Our recipe has been optimized for a 9 x 5 pan and we do take a certain amount of pride in the consistency of our baked-from-home donations. That said, if you have an existing pan that is slightly larger or slightly smaller, you can use it with the following considerations:
- When it comes time to package your loaves, there may be extra space in the bag if the loaf is smaller, or it may barely fit if more oversized.
- Upon delivery of your loaves to the hub and/or food bank, they may look small in context or supersized.
- When you reduce or expand the amount of dough you place in the pan, adjusting for the pan size, you will likely experience a different yield. For example, if you use smaller pans for a two-loaf recipe, you might have a little extra dough to create an itty bitty loaf.
Nevertheless, it is permissible. This is one of the reasons we do not share nutrition info for our loaves; the size of loaves can and do vary.
A further note on pans: for bakers on our Flour Truck Route, we sell the 9 x 5 USA Pan at a discount in our monthly Flour Fundraiser that beats both King Arthur and Amazon pricing. It is still a premium to some pans but a volunteer benefit if you want a great pan. Check it out here.