How To: Use + Maintain Banneton Baskets
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Everything you need to know about your banneton basket! Learn how to use, care for, clean, and troubleshoot the use of these proofing baskets.
A few years ago, if you had asked me about baking sourdough bread I’m sure I’d have actually laughed at you. Now, I’m hooked on it. I’m all about using the best starter jar, cold retarding my dough, open baking multiple loaves. And I’m not the only one!
Sourdough is making a resurgence, possibly thanks to the virus who shall not be named? Either way, it’s totally rad, and while it’s not complicated, there are a few things to that are helpful learn, so buckle up for a deep dive into bannetons!
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What Is A Banneton Basket?
Banneton baskets (or simply bannetons) are also known as brotforms and proofing baskets. While they are not specifically necessary to bake beautiful artisan bread, they are definitely helpful in achieving perfect loaves.
The purpose of a banneton basket is help to add shape and structure to the bread dough during the final rise. The gluten in bread dough has the tendency to relax while proofing, which is great because it allows the dough to rise but it also allows the dough to spread! Keeping the dough in a container that limits the spread encourages the dough to rise higher.
These proving baskets are designed to allow airflow around the loaf during the rising process, but are not meant to bake in! Your basket should never, ever see the oven!
Types Of Proofing Baskets
There are a few different types of bread proofing baskets on the market, which one suits your needs is a personal decision based on the type of baker you are.
Cane/Rattan:
These are the most common style of banneton on the market. They are usually reasonably priced, durable, and easy to clean.
Cane rattan bannetons have gaps between the wrapped layers, allowing air to circulate, resulting in a loaf that’s able to grow more efficiently and slightly dries out the outer layer of the dough, creating that irresistible crust we love in a sourdough! The bannetons often come with linen liners.
This is the kind of banneton I have and use for all my sourdough bread recipes.
Wood Pulp:
Wood pulp bannetons generally come from Germany and are made with wood pulp or recycled wood materials. They are not as long lasting or as easy to clean as the cane bannetons.
They are, however, a great choice for bakers who love a high hydration dough, as the brotform is able to absorb moisture from the dough giving a crisp crust to the dough.
Plastic:
This is a relative new comer to the bread proofing basket scene. Plastic bannetons are easy to clean and durable. They are more difficult to flour, but they also won’t have moisture/mold issues.
This style of proofing basket has a lot of positives, but it can also hinder the rise on some doughs because of the lack of airflow in and around the dough during the final rise.
Lined Vs. Unlined
Many natural rattan bannetons on the market come with a linen or cloth liner. It’s a personal preference on whether to use them or not, and it may even come down to the recipe you’re using!
Lined bannetons will give your dough a smooth surface, ideal for intricate scoring patterns, while an unlined banneton will showcase the spiral or parallel lines of the proofing basket in the final dough.
If you purchased an unlined banneton and want to try to use a lined version, lay a flour sack cloth or linen cloth dusted with rice flour inside the banneton to achieve the same result.
Size Guide
The rule of thumb, and this is by no means scientific, is as follows. Calculate the full weight of your dough by adding the weight of the starter, water, flour, salt, and and add ins.
| Basket Size | Round | Oval |
|---|---|---|
| 8 inch | 500g | 500g |
| 10 inch | 2 lb | 1.75 lb |
If you bake in a dutch oven, one important consideration for your banneton size selection is the size of your dutch oven! Choose a proofing basket that fits within your favorite dutch oven – this can be accomplished by simply dropping the basket into your cold dutch oven to see if it fits, or measure the diameter of both to ensure you’ll be able to bake it once the bread has risen in the basket!
I use both round and oval bannetons, usually dependant on the recipe or how we plan on enjoying it. They both come in handy! Round loaves of bread are better for serving at a dinner, while I find oval loaves are better suited to toast and sandwich making because the slices are more consistently sized.
Prepare For First Use
Ok! You’ve got a new banneton and a happy sourdough starter. Now what?
- Wet a cloth with hot soapy water and wipe the entire surface, inside and out, with the cloth.
- Rinse the cloth with hot water, and wipe out the basket to remove any soapy residue.
- Using a clean kitchen towel, wipe the banneton dry. Don’t worry about getting the basket fully dry, the moisture helps the rice flour to stick,
- Sprinkle the clean basket with rice flour and set aside to dry before using.
That’s it! Consider your new proofing basket ready to use!
Proofing Basket Care And Cleaning
Banneton care is super simple!
After each use, you’ll want to invert the basket, tap out the excess flour, and place it somewhere with ample air flow to dry for 1-2 days. It can then be placed in a cupboard for storage.
Avoid storing your proving basket in a bag or sealed container as that will encourage stagnant moisture and mold issues.
Banneton cleaning is also very easy!
If you’ve got some stuck on dough or stubborn flour build up, dry brush the basket with a stiff brush or gently scrape it with a cast iron scraper. I actually have a small hand held dish brush I keep with my bannetons, just for cleaning them.
Cleaning between the wicker helps to ensure you’ll see the beautiful concentric circles on your sourdough.
I know, you’re wondering if you can wash bannetons? It is possible, but should be done very carefully and sparingly. To wash your banneton, soak it in clean, warm water for 10-15 minutes, then scrub with your bristle brush until it’s clean and give it a rinse.
At this point, drying the the basket is very important. It can be set out in the sun, or in a warm place to dry, like the oven with the light on and the door propped open.
How To Use A Banneton
The instructions for use are very straight forward. Just remember that you’ll only use your banneton AFTER the final shaping.
- Place the shaped sourdough, seam side up, into a floured banneton basket.
- Cover the basket with a clean kitchen towel, shower cap, or plastic bag, and allow the dough to rise during the final proof until ready to bake.
- When ready to bake, carefully turn the banneton over onto a parchment sheet.
- Score the dough, and place in preheated dutch oven for baking!
Covered Or Uncovered?
Once the dough is in the banneton, it’s important to cover the dough to prevent the top (soon to be the bottom) from drying out. I feel that I get higher quality oven spring when I cover the dough through the tail end of fermentation.
The dough can be covered with a dampened towel, piece of plastic, or even a plastic shower cap. I actually purchased bread bags from a local restaurant supply company and I use and reuse those – they work great for proofing as I can just slide in the whole banneton and tie the bag shut before proofing and then tossing in the fridge.
Banneton Troubleshooting
Dough sticking to banneton:
This is a simple fix! The dough is likely sticking to the banneton because you’ve not used enough flour in the basket OR you’ve used the wrong type of flour in the basket.
Next time you use your banneton, use more flour, or try rice flour. Rice flour is a great sourdough flour because it is gluten free and won’t turn into glue when it is moistened by your dough.
Dough flattens when turned out of banneton:
If your dough flattens once it’s turned out of the the proofing basket, it could be that the dough has too high of a hydration level, the dough hasn’t had enough surface tension built in during the shaping stage, or the dough is over proofed.
Next time, try to use a recipe with a hydration level under 75% and really work on the the final shaping stage, pulling the dough from the base to create a very taut skin.
Use Your Banneton With These Recipes
Banneton Alternatives
If you’re like me and live in a small town in the middle of nowhere, you might be wondering what to do if you don’t have access to a store with bread baking tools and supplies. Well, you make a DIY proofing basket, because you can make sourdough without a banneton.
In the past years, I’ve used a glass bowl lined with a floured flour sack cloth, and placed my boules in a parchment lined pot approximately the size of my dutch oven.
Another great banneton substitute would be a fabric lined colander or wicker basket. Both of these options allow airflow around your loaf without requiring another another kitchen thing, especially if you’re the kind of bread baker with all the accoutrement.
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