A guide to preparing pans for baking quick (dessert) breads

It can be really frustrating to bake a nice loaf of zucchini or apple bread & have part of the bottom be stuck in the pan when you tip it out!

 Here is a trick I learned from my mom, which may be a little old-fashioned, but works every time!

 You can use wax paper or parchment paper. Starting with a clean bread loaf pan (no cooking spray yet) cut the paper to about the size of the bottom of the pan. Since you can run a knife around the sides before tipping the bread out of the pan, the paper really only needs to cover the bottom of the pan. Remove the paper & spray the sides & bottom of the pan, then put the paper in the bottom. You can either give the paper a quick spray too, or just flip it over, so both sides get coated from the spray that was in the bottom of the pan.

 When you turn your bread out of the pan, the paper will keep the bottom from sticking to the pan. I have found that wax paper usually stays on the bottom of the bread & parchment paper usually stays in the bottom of the pan. Either way, the bread doesn’t stick! If the paper is on the bread, just gently peel it off.