Butter and flour a pan?

[Danl]

So many recipes call for a cake pan to be "buttered & floured". I've always just spread butter to prevent sticking. Does butter & flour really make a difference? If yes, then why?

 

[retired baker]

i use crisco and flour, sprays are way quicker though.

 

[Danl]

Allegedly, butter and flour work lots better than sprays. But I'll ask again, WHY FLOUR? If you drop batter into the pan, the flour will just combine with the batter.

 

[retired baker]

the flour provides a physical barrier , it doesn't combine with the batter unless physically agitated.
butter and flour don't work better than baking spray,
some people try the wrong spray,
cooking spray is the wrong spray, its like glue in a cake pan.

margarine and flour is better than butter/flour, same with crisco/flour. oil and flour is better than butter/flour.

 

[MrsM]

I use something called 'pan grease,' a recipe I got in a book by George Greenstein, a now deceased baker from New Jersey. I love it. Mix equal parts vegetable oil, Crisco shortening and all purpose flour. I use a hand held mixer to combine until everything is homogenized and smooth. Put this in tightly covered container in your pantry, and it keeps for months. I make my batches small, 1/4 cup each ingredient, but you can make as much as you like. Brush or smear onto your pan or into your muffin cups, works great and easy clean up, does not stick like glue as some cooking sprays can.

 

[Ricksza]

I just use Baking Spray. Easy release on all my pans.

 

[retired baker]

I use something called 'pan grease,' a recipe I got in a book by George Greenstein, a now deceased baker from New Jersey. I love it. Mix equal parts vegetable oil, Crisco shortening and all purpose flour. I use a hand held mixer to combine until everything is homogenized and smooth. Put this in tightly covered container in your pantry, and it keeps for months. I make my batches small, 1/4 cup each ingredient, but you can make as much as you like. Brush or smear onto your pan or into your muffin cups, works great and easy clean up, does not stick like glue as some cooking sprays can.

thats what most bakeries do.
Unless you sell a muffin for $4 , in which case the spray is better , it costs more but cuts down on labor time. You can always buy another case of pan spray but you can't buy a case of time.

 

[Danl]

Thanks, everyone. But the question wasn't how to keep stuff from sticking. I KNOW how to do that. Lots of ways to do it. The question is why fat/grease/oil dusted with flour seems to be highly recommended. Does the dusting with flour really help? In what way does the flour provide a physical barrier? Loads of flour already in the batter.

 

[retired baker]

"the flour provides a physical barrier , it doesn't combine with the batter unless physically agitated."

 

[MrsM]

thats what most bakeries do.
Unless you sell a muffin for $4 , in which case the spray is better , it costs more but cuts down on labor time. You can always buy another case of pan spray but you can't buy a case of time.

I don't sell anything, I am a home baker. I don't like the sprays because they get all over everything, not only the pan your are spraying. Much easier for me to use the pan grease, I've got time.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

So many recipes call for a cake pan to be "buttered & floured". I've always just spread butter to prevent sticking. Does butter & flour really make a difference? If yes, then why?

Personally I am not a fan of butter for grease. Butter makes a poor pan grease because it contains milk solids and natural sugar. Water in butter will begin to separate from milk solids above the melting point of 95°F; water evaporates at 212°F. The milk solids then begin to brown and become sticky.

Baker’s grease, equal parts by weight of flour, oil, and shortening works best.

Baking spray (not cooking spray) is essentially baker’s grease in an aerosol. I prefer the sprays for convenience and the ability to apply a very thin layer.

If you use butter, it is advisable to lightly coat with flour. If making a bundt cake, I strongly recommend using baker’s grease to ensure the batter doesn't stick in the nooks and crannies.

 

[EdwardGuerra]

Yes, buttering and flouring a cake pan makes a difference. It creates a thin barrier between the batter and the pan, preventing the cake from sticking.

 

[Mona]

Yes, buttering and flouring a pan does make a difference! When you just use butter, it can sometimes cause the cake to stick because the butter can melt and pool in spots. Adding flour after buttering creates a barrier that helps the cake release more evenly. It’s a quick extra step that can save you from dealing with a cake stuck to the pan, especially with more delicate or sugary cakes.