Abstract: Conventional pans used for baking pizza pies, bread, and other dough related products have only a few shapes. Almost all such pans are limited to geometric shapes such as circular, rectangular, or square. The limited number of shapes is primarily due to the nature of the dough which shrinks when cooking. Disclosed are pans which include a frame having a bottom wall, an outer wall upwardly extending from the bottom wall, and a rim outwardly extending from the outer wall. A support surface is configured to support the food product within the outer wall of the frame. A plurality of holding elements upwardly extend from the support surface within the outer wall and are configured to at least partially pierce and hold the food product on the support surface, substantially against shrinkage, in a desired shape. Such pans can be designed to produce food product in essentially any desired shape.

Abstract: Conventional pans used for baking pizza pies, bread, and other dough related products have only a few shapes. Almost all such pans are limited to geometric shapes such as circular, rectangular, or square. The limited number of shapes is primarily due to the nature of the dough which shrinks when cooking. Disclosed are pans which include a frame having a bottom wall, an outer wall upwardly extending from the bottom wall, and a rim outwardly extending from the outer wall. A support surface is configured to support the food product within the outer wall of the frame. A plurality of holding elements upwardly extend from the support surface within the outer wall and are configured to at least partially pierce and hold the food product on the support surface, substantially against shrinkage, in a desired shape. Such pans can be designed to produce food product in essentially any desired shape.