So, I make Reinhart's French bread on a regular basis. I'd like to make baguettes in a couche, but have a MAJOR sticking issue. The material I'm using is made specifically to be used as a couche, so I know that's not the problem. I also liberally coat (not just dust) the fabric with flour when shaping and placing the loaves. My dough is 75% hydration and dries out nicely on the top, but whenever it touches anything (like the countertop), it sticks like the Dickens, even with flour underneath. Today I actually placed the couche on a doughnut screen, so air was circulating underneath it, but somehow the dough still absorbed the flour and attached itself to the fabric...

I'm ready to use rice flour next time, then semolina, to see if it helps. I paid good money for the couche (in fact, I even bought TWO, so I could make more baguettes at a time), but, so far, this is NOT working.

Anybody have any suggestions about a possible solution?

Thanks in advance,

Stephan