Jelly Roll Pans: How to Choose a Jelly Roll Pan

A jelly roll pan is a flat, medium-sized baking pan meant for baking the sponge cake part of a jelly roll, Swiss roll, or bûche de Noël dessert. A jelly roll consists of a piece of thin cake rolled into a cylinder with icing or jelly lining the inside. The standard size of a jelly roll pan is fifteen by ten inches, with a one-inch high rim to contain the cake batter as it bakes. Manufacturers make jelly roll pans from non-stick stainless steel, heavy-gauge aluminized steel, carbon steel, or silicone.

Jelly roll pans, baking sheets, and cookie sheets are all flat, sheet-like baking tools usually made out of stainless steel. However, there are some important differences between these three popular types of bakeware.

• Jelly roll pan: A jelly roll pan is typically fifteen by ten inches, making it smaller than the typical baking sheet or cookie sheet. It will also have a one-inch tall rim—deeper than most cookie sheets and baking sheets—to contain the jelly roll batter.
• Baking sheet: Baking sheets are large metal sheets meant for baking various foods. Baking sheets are also called sheet pans, with different sizes called a full sheet pan, half sheet pan, or quarter sheet pan. A baking sheet has four rimmed edges but will be shallower than a jelly roll pan, with a depth of about half an inch.
• Cookie sheet: A cookie sheet is a large baking tray used to bake cookies. Most cookie sheets are eleven by sixteen inches. Some cookie sheets will have rimmed edges, though they will typically not be as deep as jelly roll pans. In contrast, others have one raised edge and three flat edges, allowing you to easily slide the cookies off the cookie sheet after baking them.

You can use jelly roll pans for various cooking purposes, including the following:

1. 1. Brownies: A jelly roll pan is great for baking brownies because the higher-rimmed edges can accommodate the thick brownie batter.
2. 2. Cookies: Jelly roll pans are perfect for making smaller batches of cookies. Line the pan with a sheet of parchment paper for easy clean-up.
3. 3. Dessert bars: The high rims of a jelly roll pan make this tool perfect for making various dessert bars, from streusel jam bars to lemon bars to granola bars.
4. 4. Jelly roll: Making a jelly roll is the most obvious use for a jelly roll pan. The depth of the pan yields a perfectly sized cake for you to roll up without incident.
5. 5. Roasted vegetables: Jelly roll pans are perfect for roasting up a small batch of veggies. Fill a jelly roll pan with chopped vegetables and cover them with olive oil for a single portion of veggies. Learn how to roast vegetables.

The best substitutes for jelly roll pans are baking tins and cookie sheets. Keep in mind that you should always adapt your recipe proportions and cooking time when using a different type of baking pan to prepare any jelly roll recipes.

1. 1. Casserole pan: Glass or metal casserole pans also make an excellent substitute for jelly roll pans because they have high rimmed edges and are similar in size to jelly roll pans. Try to find a casserole pan with square corners rather than rounded corners, which will give your sheet cake an even shape to roll when making a jelly roll cake.
2. 2. Cookie sheet: A cookie sheet can work as a substitute for a jelly roll pan as long as its four rimmed edges are at least half an inch high. Your jelly roll cake may be thinner than if you used the proper pan, so make the cream layer thinner than the recipe calls for to compensate for the difference.
3. 3. Half sheet pan: A half sheet pan (which is fifteen by eighteen inches) is similar in size to a jelly roll pan. Choose a half sheet pan with a higher rim to make sure the cake will have space to rise if you’re making a jelly roll cake.

Here are some tips for using and caring for your jelly roll pan.

1. 1. Use a cooling rack for resting. Allow your baked cake to cool on a cooling rack, not in the jelly roll pan. Trying to remove your jelly roll cake from the pan after it cools will be more difficult than removing it right away. Buy a cooling rack that’s the same size as your jelly roll pan to turn out your sheet cake to cool.
2. 2. Clean with baking soda and white vinegar. Scrubbing a jelly roll pan too vigorously can damage the nonstick coating. The best way to clean your jelly roll pan is with a mixture of baking soda and white vinegar. Spread the mixture over the dirty cake pan and let it sit for thirty minutes before rinsing it with warm water and hand-washing.
3. 3. Use a silicone baking mat. Invest in a silicone mat to use when baking with your jelly roll pan, which will make it easier for you to remove your bakes from the pan and keep it clean.

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