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Brioche Pans

We tested four large brioche pans, 8 to 8½ inches in diameter, rating them on handling and release, browning, crumb structure, and the shape of the finished loaves.

Lisa McManus
By Lisa McManus ･ Published Mar. 1, 2013. Appears in America's Test Kitchen TV Season 14: Elegant Brunch Favorites
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Top Pick

  • Baking
  • Handling
  • Appearance

WinnerGobel 8-Inch Tinned Steel Brioche Mold, 6-Cup

This taller, narrower, classically shaped pan produced perfect brioche with an evenly browned crust and a light, airy crumb. It released well and cleaned up in a snap.
Model Number: 2489Material: Heavy gauge tinned steelDimensions: 8 in wide, 3 in tall, 3¾ in basePrice at Time of Testing: $10
Full Ratings & Specs
  • Baking
  • Handling
  • Appearance
This taller, narrower, classically shaped pan produced perfect brioche with an evenly browned crust and a light, airy crumb. It released well and cleaned up in a snap.
Model Number: 2489Material: Heavy gauge tinned steelDimensions: 8 in wide, 3 in tall, 3¾ in basePrice at Time of Testing: $10
Full Ratings & Specs
See Everything We Tested

What You Need to Know

Traditional loaves of brioche are round with fluted sides and a slightly conical shape. We tested four large brioche pans, 8 to 8½ inches in diameter, made of shiny tinned steel, nonstick-coated steel, and silicone, priced from about $10 to just under $17, rating them on handling and release, browning, crumb structure, and the shape of the finished loaves. We found that each 8-inch brioche pan held the equivalent of one loaf pan. All released the breads easily (after being coated with vegetable oil spray) and were simple to clean. Any complaints were mainly quibbles: The loaf baked in the nonstick pan was a tad too dark; the tin model (which had the shallowest sides) produced loaves that were flatter than we liked; and the loaf baked in the silicone pan browned slightly unevenly across the base.

Our favorite pan was a French import with a traditional shiny finish. It baked and released tall, perfect golden loaves with flawless, airy crumbs. Best of all, it was the cheapest pan in the lineup.

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Everything We Tested

Good 3 Stars out of 3.
Fair 2 Stars out of 3.
Poor 1 Star out of 3.

Highly Recommended

  • Baking
  • Handling
  • Appearance

WinnerGobel 8-Inch Tinned Steel Brioche Mold, 6-Cup

This taller, narrower, classically shaped pan produced perfect brioche with an evenly browned crust and a light, airy crumb. It released well and cleaned up in a snap.
Model Number: 2489Material: Heavy gauge tinned steelDimensions: 8 in wide, 3 in tall, 3¾ in basePrice at Time of Testing: $10
  • Baking
  • Handling
  • Appearance
This taller, narrower, classically shaped pan produced perfect brioche with an evenly browned crust and a light, airy crumb. It released well and cleaned up in a snap.
Model Number: 2489Material: Heavy gauge tinned steelDimensions: 8 in wide, 3 in tall, 3¾ in basePrice at Time of Testing: $10

Recommended

  • Baking
  • Handling
  • Appearance

Gobel 8-Inch Nonstick Brioche Pan

This pan was nearly identical to our winner, with an excellent shape and release, but has a nonstick coating that is superfluous (the less expensive winner also released perfectly without a nonstick coating). The dark nonstick finish also browned the loaf a tad too much.
Model Number: 223040Material: Heavy gauge tinned steel with nonstick coatingDimensions: 8 in wide, 3 in tall, 3¾ in basePrice at Time of Testing: $13
  • Baking
  • Handling
  • Appearance
This pan was nearly identical to our winner, with an excellent shape and release, but has a nonstick coating that is superfluous (the less expensive winner also released perfectly without a nonstick coating). The dark nonstick finish also browned the loaf a tad too much.
Model Number: 223040Material: Heavy gauge tinned steel with nonstick coatingDimensions: 8 in wide, 3 in tall, 3¾ in basePrice at Time of Testing: $13
  • Baking
  • Handling
  • Appearance

Matfer 14-Fluted Tin Brioche Mold

While it baked and released beautifully like our winner, this French import has a wider base and lower, wider-angled sides that left the loaf flatter and less conical than we liked.
Model Number: 340246Material: Tin plateDimensions: 8 5/8 in wide, 2¾ in tall, 4½ in basePrice at Time of Testing: $14.56
  • Baking
  • Handling
  • Appearance
While it baked and released beautifully like our winner, this French import has a wider base and lower, wider-angled sides that left the loaf flatter and less conical than we liked.
Model Number: 340246Material: Tin plateDimensions: 8 5/8 in wide, 2¾ in tall, 4½ in basePrice at Time of Testing: $14.56

Recommended with reservations

  • Baking
  • Handling
  • Appearance

Professional Silikomart Uniflex Brioche Silicone Mold Baking Pan

Flexible and squishy, this silicone pan from Italy has a removable ring that pops into the perimeter for stiffness. It’s a great idea, but it means you have two pieces to keep track of, and the pan didn’t brown the bottom of the loaf as evenly as metal pans. The soft sides bulged, making curves instead of sharp, upright flutes on the sides of our loaf. Some of the crumb along the bottom of the loaf seemed slightly crushed and too moist. While the result was still acceptable, unless you particularly want a folding pan, there are better choices.
Model Number: SFT 522Material: SiliconeDimensions: 8 5/8 in wide, 3 in tall, 4¾ in basePrice at Time of Testing: $16.51
  • Baking
  • Handling
  • Appearance
Flexible and squishy, this silicone pan from Italy has a removable ring that pops into the perimeter for stiffness. It’s a great idea, but it means you have two pieces to keep track of, and the pan didn’t brown the bottom of the loaf as evenly as metal pans. The soft sides bulged, making curves instead of sharp, upright flutes on the sides of our loaf. Some of the crumb along the bottom of the loaf seemed slightly crushed and too moist. While the result was still acceptable, unless you particularly want a folding pan, there are better choices.
Model Number: SFT 522Material: SiliconeDimensions: 8 5/8 in wide, 3 in tall, 4¾ in basePrice at Time of Testing: $16.51

*All products reviewed by America’s Test Kitchen are independently chosen, researched, and reviewed by our editors. We buy products for testing at retail locations and do not accept unsolicited samples for testing. We list suggested sources for recommended products as a convenience to our readers but do not endorse specific retailers. When you choose to purchase our editorial recommendations from the links we provide, we may earn an affiliate commission. Prices are subject to change.

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The mission of America’s Test Kitchen Reviews is to find the best equipment and ingredients for the home cook through rigorous, hands-on testing. We stand behind our winners so much that we even put our seal of approval on them. Have a question or suggestion? Send us an email at atkreviews@americastestkitchen.com. We appreciate your feedback!

The Expert

Author: Lisa McManus

byLisa McManus

Executive Editor, ATK Reviews

Lisa is an executive editor for ATK Reviews, cohost of Gear Heads on YouTube, and gadget expert on TV's America's Test Kitchen.

Lisa McManus is an executive editor for ATK Reviews, cohost of Gear Heads on YouTube, host of Cook's Illustrated's Equipment Review videos, and a cast member—the gadget expert—on TV's America's Test Kitchen. A passionate home cook, sometime waitress, and longtime journalist, she graduated from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and worked at magazines and newspapers in New York and California before returning like a homing pigeon to New England. In 2006 she got her dream job at ATK reviewing kitchen equipment and ingredients and has been pretty thrilled about it ever since. Her favorite thing is to go somewhere new and find something good to eat.

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