Bakery trays, also referred to as sheet pans, baking trays or baking sheets (but they are of a noticeably different configuration), are the backbone of any bakery business and at the heart of any baking operation.

Bakery trays have evolved over the years with a view to enhance user friendliness, as also as a result of improvements in manufacturing. Recently, particularly, bakery trays made from plastic have become increasingly popular. Their plastic composition makes them easier to work with as compared to metal bakery trays, and as manufacturers, we too have exploited the versatility of plastic in designing unique, convenient and varied trays.

In this article we look at some useful features incorporated into bakery trays’ designs which can help you with your baking.

Having a lip run around the tray is tremendous help when greasing the tray, while baking and preventing a mess after. The height of the lip will determine the depth of the pan; allowing you to make your bakery tray more suited for your particular baking needs and setup. For larger breads, perhaps a taller lip will be beneficial, as opposed to a smaller lip for cookies and smaller items.

Typically, bakery trays with an open bottom help baked goods cool faster and more evenly. They allow steam to escape faster, reducing the possibility of moisture building up in food. However, many bakery owners have started to prefer dual-bottomed bakery trays. The upper ‘shelf’ has perforations, allowing for quicker cooling, while the lower shelf is a sealed piece, which catches errant crumbs and oils. Both sections can be designed as permanently conjoined or detachable for easy cleaning.

Plastic bakery trays can also offer one enormously useful feature over metal trays: they can be designed to flex. This flexibility allows baked goods to be taken off the tray much more easily, especially when you need that extra leverage to lift the baked good without distorting its shape.

A surprisingly unconsidered instrument is the handle. Handled with oven mitts and packed in close quarters in the oven, handles need to be carefully considered at the time of manufacture. Whether a long handle, short handles parallel to the tray’s wall or simply incorporated into the lip itself, a baker should be sure to select the most appropriate handles.