A banneton, or brotform, is a basket or mold used in the final rising stage of artisan bread baking to prevent spreading. It is made of thin wood and can be lined with cloth, and should be well-floured before use. The dough retains the wood design after baking.
A banneton, or brotform, is a basket or mold often used in the baking process of artisan bread. Used mostly with wet dough, a banneton provides support during the final rising stage, but is removed before baking the bread. The mold is usually made of thin wood, wound into coils or woven in pieces, and is occasionally lined with a light cloth. Since doughs that require support are often sticky, bakers rub the flour into wood or cloth before using the mold. Some bakers like to use bannetons because, if handled carefully, the dough will retain the wood design even after baking.
The main purpose of a banneton is to keep the bread from spreading too thin during the final rise. A number of bread doughs go through two stages of leavening or proofing. The first stage of leavening is often performed directly in the mixing bowl. After the first rising, the dough is punched, kneaded and left to rise again before baking. The second rising can take place in the pan, but some doughs are baked on flat pans or baking stones. Wet doughs can be placed into bannetons during the second rise to help hold their shape.
Bannetons are often made with wooden coils or woven strips of a thin willow-like wood. The shape of the mold varies according to the type of bread and the preferences of the baker. The sourdough is usually proofed in round baskets, while the baguettes are arranged in long rectangular molds. Bannetons are available at specialty kitchen stores, but most small baskets can be made into bannetons by lining it with a thin linen-like or muslin-like fabric.
Before use, a banneton should be well coated in flour. In fact, some bakers prefer not to wash the baskets between uses to season the wood. If a liner is used, the cloth should also be well floured to prevent the fabric from sticking to the paste and tearing it as the cloth is removed.
Slipcovers aren’t always used because part of a banneton’s appeal is that the dough keeps the pattern from the wood. When removing the dough from the basket, many bakers place a pan on top of the banneton, flip it over, and then gently lift the basket. This will preserve the banneton’s imprint, giving the bread an interesting texture and look after it’s baked.
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