I'm Kicking Off Fall by Making Pumpkin Bread, and I Swear by This Loaf Pan for the Best Results

It's officially fall, and, in my humble opinion, there's nothing like homemade pumpkin bread to kick it off. It's the perfect snack for any time of day, plus the belly-warming spices can provide comfort in even the most hectic of times. My favorite pumpkin breads come in bakery-style slabs that are sturdy and thick enough to stand up on their own, but soft enough to melt in your mouth.

I'm finally ready to share my secret to making those stout slices at home: I use an extra-tall, narrow loaf pan called a pullman loaf pan.

Pullman loaf pans have a slim design that make them a space-saving essential. Sometimes they come with a removable lid that works well for breads where you don't want air gaps that can change the pattern or layers, like a cinnamon raisin swirl. I purchased a small and a large USA Pan Pullman Loaf Pan from Amazon a few years ago, and, truthfully, I'll never look back.

To buy: USA Pan Bakeware Small Pullman Loaf Pan, $19 (was $25) at amazon.com

We have to talk about metrics just for a moment, as most traditional loaf pans are 8 inches long by 4 inches wide and just 2 inches tall. While these are great, that means you'll likely never bake a bread that's more than about 3 inches tall (and that's assuming you get a good rise out of it). The small USA Pan loaf pan is 9 inches long, 4 inches wide, and 4 inches tall. If you fill the pan two-thirds of the way (this usually means you have to double a standard recipe), you can make a sky-high pumpkin bread that's at least double the thickness of a regular loaf.

The USA Pan pullman loaf pan is made with thick commercial-grade aluminum steel for even heat retention, plus it has the brand's signature nonstick coating that is BPA-, PTFE-, and PFOA-free. Because of that, this pan is a breeze to clean, even when I get tons of baked-on bits stuck in the corners.

Both USA's lidded and non-lidded pullman pans have nearly 8,000 perfect ratings. One shopper said it's the "best bread pan I have used," and another person touted, "This is now my favorite pan in the entire kitchen! It is made in the US with a combination of quality, style, and durability. The loaves come out absolutely perfect."

While it makes the perfect pumpkin bread, you can use it for a variety of other breads too, like seedy sandwich loaves, baklava, cinnamon raisin breads, and brioche. Snap up the USA Pan Pullman Loaf Pan now on Amazon, just in time for all of your fall baking.

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