes frequently, I heartily recommend this pan! (No offense to my pizza stone.)


Makes your bread crust very crisp   November 8, 2002
Stephanie Manley (Eau Claire, MI)
23 out of 23 found this review helpful

This has to be my favorite pan for making the outside crust on the bread very crisp. It seems that the heat flows better through this pan with the perforation. While the pan is very sturdy and of a heavy gauge, it should provide you with wonderful bread in the years to come. Be sure to give the pan a quick spray of non-stick spray before cooking, but you would do this when making any kind of bread. The three loaves gives you just enough bread so that there won't be any major dicussions of who is getting the last piece of hot bread. If you are a bread maker and haven't given bagettes a try, this would be the idea pan to do this with.


A must-have for bread bakers!   November 27, 2001
Mom2Three (MI USA)
16 out of 16 found this review helpful

I purchased this product about a year ago, when I was trying to make my own sub buns but couldn't quite get the height I wanted making them free-form. This is perfect for that! I get 6 large sub buns or 9 smaller ones. Nothing is better for your lunchmeat or chicken breasts than putting them on a fresh bun from your oven! I have since made the baguettes and use the pot of boiling water and spraying the inside of the oven mentioned in previous reviews, and they turn out wonderful! I have NEVER had a problem with the bread going thru the holes as mentioned previously, and all I do is spray lightly with Pam. This is a wonderful addition to the bread baker's kitchen and for the price you can't beat it.


Comme ci, comme ca.   April 18, 2006
H. Bowden (Daphne AL)
16 out of 18 found this review helpful

I owned another perforated pan from Chicago but it was bought years ago;the construction of the older model is of heavy aluminum and very sturdy. Since I was so happy with my previous purchase, I bought this one thinking it was of the same quality. Needless to say, I was disappointed. The construction of the nonstick version is flimsy compare to the older one, and its length was an inch shorter. I don't know why they added the nonstick feature. Dough sticking to the pan has never been a problem with the other one.

BTW, if you really want crispy crust, throw in about 1/4 cup water at the bottom or sides of oven when you put the dough in to bake. Then do the same thing again 2-3 min.later. The steam does something to the gluten that creates a very crunchy crust. Professional bakeries have a device that delivers steam into their ovens to achieve the same result.


Bang out some baguettes...it's easy!   November 11, 2005
Elizabeth M. Cole (Pikeville, KY United States)
13 out of 13 found this review helpful

I have never had any problems using this pan. The key is to use a recipe for French bread or baguettes, not just any bread recipe. I use a bread machine dough cycle to prepare the dough, because I'm just not talented at breadmaking. The French bread recipe in the machine's owner's manual worked fine, and so did a French bread recipe in a bread machine cookbook. I think other doughs are too soft and get into the holes, as other reviewers have noted. They didn't prepare the right kind of bread dough.

I'm a whiz at using the bread machine dough cycle, then finishing baking rustic breads in a baguette or French bread pan. It's no fail! It makes me look like an expert bread baker.

Trust me, I'm not...if I try making bread without the machine's help, I end up with bricks. LOL The Chicago Metallic baguette pan is easy to use and results in a crusty, chewy bread. Lovely!