December 26, 2014 - 7:25pm
Baneton disaster
I'm relatively new to sourdough baking. The last time I made hearth bread one of my loaves stuck in the baneton and when I shook it half the dough fell out leaving the rest in the baneton. Today it happened again (Tartine whole wheat bread), only with both my loaves (in two banetons). I am flouring the banetons with a mixture of wheat flour and rice flour. With previous loaves they stuck a bit, but shaking allowed them to pop out. So what might I be doing wrong? Both my loaves today seemed rather slack, but then these are supposed to be high hydration loaves and they seemed to be ready for shaping when I ended the bulk fermentation.
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I flour my bannetons with cornstarch only and the dough just plops out, I have to be careful as the dough comes out so fast.
I have the same with either low or high hydration doughs.
When I used flour to flour the banneton's I had the same problems you are having.
So sorry to hear of your troubles. I just got some of my own and am chomping at the bit to use them, but now worried. Will be most interested to hear advice.
Better luck with upcoming experiences!
Cathy
in the banneton. Just to be clear, are we talking about cloth lined baskets? Yes?
Some tips that might prove useful:
While you're shaping, pinch off a pingpong size ball of dough and shape that as well only pack the "mini loaf" into the bottom of a tall narrow glass. Press it level and mark the top on the side of the glass. Mark "doubled" and also 3/4 risen just below "doubled." Place next to the rising loaf in the banneton and observe them together for your final rise. Use this as a gauge so you can judge your proofing easier. It is often hard to tell when a loaf has almost doubled in a round bowl shaped form. Generally, when your gauge tells you the dough is 3/4 risen, carefully invert the dough out of the banneton and let it release itself. I have long fingers so I tend to cover the banneton with parchment, then my hand and then tip the risen dough onto my hand supporting it as it releases. A flat cookie sheet will also work but shorten the distance between the banneton and the target surface as much as you can to avoid a "drop" out of the banneton.
Roll or dust very wet doughs in flour before placing into a floured banneton. A quick sprinkle of rolled oats over the floured banneton might also be useful in soaking up moisture on the dough surface.
Elevate the banneton so that water can evaporate evenly from all sides, place on a rack or colander so moisture does not build on the bottom to encourage sticking. Also make sure the banneton is dry. If you have high humidity, this might also cause sticking.
Shorten bulk proofing times, a bulked over proofed dough will stick to anything.
When dusting, work some of the flour into the cloth with your fingertips. Then dust over any bare spots. If the flour doesn't seem to be sticking to the banneton, perhaps the cloth needs a wash in plain water and a dry first to open up an ironed starched surface.
There are a few kinds.
I use brown rice flour and dont have any trouble.
Are you flouring your banneton liberally enough?
As long as you are using normal rice flour.
There is such a thing as glutinous rice flour which is used for its stickiness.
Many thanks for all the comments. I am using regular rice flour (mixed with sprouted wheat flour) in unlined banetons. I find that there is only so much flour that will stick to the banetons, otherwise it all just slides to the bottom. Overproofing sounds like a likely suspect. I will try the narrow glass trick. Also, I imagine that part of the problem was that they were proofing in a humid environment. As my kitchen is a bit cold I had put them in a cooler for insulation. So there was clearly nowhere for the moisture to go. I don't know if I can find brown rice flour, but corn starch is easy. Thanks again for all th good advice.
And don't shake or knock the banneton just turn it till fully coated.
I make high-hydration sourdough all the time and I use a liberal amount of Goya white rice flour on my boards, transfer peels, and baking peel. The amount of moisture the rice flour absorbs is incredible.
I got for Christmas 2 cane bannetons, so I am interested in trying them out. I plan on dusting the bannetons with either oil or water and then really working in some rice flour.
I also do all of my fermentation and rises in the refrigerator ... I've had nothing but problems with "warm proofs" in warm+humid environments.
Please let us know how your future loaves work out.
Cheers-
Dave
I'm baking high hydration loaves à la Forkish and Porridge Breads from Tartine often, and the sticking problem happened in the beginning, too (resulting in a flounder). After watching Ken Forkish on YouTube I learned what to do.
It doesn't really matter whether you use bread or AP flour only, or a rice/flour mixture as long as you take enough. Don't just sprinkle the banneton with flour, but using your hand, wipe around the walls of the basket with flour, then the coating is thicker.
When you are ready to unmold the risen loaf, SLAP the banneton forcefully on a piece of parchment paper, gentle cautiousness doesn't do it!
Cut the parchment around the bread with two long ends to make a sling and transfer the loaf with the sling into the hot DO. Works every time.
Happy Baking,
Karin
Are your bannetons smooth? We had a similar issue. We have some wicker bannetons, and some plastic imitations with grooves that emulate a wicker banneton. Using 100% rice flour I have some trouble with our 60% hyrdation dough.
I recently bought a bunch of cheap plastic bowls (4 for $1USD) to make bread bowls for a soup customer. They are very smooth and stuck a bit on the first use. So I scoured them with a green scrubber to put a tooth in the plastic. That helped hold the rice flour so sticking was no longer an issue.
Good luck.
Many thanks again to all who responded. This last weekend I tried again, being careful to rub plenty of rice flour into the banneton (the Forkish video really helped) and flouring the surface of the loaf. The dough plopped right out. I also used the parchment paper trick on one of the loaves - the result was best looking loaf I have made yet. The second loaf I put directly into the Dutch oven. This one came out unevenly, so next time I will go back to the parchment paper trick. I have tried to insert a photo but I'm not sure if I succeeded.
or a mix of rye & wheat - whatevers to hand. Seems to work fine - I sift it into the (cane, unlined) bannetons - liberally. Banneton in one hand to turn it to make sure the flour gets into the ridges. Set down gently to avoid tap/banging it which results in it all falling to the bottom )-:
Occasionally brush excess off when I tip the dough out (moreso on the overnight Rye breads that are a bit firmer than the wheat sourdoughs)
Put them on the range to dry out, tap the flour out and put it back into the dusting tub. This leaves a bit of a build-up inside eventually which is fine, although I do occasionally have a complete clean-out with a stiff brush.
-Gordon