Bought a $60 proofing basket and my sourdough finally stopped flattening out

I've been fighting with flat loaves for like 6 months. Tried different flours, hydration levels, you name it. Then a baker at a local shop in Portland told me my banneton was the problem. I was using a metal bowl with a towel, which sounds fine but it wasn't letting the dough breathe right. Picked up a proper rattan proofing basket for $60 and my loaves actually hold their shape now. Has anyone else had better luck with a specific brand or size of banneton?

3 comments

3 Comments

evanpalmer1mo ago

I've been the guy using a metal bowl with a towel. Thought I was being clever saving money. My bread came out looking like a deflated football.

barbaragarcia1mo ago

a deflated football" lol that's brutal but I get it. what you're describing is such a perfect example of how we always think we can hack our way around stuff without paying the price. like in basically every part of life, you always end up spending more on the cheap fix than you would have just doing it right the first time. i've done the same thing with kitchen stuff for years, thinking a mixing bowl is just a mixing bowl, and the proof is always in the sad, flat results. it's the same pattern with tools or even just a good kitchen knife - you pay for quality or you pay for regret and wasted ingredients.

blake_martinez1mo ago

Honestly $60 is actually kind of a lot for a banneton, most good ones go for like $20.