Helpful hint: Using parchment paper for baking is awesome, but let’s face it, lining a 9 x 5 by-3-inch bread loaf pan can lead to a big ball of bunched up mess. So, here is a solution on how to cut one sheet of parchment paper to seamlessly fit a bread loaf pan.

1. Turn your bread loaf pan upside down on the kitchen counter. Tear off a sheet of parchment paper and place over the top of the loaf pan. Form the parchment paper over all four sides of the pan until touching the kitchen counter. Mark with a pencil the excess amount of overhang that is laying out on the kitchen counter. Cut the excess parchment paper making sure to also cut away the pencil marks. It’s alright to have a little overhang of parchment paper.

2. Place the parchment paper flat on the kitchen counter and place the bread loaf pan right side up on top of the parchment paper. Fold the parchment paper up each side to get a better idea how it will look inside the pan so as to make sure everything is equal (see pictures below).

3. With a pencil, (see pictures below to get a better idea of written directions) make a mark about 1 inch from each corner of the pan toward each outside corner of the parchment paper. Now make 2 pencil marks, 1 1/2 inches from each outside corner along the edges of the parchment paper. Repeat for the other 3 corners. Draw lines connecting the 3 marks you made for each corner (repeat for the other corners). Cut away the parchment paper, making sure to cut away the pencil marks. It will kind of look like Templar’s cross.

4. Spray the inside of the bread loaf pan with cooking spray (this is only done to help keep the parchment paper in place so it doesn’t move or creep up once set in the pan). Place the parchment paper inside the pan and fold the parchment paper over itself in each corner. Press the parchment paper all over with your fingers so as to make sure it stays in place. Cut any excess parchment paper overhang to your liking.

Notes: Once you get the hang of it, you really don’t need to measure this out on the parchment paper. You can eyeball the measurements as you cut into the shape of a Templar’s cross.