The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

No more floured towels for me

thebreadfairy's picture
thebreadfairy

No more floured towels for me

I have stumbled across an alternative for covering rising dough which seems to be almost like a "teflon" towel. I purchased a 100% microfiber cloth napkin at "Bed, Bath, and Beyond" and it is incredible so far. Dough, even wet doughs (have not tried ciabatta yet) don't stick at all. I covered a sourdough raisin bread overnight in a brotform lined with this and only a minimal amount of bread flour. In the morning, the loaf turned out much more easily than even with my linen-lined bannetons.

The material is not like the fuzzy microfiber cloths but is woven like a fine linen napkin. For anyone who wishes to try one out, this is the link:

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=13472092&RN=63&KSKU=106081

They also make tablecloths in this material which could be cut into custom sizes.

dosidough's picture
dosidough

I find the dusting of clothes to be about the most uncontainably messy part of baking. Somehow it travels more than dusting the counter. Also thanks for including that it's not the 'fuzzy" kind of micro fiber; that stuff just feels creepy.

I'm on my way to BB&B tonight for a lasagna pan so I'll take this # and check it out.

Bake on...

Dosi

LindyD's picture
LindyD

Thanks for the info.  I checked out the link and saw that the item is imported.  Do you know from where?

 

flournwater's picture
flournwater

You can email BB&B here:

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/contactUs.asp?order_num=-1&

for that info.

thebreadfairy's picture
thebreadfairy

Hi LindyD,

The label says they are imported from Taiwan.

jesswin

LindyD's picture
LindyD

They have a store about 40 miles away - will check into the napkins the next time I'm in that area.

Postal Grunt's picture
Postal Grunt

CostCo is a good source for the micro fiber cloths. They have a package of the square cloths the right size for dusting or waxing your car, that contains 36 for around $12-14. WalMart carries the larger towel size for less than $7. Both sources are selling products made in China.

smasty's picture
smasty

How creative of you to figure this out!  I am definitely going to try it!  I'm tired of the stress of pulling the towels off the bread and never knowing if I'm going to have trouble or not.  No matter how much flour I use, it's always a wait-and-see game.  Thanks for the tip! 

 

blackhorse16a's picture
blackhorse16a

I've been oiling the top of my loaves for overnight retarding, but I don't like the feel. In a well-floured couche, I always got a dried-out crust. Think this will work OK for overnights?

 

 

LindyD's picture
LindyD

Have you tried placing the couche in a plastic bag?

Whether using a couche or a linen banneton, I always bag it before moving the loaves into the refrigerator.  Tie or twist the end of the bag so air doesn't get in.  The dough will not dry out.

The food grade veggie/fruit bags in the produce dept. of most markets work very well and the price is right (free). 

Yumarama's picture
Yumarama

If you're bagging a couche, there's little need for "food grade" bags since it's not touching any food anyway. A clean garbage or grocery bag will do just as well.

Unless you use those scented bags, that would be stinky. 

thebreadfairy's picture
thebreadfairy

Postal Grunt: Be careful. All microfiber cloths are not the same. The ones used for dusting generally have a softer, fuzzier surface than the "napkin-like" cloths that I have used. These might stick to the dough.

Smasty: So far I have used a tiny amount of flour, mostly because I was nervous about getting some sticking. Let me know if you use a "no-flour" approach.

Blackhorse16a: I did one loaf yesterday couched in the cloth inside a plastic bag in the refrigerator for five hours. Absolutely no sticking. Although I generally use a plastic bag for refrigerated loaves, as LindyD describes, last night I thought I would try an overnight using only the microfiber cover without the plastic bag. Not surprisingly, the loaf developed a crust. Consider the microfiber as an air-permeable cloth. It is great as a non-stick cloth but will not block out air.

Postal Grunt's picture
Postal Grunt

That point has been accepted. I did find some larger plastic food bags in the meat dept. at a local CostCo that are large enough for just about any size loaf I've ever tried. I would like to find a source for similar bags since I never seem to leave CostCo without spending less than $70.

CaptainBatard's picture
CaptainBatard

I have found that turkey roasting bags work well for me....