The Parchment Paper Loaf Pan Hack That Will Easily Improve Your Bakes

One of the most valuable tools in any baker's kitchen is a roll of parchment paper. From cake decorating to rolling out cookie dough, there's an endless amount of hacks that the typically silicone-coated paper can pull off. Its main gig, however, is keeping cake batter and bread dough from sticking to the pan. It's a lot cleaner than using baking spray or mixing up cake goop for greasing cake pans, and it's nice to have the edges of the paper to grab onto when it's time to take the cake out of the pan. The trouble is, parchment paper is a little unwieldy. The silicone coating, combined with the fact that it's commonly sold on a roll, makes it a little frustrating to work with, especially if you're trying to line a loaf pan or a baking pan with tall sides. If you're baking up a batch of banana bread, and you don't want to struggle with your parchment, there's actually a simple solution: press and pinch or fold the paper around the outside of the pan to find its unique edges and dimensions, and you'll know exactly where to fold it so that it will fit inside your pan.

If you can wrap a present, you can pull off this hack, and you don't need any scissors or special equipment. All you need is a cake pan and a piece of parchment paper.

There's no bigger baking bummer than baking a cake or a loaf, only for it to get stuck in the pan. If you use parchment paper, your loaf will always pop right out, plus you won't have to scrub the pan afterward. All you need to do to fold your parchment properly is to use the pan itself as a template for folding the paper.

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First, cut a rectangular piece of parchment that's big enough to line the pan but not so big that you've got more paper than you can deal with (parchment is wiley enough as it is, plus you don't want to waste any). Now, flip your loaf pan upside down and place the parchment, centered, on the bottom. Fold and crease the edges around each of the sides like you would fold wrapping paper around a gift. You can also pinch the corners and edges to make a guide for yourself, then fold the creases after you move the pan away. Either way, your folds will be perfectly measured to fit inside your loaf pan. All that's left to do is pop the paper in the pan and then pour in the batter.

Once you have your batter in the pan, if the edges of the paper sticking out are long, it's a good idea to use some binder clips to tack them down to the sides of the pan so that they don't get stuck to the top of the loaf. When the loaf is ready, take the clips off so you can use the parchment to pull the cake out of the pan. Just be sure to give the pan and the clips at least 20 minutes to cool, however, so that you don't burn your fingers or break the crumb of the cake or loaf.

This hack works great for any baking pans with angular, defined edges, including sheet pans. If your paper is still being a little misbehaved, spritz some baking spray or mist some cooking oil from a pump onto the sides of your pan before you pop the paper inside, which will give it something to stick to. Once you get the hang of it, you can use the parchment folding trick anytime you're making a loaf of iced lemon loaf or a summery icebox cake — no cutting or crumpling required.