I finally changed my mind about proofing baskets after last Thursday

I've always used metal bowls with plastic wrap for proofing my bread. Last Thursday I had three loaves stick to the wrap and collapse. A guy at my local bakery in Austin told me to try a banneton basket for $15. The loaves held their shape way better and the crust got that nice pattern on top. Has anyone else switched from bowls to baskets and noticed a difference?

3 comments

3 Comments

davidkim1mo ago

Yo have you tried rice flour dusting in the banneton? That was a game changer for me after I switched from bowls too. I got a round one from a local baking supply shop for like $18 and my dough stopped sticking completely. The spiral pattern it leaves on the crust looks so pro too, my friends think I went to some fancy baking class lmao.

juliarodriguez1mo ago

Man, that's a good tip from @davidkim but I gotta say something different. All this talk about rice flour and bannetons is fine, but nobody's talking about the real game changer - using a stiff starter instead of a liquid one. I switched to a 70% hydration starter last year and my dough stopped being a sticky mess before it even hit the banneton. The rice flour helps sure, but if your dough is too wet from a liquid starter you're just putting a bandaid on a bullet wound. Try feeding your starter with equal parts flour and water by weight, so like 50g each, instead of that soupy 100% hydration stuff. That's what actually solved my sticking problems, not the fancy basket with rice flour.

sanchez.mary1mo agoTop Commenter

Read somewhere that stiff starters also change the whole flavor profile, makes it tangier in a good way.