Hi there,

I like to bake my challah in loaf pans, because I find it rises higher and is generally more moist.  The problem though is that the dough sticks tenaciously to any pan I’ve used, and the crust is ruined when I have to cut the loaf out of the pan every time.  Even my Chicago Metallic Professional non-stick pans don’t work.  I now line my pans with parchment, which of course works fine but the crust is not as nice as it could be.  Today I’m out of parchment, and I was wondering if any of you have any tricks for this?  I’m even considering greasing the pans with shortening and flour, but am fairly certain it’ll make an unpleasant crust.  Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Hmm, I’ve baked challah in pans before, and non-stick spray has worked for me. You have to be very careful though not to get egg wash on the parts touching the pan—do you think that is the problem?

For some strange reason the wonder of non-stick spray (at least the kind with flour) isn’t available in Canada yet!  This does tell me that shortening/flour may work fine though.  The egg wash could have something to do with it, but I’ve found with some pans that even the bottom sticks, so who knows?  You’d think they’d invent a non-stick loaf pan that is actually non-stick….

I just use the plain kind without flour. Is this Rose’s challah recipe, or another one? Strange that it is sticking on the bottom too. Do you make brioche?  Have you had a similar problem with that?

It’s not Rose’s recipe (Maggie Glezer’s this time) - it has a generous amount of oil, which you’d think would help.  In the past I’ve used oil on the pan, but I think the problem there is it doesn’t stay where you put it, but tends to pool.  I’ve not made brioche yet, though I would like to try it some day! 

I will admit that it does seem odd though, as I know other people who bake challah in pans and no one has complained of this problem….  Maybe I’m not making the dough dry enough, but I’ve always understood that it’s better for challah dough to be slightly tacky….

My challah of choice is Peter Reinhart’s in Crust and Crumb. I have baked it free form braided, and in pans, and never had a sticking issue.  Except for the egg wash, where ever that touches the pan, look out, it turns to cement.  I use a pyrex glass baking pan, and line with parchment, no problems with sticking.  Even if I don’t use parchment, and the egg wash sticks, once I loosen that part, the rest of the bread slips right out of the glass pan.  I only grease the pan, no flour.  Good luck with your challah.

Thanks for this!  After Matthew’s reply above, lacking cooking spray, I just used a thin coating of shortening (which has the benefit of staying where you put it), and apart from a couple of places in which the egg wash adhered to the pan despite my best efforts, the bread came out this time.  Thanks all!

I will try that Peter Reinhart recipe.