Simplify kitchen clean up using baking parchment paper. Useful for more than just baking!
Baking Parchment Paper on Cookie Sheets
For the first few years after we were married, I would host a Christmas cookie baking day for the ladies in my small group. Everyone would bring the recipe and supplies to make one type of cookie and we would all share the bounty at the end of the day.
One of the last years, perhaps the actual final time, that I hosted this cookie day, one of the ladies shared the magic of baking parchment paper with me. She will forever have made an impact on the way I live for the remainder of my life. I’m sure she has no idea that her two sentences at that time are now impacting readers around the world, but they are. The knowledge she share with me I am now about to share with you.
Her baking tricks were these: (1) She didn’t buy common “cookie sheets”, which come in an assortment of sizes and shapes, but instead she purchased half sheet (commercial size) pans which are both large and standardized. Genius! (2) Secondly, she purchased precut half sheet pan baking parchment paper liners to use with them. My life was changed!
Half Sheet Pans
Using these complimentary duo I have moved forward in my baking journey. The half sheet pan is versatile and offers an array of options for pan depth, finishes, and even lids.
Baking Parchment Paper
Purchasing precut sheets rather than a roll of parchment made using it even easier. It fits the pan every time, doesn’t roll up along the edges, and a $15 pack of 200 parchment sheets lasts me (a regular baker) well over a year. I think I have only purchased 3 or 4 boxes in the nearly 10 years since that cookie party.
I prefer to purchase the unbleached sheets for a more natural (brown) product, but baking sheets are also available in a bleached option if you prefer white.
Once I started with parchment for cookies, it became a kitchen staple and expanded to uses beyond just cookie sheets.
Let me share a few of the ways I now use baking parchment paper…
Making Pizza
I use parchment paper baking sheets under my pizza every time, whether I’m heating up a frozen pizza or making my own from scratch using my same day pizza dough.
Cookies
Using parchment paper on cookie sheets help prevent gooies from sticking to your pans. Whether it’s chocolate chips, sprinkles, or just greasy circles, the pan is protected. Many times I just pull off the paper and give my pans a quick rinse/wipe with a rage and they’re ready to dry and store.
Parchment also is convenient for allowing cookies to cool. While I know the “proper” way to cool your cookies is on a cooling rack, I have used one about 3 times in my life. I bought some a couple years ago at a garage sale and they are still in the basement in a box from our move. Growing up my mom laid down paper towels on the counter to transfer warm cookies off the baking pan to cool. I do this too, from time to time, but often times I can simply slide the entire parchment sheet, cookies and all, off onto the counter to cool. Lickety Split. Easy as pie!
Bread Pans
I always line my bread pans with parchment. It doesn’t matter if it’s a dough bread, batter bread, or sourdough boulle in a cast iron Dutch oven. Parchment. Always.
Look how nicely this spelt banana bread loaf turned out using a parchment liner. It makes it easy to remove and helps absorb excess grease.
Muffin Tins
Baking parchment paper sheets can also be cut into smaller sizes for use in things like muffin pans or other smaller loaf pans. Smaller items cam be removed easily, and if I can spend less time scrubbing baked on crusties out of each muffin pan well, I am on board with that!
Find All the Supplies Here!
I’ve included some of my baking favorites for you to browse below, and of course my all time trusty baking parchment paper sheets that I ALWAYS buy are right at the top of the list. Happy Baking!
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