Cleaning bannetons?

[BrianShaw]

I recently started using cloth-covered bannetons for dough rising. 'm using the ones from SFBI that have the cloth sewn into the basket. With this technique I am a real novice, and found out today just how novice I really am!

The dough wouldn't rise due to the cold temp, I suspect, so I used a time-honoured technique of mine and set the dough on an electric heating pad. This is the first time I've done this... usually I rise on a board and put the board on the heating pad.

I must not have sufficiently floured the banneton because it stuck like glue. the heat from the electric heating pad "crusted" the dough into the linen cloth. After scraping and prying, soaking and more scraping, I began to wonder - Does a linen-covered banneton need to be cleaned periodically... or is it okay to just "bang out" the flour and store it in a dry location until the next use?

[CanuckJim]

Re: Cleaning bannetons?

Brian,

Commonly, I use the vacuum to clean banneton . Having said this, however, mine are not cloth lined. I suggest you use a fine mieshed seive to flour them with, using stone ground brown rice flour. Suspect your problem has to do with humidity, rather than flour amount.

Dump the heating pad; it will make the rising dough gluey. Longer, at room temp is better. The entire basket should be covered in plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Easier to show than describe.

Jim

[BrianShaw]

Re: Cleaning bannetons?

Thanks Jim. The vacuum makes sense, maybe even for cloth lined.

Now that the banneton is dried it doesn't appear to have been harmed in any way by washing in water... but I sure won't be doing that again if I can help it.

As for humidity, that is a possibility since it is more humid than normal right now. I didn't think of that as a consideration. I'll have to give rice flour a try instead of wheat flour.

I can imagine quite well what you mean by enclosing in plastic wrap. I've been covering with a cloth in the past. I'll try your method.

As for the heating pad... I might best reassign that piece of equipment to my aching shoulder!

[CanuckJim]

Re: Cleaning bannetons?

Brian,

Try to find a source for industrial width plastic wrap. Here, from a wholesaler, I can get it either 18" or 24" wide. Makes wrapping the baskets much easier, because you only use a single piece.

Jim

[DrakeRemoray]

Re: Cleaning bannetons?

I second Jim on getting big/wide plastic wrap. I bought this:
Easy Glide? Food Service Film - 18'', Food Wraps at Instawares

Drake

[Wiley]

Re: Cleaning bannetons?

Excuse me for dusting off an old thread.... But I just received a willow wood banneton for my birthday and it came with a fitted cloth couche (not sure that is the proper name for the cloth but we'll try it and see who will come forth with the proper name).

Anyway, past experience has shown that in using a plastic collander with a cloth couche for a banneton the pattern of holes and slots in the collander shows thru on the finished loaf, right thru the cloth. From reading this thread it appears that at least one is using their willow banneton without the couche. So those of you have who have willow spiral wound bannetons does one use the couche or not? I am desireous of having the spiral pattern on the loaf like in the books and like James produces as shown in photos of his bread.

Thanks so much!

Wiley

[egalecki]

Re: Cleaning bannetons?

I don't have a liner for my banneton. I use whatever flour I am using in my dough in the basket to get a good release and haven't had trouble yet.

[james]

Re: Cleaning bannetons?

I've got 'em all. :-)

To get the spiral pattern, you a use the Coiled Wicker Banneton. It is not linen lined, and you put a lot of flour in it to keep the loaves from sticking. You can see the coil pattern as soon as you unload your loaves. I really like it and I have a round and an oval. They come in different sizes.

The linen lined bannetons are made with woven wicker, and they do a nice job of maintaining the loaf's surface texture and they don't leave a pattern. But, they are a bear to clean up. I let them dry (the flour gets damp from the loaf and sticks) and use a dry dish brush to scrap the sticky part off.

Does anyone have a better way of cleaning the linen?
James

[Wiley]

Re: Cleaning bannetons?

Thank You Elizbeth and James, I have a loaf proofing in the banneton sans cloth/liner/couche as I write this. If it turns out well I'll post a photo.

Here are two photos of an effect that caused my question. I've only recently started using these colander/strainers as bannetons. I came across a deal at a Goodwill and picked up a baker's dozen of them for about $12 and for liners/cloths I picked up a nice heavy tablecloth to cut up. I wanted a worn linen one but settled for a newish washed but not worn Williams Sonoma cotton one for $6.00. Cheaper than buying fabric and washing the sizing out etc. Anyway, apparently I didn't rub enough flour into the cloth because the dough stuck in the center. And although there wasn't any apparent design when it went into the oven, there was when it came out. The second photo shows the radiating stripes around the edge of the loaf. The center pattern was messed up when freeing the dough from the cloth.

I find it interesting that the flour/cloth/banneton acted this way and if this is something other than a odd, one time only phenomenon. Anyone else seen or had this happen?
Wiley

[AnnieMacD]

Re: Cleaning bannetons?

The two kinds of baskets are brotformen (willow spirals) and bannetons (linen lined). I'm pretty sure neither of them gets washed - they are supposed to build up a patina of flour and all you do is shake them out. Same for a couche. I have used these for 4 - 6 years and never washed them. However, I never put highly flavoured bread such as onion OR very high fat content breads in them as that may make them smell / go rancid.

You can put them individually into large plastic bags and tie the ends so they will not dry out. The bags can be used over and over unlike plastic wrap. Professional bakers have racks on which they put them and then cover the whole rack with a plastic cover.

Annie

[Wiley]

Re: Cleaning bannetons?

Annie, that bread looks great ..do you bake for a living?

Here's the photo of the first loaf out of the new banneton as well as a shot of the crumb. The bread is 1/4 fresh ground Montana Red Spring Wheat and 3/4 Costco's Bread Flour, it turned out a bit denser than I expected. The loaf itself is paler too, but the internal temp measured 205F and it sounded hollow so I figure it is done.

Bests,
Wiley

[AnnieMacD]

Re: Cleaning bannetons?

Thanks, Wiley. Well, yes and no! I sell my bread but haven't given up the day job - yet.

Your bread looks great. Just two observations. If you had scored the bread yourself, it would have had a 'controlled' gash rather than burst open such as yours did. Secondly, just up the percentage of liquid (the hydration) in your bread and you'll get a more open crumb. I bet it tasted amazing. Was the Red Spring flour 100% whole wheat? You should be able to go up to 50% WW and still get a pretty open crumb. A good idea is to start with 100% white flour and get used to what that looks like, then increase the proportion of WW by 10% at a time and compare the results. I often do 50% but actually prefer 15 - 20%. Have you tried spelt flour? I use it more and more in place of whole-wheat.

Let us know how it goes.
Annie

[james]

Re: Cleaning bannetons?

Annie and Wiley,

Everything is look great. Wow, what wonderful looking bread. Wiley, are you baking by weight? It's an easy way of controller your water %.

I have a bag of freshly milled Spelt from the Bale Mill, which I will be using for the first time in a day or two.

What should I expect from spelt?
James

[brokencookie]

Re: Cleaning bannetons?

Spelt will have a taste and texture like 100% whole wheat. I use it for my daughter who is allergic to wheat. As far as hydration. It tends to like a little less hydration that traditional wheat. It also has far less gluten. I have been using it for the No-Knead recipe with some good success. Since the texture is fairly coarse I have been experimenting with ways to improve the texture. The best I have come up with is using mashed yams or sweet potatoes. I am at work and without my recipe in front of my but the basics are

600 grams spelt
180 grams mashed yams ( I buy them canned and use a splooch of OJ and a blender to make them smooth)
320 grams of water
6 grams yeast
9 grams salt


I think that's pretty close. If you have used the No-Knead method then just adjust the water content by feel at the end.

Then just follow the No-Knead method. It tend to not rise as much as a wheat flour. You won't even notice the yams, they disappear into the bread and just act as a texture improver.

[Wiley]

Re: Cleaning bannetons?

Annie, I'm using the no knead bread method and so slashing the tops after they are dropped into the screaming hot pot is perhaps doable but something not mentioned in the instructions. As for upping the water content I'll try that as well. Thanks for the advice.

The Montana Red Spring Wheat I bought as berries and ground fairly coarsely before mixing. The rest of the flour was white bread flour. I like the addition of the ruffage as well as what it does to the color of the loaf. Although you would not know that looking at the color in the photo. The photo of the cut loaf was taken upstairs without any additional light, the other one on the ground floor in my kitchen, where the lighting was on.

James I have been mixing the no knead by volume and fairly roughly at that. Just like in the NY Times video (save the cooking times are much different using my oven). Heretofore using straight white flour I have been pleased with the results. Now replacing some of the white with an equal amount of fresh ground Red Spring....etc. and one can see the results; the crumb has much smaller holes and is denser, but tasting fine. I'll try Annie' advice and up the water content and start treating the recipe with a tighter control of measures. (Although I admit I enjoyed the free spirit of the way I was making the all white bread)
Thanks,
Wiley