Baking Tip: How to Line a Baking Pan with Parchment

We’ve been lining our baking pans with parchment for years. It totally eliminates the fear that bars will stick to the pan, plus we can lift bars out of the pan to easily cut them on a flat surface. Less fuss, no muss! If you’ve never done this before, here’s what we do.

Here’s what we do to quickly line a pan with parchment before baking:

1. Cut a length of parchment paper long enough to line the bottom of the pan with extra hanging over the sides. If your parchment is longer than your pan, fold the extra under.

2. Press a crease in the parchment at the edges, so it fits snugly into the bottom.

3. Spray non-stick cooking spray directly onto the bottom and sides of the pan and set the parchment on top. This will help the parchment stick to the pan, keep it from moving as you pour in the batter, and prevent batter from oozing between the parchment and the pan. You can spray the topside of the parchment with nonstick spray as well, but we’ve found this isn’t really necessary as bars and brownies don’t really stick to the parchment.

For extra neat edges, add a second sheet of parchment going the other direction (as in our tutorial for aluminum foil lifters). You might get a little batter between the parchment and the side of the pan at the corners, but this is easily trimmed away once you lift the bars out.

For tips on lining a round pan with parchment, take a look at this post:

• How To Line a Cake Pan with Parchment

Do you have any other tricks for easy lifting and neat edges?

(Images: Emma Christensen)

Comments (9)

I use parchment paper for cookies, cakes, and even roasted vegetables. Nothing sticks, and it makes for much easier cleanup than those silicone baking mats that were in vogue a few years back!

I love parchment paper! I won't bake a single thing that isn't placed on a piece of parchment paper. It's truly one of my favorite things in the kitchen.

I heart parchment. Saves me so much in clean-up time.

I love parchment and always use it while baking! But I don't know why I always have a hard time creasing the corners -- they end up wonky and my brownies get odd corner-ruffles. Totally worth it though! (But does anyone have extra tips about creasing the corners properly?)

What's the difference between parchment paper and wax paper? Are they interchangeable?

They aren't, Patti. Wax paper, well, has wax on it. :) I find things stick a lot more to wax paper, whereas things baked on parchment paper come right off. Wax paper can get smoky in a hot oven, too.

I have never understood this parchment paper thing, it is just an added disposible item. I know it adds a level of non-stick, but I grew up without using it and I have never really struggled without it.

I like it use it because I find the bottoms of cookies, etc., burn much less. I compost mine when I'm done, and it's fairly reuseable, too.

The very best lining material, for all purposes, is Reynolds Wrap Non-Stick Foil. Not even meringue sticks to it, with no spray or other greasing.