The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Bannetons

hydestone's picture
hydestone

Bannetons

Hey

I discovered my bannetons were donated by my wife...she thought they were unattractive baskets.

 

I’d like to pick up some new ones. Preferably cheap and a variety of sizes/shapes. 

Any recommended sources?

 

Thanks

hydestone's picture
hydestone

one more question...I am thinking I could turn a wooden bowl in my lathe, instead of making the inside of the bowl smooth, I could made some ridges.

are the rounds ribs in the bannetons functional or just make a nice pattern on the bread? 

Danni3ll3's picture
Danni3ll3

Your wife gave away your bannetons! Those suckers aren’t cheap! 
The ridges are mostly decorative but they do help hold the flour on the walls. If I made my own, I would include the ridges. 

Danni3ll3's picture
Danni3ll3

Any old wicker basket will work. I used plastic rattan baskets for a long time until I was able to buy bannetons one or two at a time. Just lightly spray some water first to get the flour to stick. 

newchapter's picture
newchapter

What a great idea!  Adding that to my Bread Baking Bucket List!  

Danni3ll3's picture
Danni3ll3

I belong to was talking about making them out of clay. I suggested they only fire them to bisque so that they would still absorb some moisture rather than fully vitrifying them where they absorb very little moisture. So if you know a potter or two... 

newchapter's picture
newchapter

That’s another great idea!  Sadly, I do not know any of the local potters.

hydestone's picture
hydestone

Well...I’ll give it a shot, I’ve got some time on my hands during the C-19 lockdown!

Our Crumb's picture
Our Crumb

I got mine from the San Francisco Baking Institute.  Good quality, good -- but not rock bottom -- prices.

Tom

Yippee's picture
Yippee

After realizing I only have one tiny, oval benneton (25cm x? X?) that barely holds 1 lb of dough, I ordered three larger ones from Ali. The largest is 35cm x?x?, and it's less than $15. Large collection of various shapes and sizes, free shipping too but it may take a couple of weeks to arrive.

DanAyo's picture
DanAyo

Hyde, if you don’t mind waiting on the shipping, Ebay has some great deals. Check around...

Here is an example.

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

try your nearest Good will, St Vincent's or Salvation Army for baskets.  Also strainers and colanders can work when lined.  Straw hats, small cardboard boxes, ski hats ...all clean  of coarse.  Shrimp baskets,  some one will come up with a lined face mask soon.  Knitted baskets.  The trick is to find them deep enough and not too wide, with steep sides.  

Youre going to love this one... large bra washing machine net.  Hey, it travels and folds flat!  

Collapsible Silicone sieve?  

RedEng's picture
RedEng

I got rope baskets at my local Dollarama for $4 each. They work perfectly :)

hydestone's picture
hydestone

I am going to make one tomorrow for fun.

Would someone out there with a round one mind providing me with a few dimensions?

Diameter of bottom, diameter of top, and overall height?

It would be very much appreciated!

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

and flour type.  (Wheat, whole wheat, rye, etc). Basically you want a banneton that is half globe as opposed to saucer shape.   The more dough, the slightly flatter the bottom.dough should not rise and spill over the rim.  It can rise above the rim but dough should stay domed and high in the middle of the basket when proofed.  Wheat doughs tend to rise higher so think about the shaped dough as filling 1/3 to 1/2 the volume inside the banneton.

If thinking about using a form for shaping a rope basket, think of shaping the rope around half of a volley ball for an average loaf and a basketball for a very large loaf.

 

The Roadside Pie King's picture
The Roadside Pi...

good morning, all.

 I hope this reply finds you all well. Lucky clover trading, has the best price I have found on proofing baskets. I have had mine for a few years now. They go from heavy use to dormant. They are now in the heavy use stage. I abuse these baskets by washing/ saturating them immediately after use, to release the flour. I then immediately dry them on top of the hot stove. Works a peach with no warping or other ill effects. I always wanted to open a store on my blog page, and see if I could make a few shekels by selling them. That never happened. The only down side to these baskets, they are made in China. Enjoy! 

bannetons @ Lucky Clover Trading Co.

SpaceBus's picture
SpaceBus

Please excuse the threadjack. 

 

Where is a good source for linen lined bannetons? I live at the most northeastern part of the US, so I'd rather not buy a basket that has to travel 10,000 miles to get to my house.