July 14, 2007 - 8:12pm
Where have you purchased bannetons?
I should note first of all that I live in Canada, so I'm looking for a source that will ship north of the border. Unfortunately, fantes.com (a wonderful link Brotkunst provided) does not. I'm looking at the San Fran Baking Institute, but haven't found any shipping info on their website at all. Does anyone have any leads for me?
Thank you in advance.
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That's an odd business decision from Fantes ... They say:
To ship outside the U.S.: Too risky, since none of the credit card companies will verify the billing information on the order. And insurance is another problem. We'll keep looking for viable alternatives. If and when we come up with a reasonable service that both we and our customers will be happy to use, we'll offer it.
You could offer to send them a money order and an UPS return label ... sounds like they'd do it if they are shown how .... still odd to refuse the business since the credit cards companies would not refuse payment in case something would go wrong. So Fantes are not at risk at all - plus, if some criminals would order baking supplies they still would have to say where they live in order to receive their shipment.
Just in case:
http://www.pastrychef.com/BROTFORM_p_16-955.html (higher prices)
http://www.breadtopia.com/bread-baking-supplies/ (good price, small selection)
http://www.amazon.com/Frieling-Brotform-1-Pound-Rising-Basket/dp/B00004R92U (not cheap)
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/landing.jsp?go=DetailDefault&select=C80&byCategory=C299&id=4399 (not cheap)
http://www.sourdoughbreads.com/Brotform.htm
Now, I don't know if all these ship international ... but it's a place to start.
BROTKUNST
I don't know if Bridge Kitchenware in NYC ships to Canada, but they're worth a try. Many sizes (put "banneton" into their search box), including patterned ones like this:
http://www.bridgekitchenware.com/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=764
They do accept orders from outside the US, but require you to use PayPal in those cases. And they have a very good selection of bannettons.
Also, they have a sale on right now for 35% off their retail prices. Some items are already marked down to less than that, but for others, it means a substantial savings.
However: I had trouble posting an online order. Their interface didn't show the right forms at the right time.
"I am not a cook. But I am sorta cooky."
You can get them through King Arthur and a few other places online. They are pretty expensive about 30 bucks each. I made my own, 20 for less than 30 dollars. I went to a dollar store9 a few actually) and bought wicker baskets for a buck each, one store even had a couple already cloth lined. Went to a discount fabric place and bought a piece of linen, some crochet thread and darning needle. I'm no seamstress but they turned out okay and work fine.
That's a nice idea. I'd love to see a pic of one of yours. I don't do as much handwork as I used to, but the price sure sounds right.
Another thing you can do is just lay a piece of linen or a smooth cotton towel into the basket, without sewing it in. It will not lie as neatly along the sides of the basket as if the pleats were sewn down, but it doesn't seem to make a difference in the final bread. I like not having the linen attached to the basket because if the dough wants to stick (which is rare), it's relatively easy to turn the loaf out of the basket, with the cloth stuck to it, and then peel the cloth off. Also, I don't wash the cloths, but if you needed to for some reason it would be easy. The downside is more pieces to keep track of.
Susanfnp
http://www.wildyeastblog.com
Part of the fun in home baking is making improvised equipment. I resorted to making my own brotforms and banneton when I couldn't find any in Singapore. It was tough making them but it made me appreciate the brotforms. Here's how I made them.
http://www.angelfire.com/planet/tomsbread/Brotforms.htm
My home made brotforms and banneton
Homemade and commercial brotform comparison
unfortunately I don't think all of us are as talented as you!!! Can we place orders our orders now ? ; )
I ordered two bannetons , a kaiser stamp and slasher from SFBI. There is a phone number on the website. I had no problem. Nice people, phoned me back with the shipping charge. Came right to my door, no problems. Don't worry about using a credit card. You are not liable for any miss use. You will know exactly what the total is before you order. Albert. Came USPS. I live in Vancouver, B.C.
I'm glad to hear they ship up to Canada, I've been unable to find any baskets at reasonable prices ($50 CND for one basket is NOT reasonable). How much was the shipping? I'm concerned the bulkiness of a couple baskets will add a lot to the final charge.
That they also use USPS is a major bonus. I refuse to buy from anyone who use UPS for cross border orders.
Ran into Easter basket sale, they didn't know they were bannetons. €1 each!
Silly tobacco store, don't they know bunnies don't bake? (or smoke either)
Mini O