I can’t emphasize this enough: do not forget to prepare baking pans. If you do, all your hard work will be for naught. Too often, I’ll get in a hurry and miss an important step such as prepping surfaces.

I ended up with two loaves stuck to the shiny pans that I had to pry off. I lost much of the beautiful crust. This also caused lost moisture and the bread didn’t last as long. Because of the tear, hot air rushed out. This bread should have lasted several days but began to harden within hours due to loss of moisture. So remember: don’t forget to prepare baking pans to avoid sticking.

I personally suggest to avoid non-stick surfaces even though they are easier to bake with and I used the a lot when I started baking. Even though they often remove the need to prep surfaces, this isn’t always the case.

Also, ignoring the controversial health concerns, over time, they just don’t last long. Even with care, expensive brands lose their non-stick abilities and tend to flake off after about a year. Olive oil is like kryptonite for non stick surfaces. One use can destroy your pan by making it a sticky mess.