How to Choose Loaf, Pullman, and Baguette Trays | Commercial Bread Baking Pan Guide

In a serious bread program, your pan strategy is as important as your mixer and oven. The shape, height, and footprint of your bread baking pans decide:

• Crumb structure and crust

• Slice size and yield per loaf

• How many loaves you can load per trolley or oven batch

This guide focuses specifically on commercial bread baking pans for bakeries and central kitchens, not general restaurant pans. We will look at loaf pans, Pullman toast pans, baguette trays, and strap configurations, with a practical angle: how to link pan choice to your recipes, ovens, and daily output.

1. Start With Your Bread Program, Not the Catalogue

Before you think about brands and coatings, lock in three basic points:

1. Bread types

   • Soft sandwich loaves and toast

   • Baguette / French bread

   • Brioche and enriched breads

   • Rolls, buns, and specialty shapes

2. Target weight and slice profile

   • 450–500 g sandwich loaf vs 750–900 g “family” loaf

   • Toast bread height and square vs domed profile

   • Baguette length and scoring style

3. Oven size and loading method

   • 400 × 600 mm, 460 × 660 mm, or 600 × 800 mm tray/trolley size

   • Deck oven vs rotary rack oven vs tunnel oven

Once these three are clear, pan selection becomes a structural decision, not guesswork.

2. Main Types of Commercial Bread Baking Pans

2.1 Strap loaf pans (open-top pans)

Strap loaf pans have multiple loaf cavities welded or riveted together into one unit. They are the backbone of most commercial bread lines.

Typical uses:

• White sandwich bread

• Whole wheat and multigrain loaves

• Flavoured or seeded pan breads

Key parameters:

• Cavity size (L × W × H): Determines loaf volume and slice size. For example, a 400–450 g dough ball needs a smaller cavity than a 750 g family loaf.

• Number of cavities per strap: Common configurations: 3, 4, 5, or 6 loaf pans per strap, sized to match your oven tray or trolley.

• Corner shape and wall profile: Sharp corners give more volume and “square” slices; rounded corners give a softer look and easier cleaning.

When you choose strap loaf pans, you are really deciding your standard loaf SKUs: weight, height, and visual identity.

2.2 Pullman toast pans (with lids)

Pullman pans (also called toast bread pans) include a sliding or removable lid to control expansion and give a perfectly rectangular loaf.

Typical uses:

• Toast and sandwich loaves for slicing and packaging

• Brioche loaves for premium sandwiches

• Japanese-style milk bread and soft loaves that must have a uniform height

Why they matter:

• Controlled height and crumb: The lid restricts spring, giving a tight, fine crumb that slices cleanly and fits perfectly in bags or boxes.

• Better pack-out: Rectangular loaves pack efficiently in cartons and on retail shelves.

Consider:

• Whether you want single Pullman pans or strapped Pullman sets

• If your staff can safely handle lids during loading and depanning in a hot, fast environment

• How the pan height fits your proofing cabinet and oven cavity

2.3 Baguette and French bread trays

Baguette pans are usually perforated metal trays with multiple channels, designed for free-form dough with strong oven spring.

Typical uses:

• Classic French baguettes

• Demi-baguettes and sandwich sticks

• Small rustic loaves that need more crust area

Key features:

• Number of channels: 3, 4, 5, up to 10 channels per tray, depending on tray size and baguette diameter.

• Perforation pattern: Holes improve steam and heat flow, giving thinner, crisper crust. Denser perforation = more crust drying.

• Tray footprint: Match to your oven loading standard (400 × 600, 460 × 660, 600 × 800, or custom).

Think in terms of pieces per tray × trays per trolley × trolleys per bake to get your hourly baguette capacity.

2.4 Roll and bun trays

For buns and small rolls, you can use:

• Flat trays with shallow edges (often the same as cookie or sheet pans)

• Trays with light dimples or curved shapes to guide dough placement

These are useful when:

• You produce burger buns, dinner rolls, or hot dog buns in large volumes

• You want consistent spacing without manually measuring gaps

For many bakeries, one tray design can handle several round bun sizes just by changing dough weight and spacing.

2.5 Specialty bread moulds

Special shapes help you differentiate your product line without changing your dough formula:

• Brioche moulds (round or fluted)

• Ciabatta trays with shallow wells

• Mini loaf pans for gift sets and tasting boxes

Use these selectively, focusing on SKUs that help you increase margin, not just complexity.

3. Matching Bread Pans to Oven Size and Capacity

Buying “nice pans” is easy. Matching them to your oven and daily output is where most bakeries lose or gain money.

3.1 Fit pan footprint to your oven standard

Common standards:

• 400 × 600 mm (European bakery standard, often for convection ovens and smaller rack ovens)

• 460 × 660 mm (US full-size sheet footprint)

• 600 × 800 mm (wide trays for larger deck and rack ovens)

Your goal is to use as much of this area as possible without causing:

• Poor air circulation

• Difficult loading and depanning

• Crowded loaves that stick together

For example:

• A 400 × 600 mm tray may hold 4 small loaf cavities or 3 medium loaves per strap, depending on your loaf weight and spacing needs.

• A 460 × 660 mm tray can support 4–6 medium sandwich loaves or a high count of buns on a flat tray.

3.2 Convert pans into daily bread capacity

A simple way to plan:

1. Decide dough weight per loaf (e.g., 500 g).

2. Decide loaves per strap and straps per tray.

3. Confirm trays per trolley and trolleys per bake.

4. Multiply by bakes per hour and hours in production.

When you do this on paper before buying pans, you avoid two common mistakes:

• Buying pans that look good but do not maximize your rack or deck space

• Realizing too late that your bread program cannot hit the planned daily production

4. Surface Options for Bread Pans (Release and Crust)

You already have a separate pan-material guide that covers stainless steel, aluminum, non-stick, and cast iron in detail. For bread-specific pans, the questions are more practical:

• How easily does the loaf release?

• How crisp and coloured is the crust?

• How many cycles can the pan handle before re-glazing or replacement?

Typical options for commercial bread pans:

1. Bare or lightly oiled metal (often aluminized steel)

   • Strong crust and colour

   • Requires regular oiling and some skill in depanning

   • Good for artisan-style breads where crust is a key selling point

2. Glazed / silicone-treated surfaces

   • Designed for fast depanning in high-volume lines

   • Often used for strap loaf pans and Pullman pans

   • Supports fast turnover with less manual greasing

3. Heavy non-stick coatings (PTFE-based, etc.)

   • Very easy release at the beginning of the pan life

   • Requires careful temperature control and gentle cleaning

   • Best for delicate enriched breads and sweet doughs where sticking is expensive

Instead of trying to choose one coating for everything, match coatings to bread type and line speed. For example, you might use glazed strap pans for white toast and more robust bare pans for rustic loaves that can tolerate extra crust.

5. Bread Pan Maintenance and Rotation Strategy

Bread pans work hard. If you treat them as consumables with a clear plan, you control cost and product quality instead of chasing problems.

Key elements of a simple pan strategy:

1. Standardize loading and depanning tools

   • Use the same type of peel, scraper, or depanning knife across shifts.

   • Avoid sharp metal objects that scratch coatings and shorten pan life.

2. Set a cleaning and re-glazing schedule based on cycles, not feelings

   • For coated pans, track approximate cycles per week and plan re-glazing or replacement instead of waiting until loaves start tearing.

   • For bare pans, standardize oiling quantity and method so one shift doesn’t flood while another runs dry.

3. Rotate pans to spread wear

   • Avoid using the same set of pans for every bake while others sit unused.

   • Create a simple colour or number coding to rotate sets through the line.

4. Monitor product signals

   • Loaves sticking, tearing crumb, or losing crust colour are usually early signs that pan surfaces or cleaning methods need adjustment.

Even a small bakery benefits from a basic pan log or checklist. For a central kitchen, this becomes essential.

6. Example Scenarios: How Pan Choice Changes Your Line

Scenario 1: Small neighbourhood bakery

• Products: 500 g sandwich bread, 750 g family loaf, some brioche

• Oven: 4-tray convection oven, 400 × 600 mm trays

Pan choice:

• Strap loaf pans with 3 × 500 g cavities per 400 × 600 strap

• A smaller number of single Pullman pans for premium toast or brioche

• One-style baguette tray with 3–4 channels for occasional French bread days

Result:

• Easy scheduling between bread and pastry

• Clear daily capacity calculation (loaves per bake × bakes per day)

• Ability to test higher-margin toast products without changing the whole line

Scenario 2: Central kitchen for multiple bakery outlets

• Products: toast bread, sandwich bread, baguettes, rolls

• Oven: Rotary rack oven for trolleys with 600 × 800 trays

Pan choice:

• Strap Pullman pans sized so two straps fit perfectly on one 600 × 800 tray

• Baguette trays with 8–10 channels, matched to trolley size

• Flat bun trays with a consistent hole pattern for rolls and burger buns

Result:

• High, repeatable output per trolley and per oven cycle

• Minimal wasted space in the oven and proofer

• Simplified purchasing and spare pan management across outlets

7. Working With a Bread Pan Supplier in China

A good bread pan setup is not just about the metal itself. It must match your:

• Recipes and dough weights

• Proofer and oven dimensions

• Target capacity and labour structure

Yuemen Baking Equipment in Guangzhou works with strap loaf pans, Pullman toast pans, baguette trays, bun trays, and matching trolleys as part of complete bread lines, including mixers, proofers, and ovens.

If you share:

• Your main bread products

• Typical dough weights and daily flour usage

• Oven tray size and type (400 × 600, 460 × 660, 600 × 800, or custom)

you can receive a proposal for commercial bread baking pans that is designed around your actual production, not just a catalogue page. This helps you grow from test batches to stable daily output without constantly replacing pans or redesigning your loading pattern.

Ready to upgrade your bread pan setup?

Contact Kian from Yuemen Baking Equipment for a product brochure or a tailored quotation:

• Email: kian.huang@yuementrading.com

• Phone / WhatsApp: +86 18819459649

Share your main bread products, dough weights, and oven tray size, and we will recommend a matching set of bread baking pans and compatible bakery equipment for your project.