How to Bake Bread When You Don’t Have a Loaf Pan
Updated: Nov. 02, 2023
Wondering how to make bread without a loaf pan? You don't need to fret. There are lots of ways you can make delicious homemade bread using pans you already have in the kitchen.
Have a hankering for homemade bread? Looking to start kneading your own loaves at home? Chances are you’re checking out some classic bread recipes—most of which call for a loaf pan. But what happens if you don’t have one on hand?
You don’t give up, that’s for sure! When it comes to making bread, you don’t always need to rely on a loaf pan to get results. There are plenty of recipes that call for other cooking vessels. If you’ve got a skillet, cookie sheet, casserole dish or cake pan, you can still bake bread at home.
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Use a Skillet
Your cast-iron skillet really is a kitchen MVP. When you’re done making a skillet supper, wipe the pan down (or use a designated baking skillet) and get ready to bake bread. Skillets work best with smaller loaves of bread or small-batches of rolls. Here are a few cast-iron bread recipes to get you started.
Use a Sheet Pan
Many bread recipes don’t require any special pan. Rolls, boules (that’s a round loaf of bread), braided loaves and many soda breads are baked right on a sheet pan—no loaf pan required. If you want to bake bread on a cookie sheet, look for breads that retain their shape (you don’t want overly soft doughs here).
Irish Soda Bread" width="295" height="295" />Use a Casserole Dish
Grab your trusty 13×9 pan and put it to yet another good use (besides weeknight dinners and easy cakes). Casserole dishes like these can be used to make larger batches of dinner rolls, sticky buns, cinnamon buns and more batch bakes. Here are some bread recipes to get you started.
Use a Cake Pan
Avid cake baker turned bread maker? Break out your favorite cake pans. Round cake pans are perfect for rolls or breads that may otherwise call for a skillet (just make sure the sizes are roughly the same). You can even use your favorite fluted tube pan to make recipes like monkey bread. Using cake pans to bake bread does require a bit of creativity, but the results are delicious.
Whether you use a loaf pan or something a little less traditional, baking bread is such a satisfying and delicious pursuit. Be sure to check out our ultimate bread guide for more recipes, techniques and troubleshooting tips.
