What Does it Mean to Line a Baking Tray? | How To + 3 Easy Hacks

Lining a baking tray means to cover the inside with non-stick baking paper. This prevents the food from sticking to the inside of the tray. Baking paper is the best way to stop cakes from sticking without using excess oil. There are easy steps to follow to make the paper fit perfectly.

Check out the rest of this article to find out how to line a baking tray and 3 easy hacks to make it work even better.

How to line a baking tray

Lining a baking tray is easy if you follow these easy steps.

There are a few simple steps to successfully line a baking tray. These steps will help your cakes, biscuits and meat loaf from sticking to your tray. The first step is to choose the lining you would like to use, find the right sized tray and trimming the corners.

Removing the excess paper will help to prevent it from burning in the oven and this can be done before or after it is placed in the tray. Check out these easy steps to line a baking tray.

1. Choose your lining – parchment paper, bleached or unbleached.

Choose the lining that you would like to use for your baking tray. Parchment paper is the perfect choice and can be bleached or unbleached. I have moved to using unbleached parchment paper which has a natural brown color but is still non-stick and heat proof.

There are both bleached and unbleached parchment paper.

2. Choose a clean tray

Choose a tray that is clean and the right size for what you are cooking. If you are a frequent cook, you will know that trays can sometimes end up with pieces of cake batter or cheese that gets stuck.

The cleaner the tray the better the paper will line and stop any sticking. Any old food can become burnt on and even harder to remove. Clean the tray first and choose one that is the right size for your food.

3. Tear the piece to overlap the edges

Roll-out the parchment paper to the appropriate size. Wrap it up the sides of the baking pan and fold it over to where it reaches the edge. The safest way to cut the paper off at the right size is to use the cutting edge on the box if it has one.

Use the tearing edge to cut a piece of baking paper the right size

4. Fold and trim the corners

Trim down the corners of the tray. For a square tray this is as simple as cutting strip that sits in the corner. This will form a rough edge and keep the tray covered.

For the perfect edge. Fold both ways and make a single cut and fold the edges in.

Fold down the sides so you know where to cut.
Cut down the fold marks at the corner.

5. Spray with oil or wipe with butter (optional)

The next step is to spray the inside of the baking tray lightly with spray oil or to wipe a very thin layer of butter or margarine. This will help to hold the baking paper in place while you prepare the cake mix or ingredients.

This will help to stop the paper from popping up and out of the tray.

6. Press the lining in hard

The next step once the paper has been cut to the correct size is to then press it inside the tray. The corners are important to press into place and a spray of oil on the tray first will hold it in easier.

Trim the excess off the edges of the baking paper.

7. Trim the excess paper

The excess paper can then be cut off the top to make sure there is not too much hanging over the top of the tray.

Here is the finished lined tray.

Any paper that pops out the top of the tray is likely to get burnt and potentially can cause smoke to fill your oven. Trimming the excess off will also prevent it from blocking the heat flow over cakes allowing them to brown well.

Here is a quick video that shows how to line a variety of baking trays

Easy Success hacks to line a baking tray

Here are my top success hacks for lining a baking tray.

1. Cut the corners

Remember to cut the corners and fold them in. This will help the paper to fit to the shape of your baking tray and prevent the ingredients from touching the tray and sticking.

2. Spray oil or butter

Another key hack is to spray the inside of the baking tray with oil or to give it a quick rub with butter. This will hold the paper in place and stop it from popping out.

3. Trim the excess

Cutting the excess after your place the baking paper in the tray is really important to avoid it burning as you bake. The smell of smoking paper can also fill the oven and room with smoke and smell. Cut off the excess paper for the perfect bake.

What to use to line a baking tray

Parchment paper is the best lining for baking as it is non-stick and heat resistant. Parchment paper can be purchased either bleached or unbleached and used in the oven for baking or even steaming fish.

Baking trays do not need to be lined if they are non-stick or if you use another method. The traditional way of preventing cakes from sticking to the sides of a pan include a wipe with butter and then sifting flower around the edges.

What does it mean to line a baking tray? | Summary

Lining a baking tray with non-stick paper can reduce the amount of oil you add to your cooking and to prevent it from sticking to baking pans without a non-stick coating. I like to use unbleached baking paper which has a natural brown color.

I always line my baking tray when I am cooking cakes, especially loaf cakes which can be easily lifted out using the edges of the paper.  I am baking banana bread each week lately to fill up the kids at afternoon tea time. Cheating by using a banana bread mix makes it a 5 minute job to make homemade banana bread.

Happy baking.